High blood pressure after divorce might be caused by poor sleep

On behalf of Furr & Cohen, P.A. posted in Divorce on Friday, July 25, 2014.

If you are going through a divorce, you probably know that other aspects of life suffer during the proceedings. One of the things that might suffer is your sleep. You are probably well aware of the common issues of lack of sleep, such as crankiness, but you might not know that lack of sleep can also have an effect on your blood pressure.

A study published in Health Psychology studied 138 people who were divorced or separated about 16 weeks before the study started. During the 7.5 months after the initial visit, the participants were asked to report about the quality of sleep they experienced. During these three lab visits, the participants also had their blood pressure monitored.

In the first visit, participants didn’t have an observable association between sleep problems and elevated blood pressure. During subsequent visits, however, the participants had some elevation in their blood pressure. It is believed that this is a delayed reaction to the lack of quality sleep following the divorce or separation.

The lead author of the study, who is currently attending the University of Florida as she pursues her doctorate, says that anyone who is having problems sleeping after a divorce should seek help. She stresses that it is important to get quality sleep and take care of yourself.

If worrying about the divorce proceedings is something that is affecting your ability to sleep, learning all you can about the laws pertaining to your divorce might help you. Being prepared for each step of the divorce might help you to feel more relaxed.

Source: Futurity, “Loss of sleep after divorce can spike blood pressure” Alexis Blue, Jul. 21, 2014