How Can Debt Affect Your Life and Your Health?
It comes as no surprise that one of the leading factors of stress is related to financial burdens. While we’ve all heard that money won’t buy you happiness, we do know that it can buy some sense of financial ease.
This is especially true in a time when money is a necessity as a means to survive. Without steady cash flow, it can seem impossible to cover current bills and have leftover to pay off pre-existing ones. When a person is ill at ease with their financial status, the stress associated with it can cause more damage than expected.
YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH
Debt can raise your blood pressure
When you feel stressed, your body fires away hormones, such as adrenaline, to try to deal with the situation. Adrenaline, known as the fight or flight hormone, can be helpful to focus and it arms you to respond to an immediate threat. It becomes dangerous, however, if you are facing that spike in adrenaline on a consistent basis.
This constant stream of stress-hormones can raise your blood pressure which puts pressure on your heart. The link between debt and high blood pressure has been noticed in adults, even if they lead an otherwise healthy lifestyle.
It can cause physical pain
Headaches from stress are not just a metaphorical nightmare associated with debt. With high amounts of stress, you might notice tension headaches or muscle pain, such as tightness in your back or shoulders.
To help ease the physical consequences of debt, taking time to look after your body can be a step in relieving the pain. This could be simple stretching or daily exercise. Seeking help for dealing with debt is a crucial component in combating the root of the stress.
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Debt throws your sleeping schedule out
We understand how important sleep is. Having trouble falling and staying asleep can cause a major increase in your emotional turbulence and physical wellbeing. When you lack sleep, your body struggles to adapt. This, coupled with the stress of debt, can be enough to lead to chronic syndromes like insomnia.
It weakens your immune system
Chronic or prolonged levels of stress caused by debt have also been linked to a suppressed immune system which slows down your body’s method of fighting illness.
“When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. That is why we are more susceptible to infections.”
– Saul McLoid The University of Manchester
With a weaker immune system, a person is likely to get sick more often, visit the doctor more frequently and have to face more medical bills. This creates an additional financial burden, which leads to increased stress levels, resulting in a continuous, worsening cycle.
Breaking this cycle, fortunately, is not impossible. Getting out of debt and sorting out your finances can be a process which Debtline can support you through.
YOUR EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
Debt can lead to anxiety
Concerns in a person’s life can worry at their minds all day long. If these concerns aren’t addressed, it can result in anxiety and nervousness. Anxiety can then lead to reduced motivation, decreased productivity, and lower self-esteem. Getting rid of your financial-monkey on your back is one way to ease anxiety and tend to the stress from bad budgeting.
It can result in depression
The feeling of an uncontrolled crisis in one’s life can be linked to depressive tendencies. The symptoms are commonly found in adults over the age of 51 who are facing high amounts of debt.
It can hinder relationships
Finances getting in the way of healthy relationships between spouses, families, and friends is not an uncommon situation. The burden of debt can drive a wedge between families, especially when a solution to the problem does not easily present itself. Money issues are often a touchy subject, making communication between people difficult and causing tension to skyrocket. Unfortunately, debt can be a problematic situation in marriages which have been through decades as well as in newly-wed couples.
