Debt and Health

Can debt affect your health? It may already be doing just that, whether you care to admit it or not. For many people in debt, financial worries became a daily burden. Concern about money matters can interfere with your sleep (debt-insomnia, a new word I just made up), upset your stomach, give you headaches, and make you irritable.

Psychologists who study stress say that stress is highly individual. What stresses one person out may not bother another. The astronaut and now Senator John Glenn reportedly blasted off into space (first American to orbit the earth) and scientists monitoring his pulse rate during blast-off found his heart rate never topped 75 beats a minute (that's just a hair above normal). Most of us have a more rapid heart rate watching TV! The fact is Glenn's "stress thermometer" was just set very, very low.

Others of us can get upset if the evening paper isn't delivered or if our mail goes to the house next door.

Debt is a pretty worrisome thing, so it probably bothers the majority of debtors and it can be freaking out the more sensitive types.

Another reason for stress is lack of control. If we have control over something, it tends not to upset us as much as things we can't control. For instance, working long hours at your own business is rarely perceived as super-stressful by entrepreneurs. Put those same entrepreneurs in the corporate world and assign them to work for a dimwitted boss, and you have a bunch of basket cases.

If you feel like your debt is spiraling out of control, where you just can't stop the financial bleeding (like a catastrophe, for example), or where somebody else is digging you deeper and deeper into debt, it can make you sick.

Worry, insomnia, eating disorders, headaches, and stress-related ailments are common in people in debt.

Another reason to link debt and illness is that many people facing overwhelming debt cut back on health insurance, health care, or even healthful food. To save money, debtors may pass on health clubs, organic produce, doctor visits, and vitamins.

While debtors ought to economize, there is no need to jeopardize your physical health just because your financial well-being has deterioriated.

People who think debt is making them sick should take stock:

• Exercise, even if you just jog around the neighborhood or walk up and down the stairs at work. You don't need a pricy gym membership to stay fit.
• Eat as healthfully as you can. You may think fruits and veggies are too expensive, but they are still cheap compared to eating out all of the time.
• Try to get enough rest. If you have insomnia, learn some relaxation techniques or other remedies to get sufficient sleep.
• Connect with people. I can't prove it, but I think a major factor in depression comes from a sense of isolation. You don't need to spend a lot of money, either. Meet for potluck parties or go to the park or beach. If you don't have friends, join civic organizations, religious organizations, clubs, or other groups to meet people your own age and background.