Lost Sleep Following Divorce Increases the Risk of Blood Pressure Problems

The immediate effects of divorce may be primarily financial and emotional. Yet a recent study shows that significant health problems can also occur for those dealing with added stress of the issue over time. Findings published in the journal Health Psychology show that those losing sleep over a partner who walked away could be at an increased risk for blood pressure issues, as well as related health problems.

"In the initial few months after a separation, sleep problems are probably pretty normal, and this is an adjustment process that people can typically cope with well," said UA associate professor of psychology David Sbarra, who co-authored the paper with two of his former students - lead author Kendra Krietsh and Ashley Mason, in a news release. "But sleep problems that persist for an extended period may mean something different. It may mean that people are potentially becoming depressed, that they're struggling with getting their life going again, and it is these people that are particularly susceptible to health problems."

For the study, researchers looked at 138 people who had physically separated from or divorced their partner 16 weeks before the start of the study. Participants were asked to report on their quality of sleep during three lab visit over a seven-and-a-half-month period, based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Blood pressure levels were also measured during each of the visits.

Though researchers did not discover a relationship between sleep complaints and blood pressure levels during the lab visits, they did find a delayed effect that showed increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in patients as a function of earlier sleep problems.

Furthermore, they discovered that the longer people's sleep problems persisted following their separation, the more likely it would result in blood pressure problems, as well. 

"What we found was if you're having sleep problems up to about 10 weeks after your separation, they don't appear to be associated with your future increase in blood pressure," Sbarra said. "However, after 10 or so weeks - after some sustained period of time - there seems to be a cumulative bad effect."