A new study shows the relationship you have with your spouse contributes to your heart health.  Those who undergo heart surgery and are married are twice as likely to be alive 15 years down the road, compared to those who are unmarried.

A personal story
For Greg Winters, heart surgery was the last thing he wanted to deal with.  At 61 years old he was in need of a bypass to clear out years of what he called, “clogged plumbing.”  When Winters came out of the surgery his wife, Margie was by his side just as she has been for 40 years.

“Well I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she said.  “We go through everything together.”

It turns out Margie’s care and attention will not only help her husband recover, but his mental well being will also help the healing process.

“It makes sense that a happy marriage keeps someone healthier,” Margie Winters said.  “We’ve always been a happy couple, sure we’ve had a few bumps but we always get through them.”

The proof
Aside from new advances in technology that can help those with heart troubles and those needing a transplant, a healthy marriage appears to be equally as important.

Fifteen years after bypass surgery, 83% of wives deemed happily married were still alive, compared to 28% of women in unhappy marriages and 27% of unmarried women, Web MD reported.

Among men, 83% of happily married husbands were alive 15 years after bypass surgery, compared to 60% of men in less-than-satisfying marriages and 36% of unmarried men.

“There is something in a good relationship that helps people stay on track,” Kathleen King, PhD, RN, FAAN and professor emeritus from the University of Rochester’s School of Nursing, says in a news release.

“A good marriage gets under your skin whether you are male or female,” she added. “It’s just good for your health.”