Lack of sleep not only makes you grumpy and cranky, but also it affects your life insurance coverage.
- How it is possible - The underwriter will put your life insurance application under a scanner if you have sleep deficiency. In other words, you'll be considered risky by the insurers if due to lack of sleep you have invited diseases like heart problems, depression, high blood pressure, obesity, etc.
Now,
Check out how diseases such as heart problems, depression, high blood pressure and obesity influence your life insurance premiums:
1. Heart problems
Heart diseases can happen due to factors like high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, overweight, lack of adequate sleep and exercise, stress, and so on. So, if you have a high chance of heart attack, you have to pay higher life insurance premiums.
In spite of not having a history of heart attack if you're still at a risk of it, you must change your lifestyle right away. With proper sleep, healthy diet and exercise you can reduce the chance of heart diseases. Besides a better health condition, your insurance premiums will also improve.
2. High blood pressure
The insurance company may deny you an attractive rate on your life insurance policy if you have high blood pressure. You're required to pay higher premiums (as compared to others who have normal blood pressure level) because high blood pressure often triggers cardiovascular diseases like stroke and heart attack.
Your life insurance premiums may be reduced if you try to lower your blood pressure through proper medications, giving up bad habits like smoking and alcohol consumption, exercising regularly, getting an adequate amount of sleep, eating healthy foods, and so on.
3. Obesity
Lack of an adequate amount of sleep causes obesity. This, in turn, raises your insurance premiums as insurers view you as a risk because obese people have shorter lifespans (flabby individuals are more at a risk of health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and so on) as compared to the non-obese people.
Before buying a life insurance policy check your weight and get enough sleep. If you can maintain your ideal body weight for 1 year, you'll get the best rates on your policy. However, a drastic weight loss won't lower your insurance premiums.
4. Depression
Your life insurance rate will escalate if you suffer from depression. Though sleep deprivation doesn't cause depression directly, yet it can trigger depression along with various other illnesses.
If you're depressed, visit a therapist and treat it immediately. Otherwise, you have to pay more on your premiums as compared to the non-depressed people. It's because depressed people are considered to have shorter lifespans due to the risk of suicide, heart attack, drug abuse, and so on.
Few parting words:
Not only for reducing life insurance premiums but for the sake of improving your health you must sleep for 7 to 8 hours in a day. Plan your day in a way so that you get adequate time to sleep.
Read more: 5 Scenarios where you should review your life insurance policy When should you buy a life insurance policy?