| Happily married people have lower blood
pressure{{U}} (51) {{/U}}unhappily married people or singles, a Brigham
Young University study says. On the other hand, even having a supportive social network did not translate into a blood pressure benefit for singles or unhappily{{U}} (52) {{/U}}people , according to the study. "There seem to be some unique health benefits from marriage. It's not just being married{{U}} (53) {{/U}}benefits health--what's really the most protective of health is having a happy{{U}} (54) {{/U}})" study author Julianne Holt Lunstad, a psychologist who specializes in relationships and health, said in a prepared statement. The study included 204 married and 99{{U}} (55) {{/U}} adults who wore portable blood-pressure monitors for 24 hours. The{{U}} (56) {{/U}} recorded blood pressure at random intervals and provided a total of about 72 readings. "We wanted to capture participants' blood pressure doing whatever they normally{{U}} (57) {{/U}}in everyday life. Getting one or two readings in a clinic is not really{{U}} (58) {{/U}}of the fluctuations that occur throughout the day," Holt-Lunstad said. Overall, happily married people scored four points{{U}} (59) {{/U}}on the blood pres- sure readings than single adults. The study also found that blood{{U}} (60) {{/U}}among married people—especially those in happy marriages{{U}} (61) {{/U}} more during sleep than in single people. "Research has shown that people whose blood pressure remains high throughout the night are at{{U}} (62) {{/U}}greater risk of heart disease than people whose blood pressure drops," Holt Lunstad said. The study was published in the March 20{{U}} (63) {{/U}}of the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine. The study also found that unhappily married adults have higher blood pressure than {{U}}(64) {{/U}}happily married and single adults. Holt-Lunstad noted that married couples can encourage healthy habits in one{{U}} (65) {{/U}}such as eating a healthy diet and having regular doctor visits. People in happy marriages also have a source of emotional support, she said. |