Is the Credit Crunch Bad For Your Health?

By Kat Fuschillo
Writer for FEP International

It's been proven that the less money we have, the more our health can be affected. The financial crisis is currently proving this fact, as the number of stress related illnesses are on the rise. The credit crunch is being blamed for a whole host of illnesses and making some individuals extremely ill.

Home owners, small business owners, and these in heavy debt are by far the worst hit by this crisis, and it's actually starting to making them ill. The stress and the increasing fear people face over losing their businesses, homes, jobs or getting even further into debt is proving far too much for some, and many are buckling under these growing pressures. People are scared to lose their jobs, as in many cases, this could lead to them losing their family home. This fear has increased the number hours people are working, and in some cases, it's causing their health to deteriorate even faster.

The high stress levels are effecting people's mental health, and is has already caused a huge number of stress related depression cases. As we know stress can be extremely dangerous, and it is now affecting many individuals' health in a number of different ways. More people are suffering from cardiovascular complications, insomnia, anxiety and even type 2 diabetes, all have been attributed to the stresses caused by the financial crisis.

This isn't the first time people's health had been affected by the falling economy. Throughout history, there have been links between financial and economic slumps, and sharp drops in life expectancy. Being unemployed during an economic downturn can also affect people, by making them far more likely to get depressed, fall ill and to live a shorter life than average. It's simply shocking to find out that not having a job could have such a profound effect on a person's health and well being [1].

To make matters even worse, people have started to cut down on what they view as non-essential items. One of the first things to go, for a lot of people is their gym membership, and any exercise related activities. On top of this, it has been noticed that people are buying far fewer fruits and vegetables each week with their shopping. The constant rise of food prices, is also forcing individuals to buy cheaper food alternatives. These cheap food options are often far less healthy and most often junk styles of foods. The radical change in people's diets, teamed with the growing lack of daily exercise, and the mounting pressure and stresses, are making people ill. Not only can we expect to see a sharp rise in the number of blood pressure cases, but these changes will certainly have a profound effect peoples long term health.

To compound matters further, the number of people who smoke and drink alcohol has risen sharply too. Health professional fear that this predicted rise, will add to the number of health problems related to the credit crunch. Even though these vices are expensive, people are still willing to sacrifice their health and good foods to use them [2].

References

1. Credit crunch takes a bite out of people's health, says report -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2700175/Credit-crunch-takes-a-bite-out-of-peoples-health-says-report.html. Accessed Sept 01, 2009.

2. Can the credit crunch make us ill? -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7523327.stm. Accessed Sept 01, 2009.

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