The Effects of Debt on Your Health- It’s a Killer!

Many people know firsthand how debt can turn their lives upside down. It can wreak havoc with relationships, cause work problems to arise and it can make doing even the simplest things difficult because there is never enough money to live on. The work/life balance is upset tremendously when debt is in the driver’s seat of your life. 

Debt can take a terrible toll on your health as well. The stress you are suffering from can literally make you sick. 

Too Much Debt Stress Equals Illness

Debt can cause a number of illnesses that are connected to stress. For example, credit cards are often referred to as “killer debt” and can actually make a person  sick.  Studies have shown that approximately half of all North Americans worry often about their debts and some say they are worried a great of the time. This can affect health and well-being in very negative ways.

The body has a built in fight or flight response when it comes to stress that is necessary when a person is under attack or needs to react very quickly to a tense situation. However when this response is put into play because of stress and debts it can have a detrimental effect on the body.

Up Goes the Blood Pressure!

When the body is under stress this is what takes place- hormones, adrenaline and cortisol are released into the bloodstream and cause blood pressure and heart rate to go up. These chemicals are also responsible for elevating breathing and altering how the immune system functions. These elements are necessary if a person is required to fight and then flee but if they happen often enough and over an extended period of time due to stress it can lead to a host of health problems that can be very serious and potentially life threatening such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and a variety of types of cancer. 

Loss of Sleep

Studies have also shown that losing sleep because you are worrying about debts can make it difficult to shed unwanted pounds. If you are doing everything you can to lose weight then the stress you are under may be in part to blame. Not getting enough sleep causes a reduction in a hormone called leptin that regulates the appetite. It is the levels of leptin in the body that allows the brain to know when the body requires food and when it does not. Low levels of leptin means that the control for food consumption is not there and this can lead to obesity.

When a person is deprived of sleep weight gain is often the result because when the body has a deficit in one area it takes from another area. Headaches and particularly migraines are also often the result of too many debts. The digestive system is also very sensitive to stress related issues.

Mental Health Angst

Mental problems are another realm of health related problems that are associated with stress. Many people run into problems both at home and at work because their minds are overburdened with constant worries over debt. This can lead to tremendous stress as well as anger and frustration, moodiness and a lack of productivity at the workplace. 

You need to find ways to get your debt under control in order that your health will not be adversely affected. You do not want to discover down the line that your financial picture is showing improvement while your health is not.  

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