Signs of an Unhappily Married Woman

By: Nikola Goddard

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As anyone who's been married for a while will tell you, marriage is not always easy. Sometimes life can lead us on different paths than our spouses, and we find that slowly our marriages are losing their value to us. Being in an unhappy marriage can take its toll on a woman. She often wonders how it got that way -- kind of a "chicken-egg" situation -- whether the unhappy marriage caused the symptoms or the symptoms caused the unhappy marriage. Either way, there are signs that a woman is in an unhappy marriage.

Lack of Sleep

The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation carried out by Dr. Troxel states that happily married women are 10 percent more likely to get a good night's sleep than those who are unhappily married. The stress of trying to sleep next to someone you feel negatively toward or having trouble sleeping when your spouse is out of town, can lead to restlessness and a lack of the deep sleep our bodies need to regenerate properly. This may show in a woman's appearance as well as her mannerisms and behavior toward others, such as being short-tempered and easily frustrated.

Stress

The stresses of modern-day life can affect women, whether in happy or unhappy marriages. A study by the University of California, however, showed that women who are happily married are more capable of dealing with stress and manage it effectively, whereas women in unhappy marriages do not have the support they need to cope. The constant burden of stress carried by unhappy women can result in depression, chronic fatigeu, illness and can often lead to extended periods off work.

Affairs

About 40 percent of women have an affair at some point in their marriage, according to therapist Peggy Vaugn, and 17 percent of marriages in the United States end as a result of infidelity. Women in unhappy marriages often feel as if their emotional needs are not being met and eventually begin to look elsewhere for some satisfaction. Women in this situation may start making more of an effort with their appearance and become flirtatious with others to gain some of the attention they desire, and this can lead to infidelity if the state of the marriage remains unchanged.

Poor Communication

The stress of an unhappy marriage can eventually lead a woman to retreat into herself completely and be reluctant to communicate with her spouse at all. At this point, it is easy to tell that the woman in question is unhappy with her marriage and no longer respects her spouse as she once did. She is unwilling to express her thoughts or feelings to him and hear his in return. The woman also may become irrational and jealous of her spouse as any bitterness she feels starts to come out unintentionally.