Most people understand that serious health conditions can impact your life insurance underwriting. What you might not know, is that the most insignificant thing you think you are mentioning to your doctor, can have the greatest impact on obtaining life insurance.‍

While it’s obviously important to talk to your doctor about any medical issues that’s seriously impacting your health, or any new health-related concerns you’ve noticed, it’s often best to avoid sharing little details about your personal life.

For example, if you tell your doctor that you’ve been overly stressed at work, and you’ve been taking additional over the counter medication — or having an extra glass of wine at night — those details are an automatic red flag for an underwriter, and they may change the results of your underwriting offer.

‍On the other hand, if you have noticed an increased or irregular heart rate in response to those stressful situations, you should definitely talk to your doctor so they can help you determine if there’s a more serious underlying condition that requires treatment.

It’s a delicate balance to walk the line between personal and medical details, but try not to share anything that isn’t critical. In particular, try to avoid discussing personal details like additional challenges at home, any increases in your alcohol consumption due to stress, or dangerous hobbies that you’ve tried or even just want to try.

Bottom line, just be aware of what you are divulging to your doctors. With non-medical issues, as they say, less is more.