~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~
If you feel constricted when wearing a tie, it’s not all in your head.
Turns out that those fashion accessories really do constrict blood flow, at least a little.
According to a new study by German researchers, ties change how blood flows to the brain. They had 15 men put on a tie with a Windsor knot, then they put them through three MRI scans.
In the first scan, the men wore the tie loosely with an open collar. In the second one, they tightened the tie to a point of “slight” discomfort. In the third, they loosened the tie and collar again.
Results showed that wearing tightly secured ties reduced blood flow to the brain by an average of 7.5 percent. That’s not a lot, but it could temporarily effect brain function, particularly in men with circulation issues related to heart disease or diabetes.
In an earlier study, researchers also found that ties could increase pressure in the eyes. Again, they had the men wear a tie loosely with an open collar, then tightly, then loosely again, and measured intraocular pressure in the eyes. Results showed that pressure increased in both those with normal eyes and in those with glaucoma. (Intraocular pressure accelerates damage from glaucoma.)
The solution? Either ditch the tie altogether, or be sure not to tie it too tightly.
Sources
Robin , et al., “Should You Stop Wearing Neckties?—wearing a tight necktie reduces cerebral blood flow,” Neuradiology, August 2018; 60(8):861-864, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00234-018-2048-7.
C. Teng, et al., “Effect of a Tight Necktie on Intraocular Pressure,” Br. J. Ophthalmol., August 2003; 87(8):946-948, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1771792/.