Loneliness or Few Extra Pounds-What is Worse for Your Blood Pressure?

Loneliness and high blood pressure? Is this serious? I have published articles about the effects of stress on health for people over 50 for many years, and I thought I had covered all the sources of stress for baby boomers: midlife crisis, menopause, andropause, empty nest, sandwich generation, boomerang children, retirement, career change after 50, newly-minted single status and dating again, but this one caught me by surprise.

It turns out that loneliness over 50 can predict high blood pressure. It is actually a unique health-risk factor.

How could that be?

Dr. Hawkley, a senior research scientist with the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago conducted a study on aging that included 229 people, aged 50 to 68 over a period of 5 years. The participants in the study were asked a series of questions to determine if they perceived themselves as lonely. The results of the study were published in the journal Psychology and Aging 2010.

Dr. Hawkley found a clear connection between feeling lonely reported at the beginning of the study and rising blood pressure at the end of the study. The increase started to show two years into the study and continued to increase until four years later.

Blood pressure differences between lonely and non-lonely people were smallest at age 50 and greatest among the oldest people tested. The people who felt the loneliest saw their blood pressure go up by 30 mm. A 30 mm difference in systolic blood pressure is equal to the difference between a normal systolic pressure and hypertension. Even participants with modest level were affected over the four-year study period.

The effect appeared to get stronger with age and in people over 50 was similar to risk factors such as obesity or sedentary lifestyles.

Dr. Hawkley was particularly surprised that loneliness increases blood pressure by the same amount weight loss and physical activity can reduce blood pressure. This is to say that one can be fit and trim but lonely and still at significant risk to develop high BP. It could also explain why your medication can not get your BP under control.

According to Dr. Hawkley, people can have many friends and still feel lonely if they find their relationships unsatisfying. On the other hand, people who live rather solitary lives may not be lonely if their few relationships are meaningful and rewarding. According to John T. Cacioppo, co-author of the study, lonely people perceive stressful circumstances as threatening rather than challenging and tend to withdraw instead of trying to solve the problem.

It is important to stress that the research findings do not imply that everyone who lives a solitary lifestyle will suffer high blood pressure, but rather that there is a significant correlation between the perception of loneliness and increased systolic blood pressure.

The implications of these study results are important because they affect baby boomers and there are about 78 millions of them in the US alone. Many people do not have health insurrance and millions have high blood pressure.

So get out there and mingle with people. Don’t let the fear of rejection or disappointment hold you back. Join a book club, go to a sports bar, or volunteer at the local hospice. There is so much you can do for other people. You will be surprised to find out how good you feel about yourself. And if your blood pressure goes down you will be grateful you read this article.

Reference:

1. Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40, 218–227.

2. Hawkley, L. C., Thisted, R. A., Masi, C. M., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness predicts increased blood pressure: Five-year cross-lagged analyses in middle-aged and older adults. Psychology & Aging, 25, 132-141.

3. Hawkley, L. C., Masi, C. M., Berry, J. D., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2006). Loneliness is a unique predictor of age-related differences in systolic blood pressure. Psychology and Aging, 21, 152-164.

Copyrights Dr. Nelly Stoyanova

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Author's bio: Dr. Nelly Stoyanova is a physician, medical researcher and health behavior expert. She studies the effects of stress on heart disease, type 2 diabetes and sleep. Her website: Belly Fat, Stress and Baby Boomers (http://www.stress-fat-heart-solutions-for-boomers.com) evaluates sources of stress for people over 50 and provides great tips to balance your day-to-day stress and stay healthy. Turn your life around and benefit from her expertise. For individual guidance sessions or to schedule a public speaking event use the Contact page or email at drnstoyanova@gmail.com Related articles:

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