In the past, I covered plenty of benefits of friendship. They can help your memory and work out more efficiently. I also mentioned them in my list of blood pressure fixes. So, let’s build on friendship and hypertension, shall we?
Friends can help you in more ways than having fun. They’re a source of motivation, love, and relaxation. You can spend hours complaining about anything and feel better later.
From there comes the link between friends and heart health.
Friendship and hypertension, plus other health benefits
Naturally, friends lift your mood. But, that births a bunch of health benefits. Having few friends can boost your heart risk by 50%. Social support is the key here. Thus, sociable people tend to have lower blood pressure and diabetes risk.
Stress is the main link between friends and your heart.
Social support helps relieve your stress. So, you lower a crucial heart disease contributor. For instance, stress can lead to atherosclerosis.
Friends encourage healthy coping mechanisms. For instance, people tend to be less dramatic or borderline. Hanging out with friends can help you lower that blood pressure naturally.
Friendship and hypertension: Why you should care
As mentioned, social interaction can be a vital ally for your heart. That makes early social integration critical for maintaining heart health.
Between childhood and adolescence, we can predict blood pressure in adulthood. The same goes for BMI, or body mass index.
The linked study discovered something surprising. Socially-integrated boys had lower BP and BMI likelihood as adults. But, these results had nothing to do with their current BMI or BP statuses.
But can friends and heart health backfire? A look into negative friendships
But, not all friendships are good for your heart. Negative social interactions can boost your stress. So, your blood pressure follows the same path.
Signs of negative social interactions include the following:
- Excessive demands from one party.
- Constant criticism and disappointment.
- Frequent arguing and disagreeing.
But, we must note that women seem to suffer the most. The increase in BP for men seemed negligible.
The holistic takeaway
There are few reasons not to hang out with your friends. Yes, stress can make social interactions feel annoying. But, we can’t forget these friendship and hypertension observations.
So, make sure to see your buddies more regularly when you’re stressed.
If you want to complement your friends and heart health, I have a great tip. The Blood Pressure Program is a great addition. It offers plenty of exercises to help you lower your blood pressure.
For more information, check out my official review!
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