OHIO (WITI) -- Feeling insecure and anxious about your romantic relationship may harm your health.
Ohio State University researchers studied nearly 100 couples. All reported their general anxiety levels and answered questions about their marriage and sleep quality.
They found participants with higher levels of anxiety had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower levels of T-cells, which are important to help the immune system fight off infections.
Study authors note the study did not track whether the highly-anxious partners got sick more often, but the link is reasonable based on research about the ill effects of chronically high stress hormone levels.
While the study found a link between relationship anxiety and the body's stress and immune response, it cannot prove the anxiety caused any physical ill effects.
The study will appear in an upcoming print issue of the journal "Psychological Science."