Okay all you stressed-out working women, here's one more compelling reason your spouse should help bathe the kids, share homework duty and throw in a few loads of laundry while you're commuting home from work: it's good for your heart.
Both men and women are vulnerable to higher blood pressure as a result of job stress, according to a recent study by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The good news is that among women, the elevated blood pressure – which heightens risk of heart attack and stroke – can be offset by having a supportive partner at home.
The same benefits, however, don't show up among the guys.
"The impact of marital support was lost on the men," says Dr. Sheldon Tobe, a nephrologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and co-author of the study. "I was blown away looking at the results."
Tobe says while previous research has shown the link between job stress and higher blood pressure, this study, which over a year involved 229 men and women who were not being treated for high blood pressure, focused on the interaction between stress both at work and at home.
It showed that over time, women with work stress experienced an increase in blood pressure, but that it was counteracted by marital support. Men, however, didn't show similar physical benefits. Their stress and blood-pressure levels didn't appear to be affected by what was going on at home.
To Dr. Brian Baker, associate professor of psychiatry at U of T and co-author of the study, the gender gap doesn't come as a surprise. He notes there's a growing body of research showing that women's emotional and physical health tends to be more affected by the benefits and disadvantages of marriage.
"Men and women are hard-wired differently," he says. While there are exceptions, in general, men tend to be more independent and less emotionally sensitive to their environments, while women – traditionally the caregivers and nurturers – are more attuned and affected by their surroundings and relationships.
Linda Lewis-Daly can attest to the health benefits from a marriage characterized by teamwork and mutual support. Now 44, Lewis-Daly had a heart attack five years ago. At the time, she was a fit and active "Type A personality and Type E woman" who was being treated for high blood pressure. She was also a single mother of two young children with a demanding corporate job. Today, she is fit and healthy – and vigilant about monitoring her blood pressure and stress levels.
And she says along with lifestyle changes, her three-year marriage is a key ingredient to her health. She and her husband Francis, who have four kids between them, each have jobs and divide the household chores.
"I think there are huge emotional and physical benefits to having a spouse who's actually involved in the day-to-day running of the household," says Lewis-Daly, who has her own business as a consultant on workplace health and wellness.
Nothing takes the daily pressure off like a husband who helps with math homework, takes the kids to dance and hockey, does the ironing, changes the beds and takes turns grocery shopping, she says.
She sees lots of women carrying job stress that's compounded by the demands of doing double duty and having little support from spouses. "You can see the resentment start to build and that can manifest itself in health issues," she says.
Source: http://www.thestar.com
