Happy Marriage Equals A Happy Heart?

A recent study done at Brigham Young University has revealed an interesting statistic: married people consistently experienced a lower blood pressure reading than singles. Even among those who had a stronger support group of loved ones gaining the benefit of lower blood pressure, the married couples once again benefited the most.

The study involved 204 married couples and 99 single adults wearing portable blood-pressure monitors for 24 hours. The instruments were programmed to take blood pressure readings at random intervals, resulting in a total number of 72 readings throughout the 24 hour period.

The reasoning behind this was to insure the participants were going about their lives in a very normal manner to then more accurately apply the readings within the evaluation. It was determined that one or two readings per day per participant in a controlled environment would not achieve the true impact both groups would experience by simply going about their daily routines.

The overall conclusion revealed that married couples scored on average four points lower on their blood pressure readings than the single adults. It also produced another interesting stat: even when sleeping, there was a greater blood pressure drop among the married couples over the non-married participants.

It is a scientific fact that, for those who are experiencing elevated blood pressure during their sleep, there is a greater risk of cardiovascular problems. This study revealed this to be the case for those who were single over those who were married.

It needs to be pointed out that those who were happily married scored a lower blood pressure average than those who were in an unhappy marriage. The conclusion of the study reveals that a happy marriage is the best protector of health when compared to both an unhappy marriage and remaining single.

It was also recommended that, regardless of marital status, healthy habits including eating, exercise and regular checkups can be beneficial to lowering blood pressure and minimizing the effects on the heart that come from higher blood pressure. The study also posited the possibility that people found to be in a happy marriage are better positioned to support one another, both nutritionally and emotionally, thus contributing to the lower blood pressure readings.