Take it easy Boomers...
Many Baby Boomers say they'll keep working as long as possible rather than following in their parents' footsteps out the door to freedom the day they turn 65. But stressful jobs after age 60 might cause some boomers to put their health at risk, a new study suggests, or at least drive their blood pressure up even as they deny any problems.
Problems on the job raise blood pressure in workers over 60, although they claim to be less upset or sad than younger employees when work problems hit. "They say they feel less emotion, but their bodies tell a different story," says University of Utah psychologist Timothy Smith. He and co-author Bert Uchino reported on their study of 384 adults ages 40 to 70 at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting here last week.
Participants wore monitors that took blood pressure readings every 45 minutes during one day; they also recorded their moods and told whether they were dealing with a problem every time the blood pressure was checked. Diastolic (lower number) blood pressure jumped about 5 points during stressful times at work, but only in those who were 60 to 70 years old. The older the person, the higher his blood pressure was under stress.
READ: Stressful jobs can put aging boomers' health at risk
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