Good Marriage leads to Good Blood Pressure

A happy marriage is good for your blood pressure, but a stresed one can be worse than being single, a preliminary study suggests.

That second finding is a surprise because prior studies have shown that married perople tend to be healthier than single, said researcher Julianne Holt Lanstad.

It would take further study to sort out what the results mean for long-term halth, said Holt Lunstad, an assistant psychology professor at Brigham Young University. Her study was reported online Thursday by the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

The study involved 204 married perople and 99 single adults. Most were white, and it's not clear whether the same results would apply to other ethnic groups, Holt Lunstan said.

Study volunteers wore devices that recorded their blood pressure at random times over 24 hours. Married participants also filled out questionnaires about their marriage.

Analysis found that the more marital satisfaction and adjustment spouses reported, the lower their average blood presure was over the 24 hours and during the daytime.

But spouses who secored how in marital satisfation had higher average blood pressure than single perople did. During the daytime, their average was about five points higher, entering a range that's considered a warnign sign. (That result is for the top number in a blood pressure reading).

"I think that (study) is worth some attention, "said Kaaren Matthews, a professor of psychiatry, psychology and epedemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. She studies herart disease and high blood pressure but didn't participate in the new work.

Few studies of the risk for high blood pressure have looked at martial quality rather than just martial status, she said.

It makes sense that marital quality is more important than just being married when it comes to affecting blood presure, said Dr Brian Baker, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.