Debt and Poor Health...A Vicious Cycle
By Teresa Ambord
A recent Associated Press poll showed that nearly half of the people studied admit to worrying about debt. Many said they worry about debt most of the time. That’s bad enough, but to make it all worse, the stress caused by a heavy debt load can also negatively impact your health.
The average American family has ten credit cards and pays an average of 19 percent interest. If a consumer makes only minimum payments on a high balance, it could easily take decades to pay off that debt, assuming little or nothing else is charged on the card. With figures like that, it stands to reason that debt has become not only a figurative headache, but a literal health problem to many people. Research done at Ohio State University showed that often, people who have high debt levels also report more health problems and impairments.
Here are some common ways that debt has a direct effect on your health and well-being:
Worrying about debt – or anything else – causes loss of sleep. And research now shows that a lack of sleep ultimately makes it harder to control your weight. This is because your body normally produces an appetite-regulating hormone known as leptin, which tells your body when it has had enough food. Insufficient sleep reduces the level of leptin production in your body. It’s no wonder then that scientists tell us that lack of sleep and obesity are related.
While stress can lower the level of the necessary hormone leptin, it can also raise the level of the destructive hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is produced by excessive stress, and an abundance of cortisol can lead to or worsen high blood pressure, heart disease, and some cancers.
Researchers admit that, compared to other factors such as age, education, weight or tobacco use, the effect of debt on your health is smaller, yet they say it is still strong. As if being buried under a burden of debt isn’t bad enough, now you’re adding poor health to an already bad mix. The cycle can be vicious as illness and malaise causes you to miss work, rack up medical bills, or just leave you too worn out to consider taking on extra work that could help pay off your debts.
