A Fiery Relationship Can Burn Your Heart

Is your marriage going through a stressful phase? Have anxiety and stress become part of your married life or relationship? Then according to a new study by British scientists, your heart too might be at risk of getting stressed out.

Studies have already found that people who are in a steady relationship generally remain in better health than those who spend single lives. However, the new study conducted by researchers at University College London suggests that being in a relationship that is rocky can be worse for your heart than not having a partner.

The study was carried out on 9,000 British civil servants and lasted for 12 years. At the start of the study in the 1980s, the civil servants were asked to complete questionnaires about their close relationships.

The researchers then followed these subjects for the extended period to assess development of heart disease among them. 8,499 individuals did not have any heart problems at the beginning of the study; however 589 of them developed a heart condition by the end of the study.

When the researchers analysed the questionnaires, they found that these people were more likely to be from the group of people who reported having close relationships with their partners as well as regular arguments, criticism and other types of conflicts.

After the researchers made adjustments for negative personality traits and depression, the link between stressed relationships and heart problems weakened to a certain extent but still remained significant.

Explaining their findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers said that negative relationships can increase the risk of heart problems by nearly 34%. According to the authors, emotional fluctuations can lead to “wear and tear” on organs, for example through hormonal changes and disturbances in blood clotting.

Cathy Ross, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation said the study “reinforces a well-known fact that lack of emotional and psychological support may increase the risk of heart disease. Identifying groups of individuals who are at risk and ensuring psychological support can make a big difference. It allows people to deal with their negative emotions.”

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