There’s a line in an old Huey Lewis song that says, “The power of love is a curious thing.”
I think most of us would agree. But a group of researchers from the University of Arizona has the undeniable proof.
Because their study has revealed that love alone could help put on a lid on rising blood pressure.
And you could use this same “curious” cure to help you manage the kind of stress that sends your OWN blood pressure soaring.
And you’re never going to believe just how easy it is.
Keep reading to find out how…
A “curious” fix for high blood pressure
The researchers recruited a group of 102 folks in committed romantic relationships for the study.
The team wanted to find out what effect if any, that relationship would have on folks when they had to complete a task under stress.
To mimic a stressful situation in the lab the team from Arizona asked the volunteers to submerge a bare foot in three inches of uncomfortably cold water.
Each volunteer was also randomly assigned to either…
- have their significant other sit quietly in the room while they did the task
- think about their loved one as a source of support during the task
- reflect on their day as they finished the task
Meanwhile, the researchers measured each participant’s blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability (how much it rose or fell) before, during, and after the task.
Stress can send BP soaring
Now I’m guessing you don’t keep close tabs on what your blood pressure is doing all day long. And you likely have no clue what happens to it during a stressful task such as giving a speech or taking a test.
After all, I’m betting you don’t walk around with a blood pressure monitor strapped to your arm.
But if you did, you’d notice that when you’re under stress, your blood pressure starts to climb. And that’s precisely what happened for the volunteers in the study when they dunked their foot into the icy water… their BP began to rise.
But then a curious thing happened.
Power of love beats blood pressure spikes
The folks who had a loved one sitting quietly nearby had FAR less of a reaction to the cold-induced stress. Their blood pressure didn’t jump as wildly as those in the control group did.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
It turns out the power of love is so strong your loved one doesn’t even have to be in the room with you.
Simply THINKING about their significant others kept the volunteer’s blood pressures from spiking too.
So why not go ahead and put this “curious” cure to work for you?
The next time you feel your own stress levels rising, take a few moments to think about your best guy or gal. And that could be all it takes to keep a lid on your blood pressure.
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