Sadness & Anger Bad for Health

Some feelings of sadness and anger are at times inevitable, however you may want to minimize the number of these negative emotions when possible. According to recent studies anger and sadness can actually reap negative effects on your overall health. With anger having even more negative implications than sadness. As we age we may become more susceptible to feelings of upset, sadness, depression, or loneliness brought upon by aging. For one our bones may begin to weaken and our bodies may not function the way they once did. Tasks and daily functions that use to come easily may now be challenging.

 

According to researchers seniors who display anger regularly, are more likely to have higher levels of inflammation in the body which can lead to many different chronic illnesses. Having higher levels of inflammation in the body can cause the immune system to weaken and fail when it attempts to protect the body in fighting off infection. Researcher, Meaghan Barlow says, ” As most people age, they simply cannot do the activities they once did, or they may experience the loss of a spouse or a decline in their physical mobility and they can become angry. Our study showed that anger can lead to the development of chronic illnesses, whereas sadness did not.”

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Other  researchers also suggest that seniors over the age of 80 who experience anger on a daily basis, are at higher risk for chronic illnesses and inflammation. Data was collected from over 200 adults  between the ages of 60-90. Each were examined and all participants then filled out a daily survey over a weeks time frame. The survey asked each participant to assess their  level of sadness and anger. Findings noted that, some feelings of sadness actually correlated with effective coping mechanism for seniors coming to terms with their physical limitations whereas, anger did not report any benefits. This suggests that repeated anger may only be debilitating to the health of seniors and should be controlled or minimized when possible. Anger can be controlled using many different mediums such as

  •  yoga
  • meditation
  • exercising daily
  • going to therapy
  • developing healthy coping strategies when feelings of anger arise

It’s important to know why anger can cause harm to someone and how it can affect others around them. If you or someone you love is interested in Long Term Care Insurance be sure to visit: LTC TREE for more information.