What your health says about your relationships

Bad relationships could be making you sick. Tensions with family, friends and loved ones are causing us huge amounts of anxiety studies show and the situation is worsening.

In a recent study from University of Utah, researchers found that bad relationships were bad for health– for women at least. Marital strife can lead to high blood pressure, risk of heart attack and diabetes. This is compounded by the fact that 95% of all illnesses are either caused or worsened by stress.

If that wasn’t bad enough, our stressful relationships are making us fat. Stressful situations cause our bodies to release a chemical called cortisol into the blood stream. If this is not used by the body as energy it turns into fatty deposits that stick to your stomach, causing excess belly fat. This is also true of people who tend to sleep for short hours during the night. Studies show that a stressed person who sleeps only 4-6 hours per night is more likely to put on weight when compared to a person who sleeps 8 hours per night.

The truth of the matter is that the effects of these toxic relationships have a cyclical pattern which is hard to break. Lack of sleep and poor body image leads to depression and other mood disorders. Depression can cause many of us to comfort eat and crave sugary snacks, which also lead to weight gain and interrupted sleep patterns, and so it goes on.

Recognise that if you are in troubled relationships then you are statistically more likely than other women to be depressed. Plus, you are more likely to have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, abdominal obesity, and elevated blood sugar– all basically steps on the road to heart attack or diabetes.

Avoid these health risks by addressing the problems in your relationships. Make time for yourself, exercise regularly and improve your diet. These small changes will lead to huge health benefits and a better night’s sleep – all vital ingredients to having a happier life.