Let's be honest: everyone experiences stress at one time or another. Work-related difficulty, a relationship gone sour, the loss of a family member--they all contribute to stress. Sometimes it can feel like there's no end in sight. Day after day, year after year, stress can take a heavy toll on the body. Even the healthiest, most well-adjusted individual can lose their edge if they're put under constant pressure.
If you're suffering from chronic stress, it's important for you to understand the health risks of a nerve-racking lifestyle and learn ways to fight back.
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| Stress Can Raise Your Health Insurance Rate |
Increased Health Insurance Rate
Some studies show that more than half of all illnesses are stress-related. So it's no surprise that people who suffer from it get sick more often, resulting in an increase in their healthcare spending. Co-pays, prescription drug costs, lab tests, missed work days, medical appointments, surgery-being sick is expensive!
Stress can lead to weight gain, and if you are obese, you may be required to pay more for a health insurance policy or be rejected for coverage outright. For those who develop stress-related psychological problems like depression or anxiety disorder, co-pays for therapy sessions can be extremely expensive even if you have proper medical coverage.
Stress-Related Health Problems
When the body encounters a stressful situation, the heart pounds harder in the chest, the muscles tense up, breathing is accelerated, and all five senses are on red alert. This biological response is intended to do something useful: it makes the body more alert in dangerous situations. But too much stress can be extremely damaging, potentially leading to the development of several major health problems.
Prolonged feelings of anxiety can negatively impact the cardiovascular and immune systems. It decreases the body's ability to defend against infection and disease, can contribute to infertility, and may lead to irregularity in the digestive system.
Some of the major medical issues associated with stress include:
Common Causes of Stress
In order to combat stress, you need to first understand what causes it. The causes vary between individuals. Personality type, life outlook (optimist or pessimist), capacity to rationalize problems, and quality of family support are all factors that play into one's susceptibility to certain types of stress.
Common causes of stress include:
Stressed? Just Chill Out!
The best way to reduce stress is a no-brainer: relax. Melt away your worries with a hot bath or find a comfortable chair and enjoy a good book. Doing something for yourself every once in a while will recharge your batteries and help your body and mind to mellow out.
Another great way to unwind is through exercise. Working out just 20 minutes a day can help burn away tension and lessen the negative effects of a stressful day.
Keep in mind that stress is a degenerative issue, and can potentially lead to serious medical problems if left unchecked. If stress is causing your health insurance costs to rise, consider shopping around for a more affordable health insurance policy.