A lonely heart could just be one of the important factors that causes high blood pressure. In fact, a recent study shows loneliness can be as bad for your heart as being over weight or inactive. Could spending time with friends be the answer to lowering your blood pressure? How Is Blood Pressure Affected? When the University of Chicago studied a group of 229 men and women between the ages of 50 and 68 ... they found something interesting. After eliminating all other factors, they found that those who lacked comradeship were more likely to have high blood pressure. The blood pressure of the loneliest people in the study was 10 to 30 mm Hg higher than those who had companionship. Compared to this ... losing 10 kg of excess body weight can reduce your blood pressure by 5 to 20 mm Hg ... physical activity has been shown to lower it by 4 to 9 mm Hg. This shows the importance of social relations in our lives. A big part of living a healthy life is enjoying good relationships with friends and family. My research on naturally lowering blood pressure showed ... spending joyful time with friends is good for your health. Laughing with your comrades ... joking with your pals ... enjoying a fun time with your family ... these times relax you and counter high blood pressure. More Loneliness and High Blood Pressure As our population ages and more people are living alone ... loneliness and high blood pressure are on the increase. The first of the baby boomer generation are hitting 60 this year ... a large group of people will retire and move away from their circle of workplace friends. Family and friends move, get sick, pass away ... more and more elderly are feeling loneliness. As household sizes decrease ... as the number of people living alone increases ... the risk of loneliness increases -- and with it, the risk of heart disease. Social relationships need to be replenished ... you need to find new friends. How To Avoid Loneliness Get involved. Joining volunteer work and social groups allows you to make new friends. Getting out and about ... being active in your community ... it's not only good for exercise, but also for social contact. It's a great way to build your comradeship. Join volunteer activities in your community. Help out with groups keeping parks clean ... join in area patrols ... take part in local blood drives ... work on a campaign. Doing something for your community not only makes you feel useful ... it brings you into close contact with others. Take college night courses, join hiking groups, go on a tour ... all are great ways to meet interesting people. Have fun and share a laugh. Be open to new friendships ... avoid being a lone wolf ... avoid high blood pressure. Take this one step to protect your heart, today.