34% of – A new survey finds that over 30% of Americans can’t keep up with monthly debt payments, and a majority say debt is harming mental and physical health—trouble sleeping, fatigue, migraines, digestive issues, and even skipping medical care.
For many Americans, debt isn’t just a line on a statement anymore—it’s showing up in sleep, on the body, and in daily life.
The Achieve and Money.com survey finds that 34% of Americans say they are unable to meet their monthly debt obligations. Another 28% say their unsecured debt is unmanageable.
Achieve Co-CEO Brad Stoh said in a statement that “for many American families. debt and money insecurity have become mental and physical health issues.” The numbers from the survey point to that shift in stark detail: 50% of respondents said they were anxious about their finances. 49% said they had trouble sleeping. and 50% said they experienced fatigue due to debt stress.
The impacts go beyond exhaustion. The survey reports that 38% said they had developed migraines, 35% said they had developed digestive issues, and 14% said they were delaying or skipping medical treatments entirely.
Debt stress is also affecting relationships and coping behavior. About 44% said they were overwhelmed, and 25% said debt stress was affecting their intimacy with their partners. In a sign of how some people are trying to get through the pressure. 20% admitted to turning to alcohol and other substances to cope.
When money runs out, the choices can narrow fast. About 23% of respondents with unmanageable debt said they were forced to dip into their emergency savings, and 11% said they have turned to high-interest payday lenders.
Still, not everyone is surrendering to the stress. The survey found 75% of respondents say they remain hopeful their financial situation will turn around. Many are also searching for structured paths out: 48% said they were exploring debt consolidation. 44% said they were working with debt relief companies to negotiate payments on their behalf. and 40% said they were enrolling in debt management plans.
The survey’s findings arrive after a separate marker of strain in the broader household economy. A recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York report showed total U.S. household debt rose by $18 billion in Q1 2026 to $18.8 trillion, with 4.8% in delinquency.
For families living with rising balances and monthly payments they can’t count on, the figures suggest a troubling overlap: financial insecurity is increasingly tied to health outcomes and the kinds of day-to-day compromises that can linger long after the next bill arrives.
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