Monday 21 July 2014

"Divorce linked to high blood pressure" - no kidding?

Sleeping badly after a divorce won't just leave you with dark circles under your eyes - research shows it could also cause dangerous increases in blood pressure, leading to serious illness.

A University of Arizona study questioned 138 people, all newly separated or divorced, about how well they were sleeping, and also took their blood pressure regularly over a seven month period.

Those people who regularly had trouble sleeping saw their blood pressure increase a few months later.

Kendra Krietsch, the study's project manager, said "If somebody is going through a divorce and unable to sleep, they really need to get some help or it could lead to problems. This study shows how important it is for all of us to value sleep and take care of ourselves.'

Another of the report's authors, David Sbarra, added: "What we found was if you're having sleep problems there is a cumulative bad effect after around ten weeks or so."

For people who have high blood pressure to begin with, the increase is not to be taken lightly, he added - high blood pressure trebles the risk of heart attacks and strokes, can damage the kidneys and eyes and is becoming increasingly linked to dementia.

I'm not entirely convinced we needed a study to tell us this, but it does serve to remind us all to look after ourselves in a divorce - chat to friends, try and do a little exercise, eat properly and don't drink too much!

No comments:

Post a Comment