How can loneliness affect your health

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Individuals and Families. Health and Wellness. What is chronic loneliness? What are the main signs and symptoms of chronic loneliness? If you consistently feel some or all of the following, you may be dealing with chronic loneliness: Inability to connect with others on a deeper, more intimate level.

Maybe you have friends and family in your life, but engagement with them is at a very surface level. No close or "best" friends. You have friends, but they are casual friends or acquaintances and you feel you can find no one who truly "gets" you.

You can be at a party surrounded by dozens of people and, yet, you feel isolated, separate, and disengaged. Cole and others shows that having a sense of mission and purpose in life is linked to healthier immune cells. Helping others through caregiving or volunteering also helps people feel less lonely. In another NIA-funded study, researchers are trying to understand the differences between social isolation and loneliness and how they may influence health.

They are also trying to identify potential interactions between genes and the environment of older adults affected by social isolation and loneliness. Previous studies have estimated the heritability of loneliness between 37 percent and 55 percent using twins and family-based approaches.

Using data from twin studies , Dr. Pedersen and researchers found that both social isolation and loneliness are independent risk factors, and that genetic risk for loneliness significantly predicted the presentation of cardiovascular, psychiatric major depressive disorder , and metabolic traits. Family history does not strongly influence this effect. Beyond genetics, understanding social determinants of health , and the role of social and interpersonal processes in healthy aging and longevity , is another research direction at NIH.

Scientists are beginning to apply this framework to research on social isolation and loneliness. Research is also needed to clarify how great a change in loneliness or social isolation is required to achieve a meaningful change in health, she added.

Administration on Aging. April Cacioppo JT and Cacioppo S. The growing problem of loneliness. Lancet ; Loneliness in the modern age: an evolutionary theory of loneliness ETL.

A dvances in Experimental Social Psychology ; Experts increasingly suggest loneliness and isolation can have far-reaching effects on health, whether they occur together or independently of each other.

A review of 40 studies on social isolation and loneliness found evidence to link these states to a higher risk of early death, cardiovascular issues , and worsened mental health. Another study looked at results from the Swiss Health Survey, and found evidence to link loneliness to increased risk for:.

Results of a study looking at more than 2, twins suggest that young adults who felt lonely tended to have a lower quality of sleep. The study also found evidence to suggest that experiencing violence could worsen feelings of loneliness. A study looking at adults supports the link between loneliness and poor sleep quality, going on to suggest that lower sleep quality can cause difficulty functioning during the day.

According to a study of older adults, both loneliness and social isolation can affect sleep quality. A study looking at the link between loneliness and social isolation in 1, twin pairs found evidence to suggest lonely people often had depression.

Results of a study looking at 8, adults age 65 and older suggest both loneliness and depression increase risk of cognitive decline. While loneliness may not be a diagnosable condition, you can still get help dealing with feelings of loneliness. In all cases, talking to a therapist can help you find ways to make changes. If you feel lonely without really knowing why, you may find therapy helps narrow down possible causes.

A professional can help you examine any situations in your life that might be creating these feelings.

These may not completely address any underlying causes of loneliness, such as mental health issues or relationship concerns, but they can help you get started. Further, he explains that thanks to an evolutionary bias, humans are often scared of connecting with someone who could turn out to be an enemy. Therefore, Cacioppo says a neural mechanism causes those who are lonely to approach social situations with a heavy dose of doubt. Both Donovan and Holt-Lunstad highlighted that loneliness has been linked to serious cardiovascular issues.

Taking on the stress of everyday life alone might be more damaging to your health than taking it on with the help of others.

A study found that social support may optimize a neurochemical response that provides resilience to stress. Findings from the study also showed that social support may moderate environmental and genetic vulnerabilities to stress. Further, according to Psychology Today, " lonely individuals report higher levels of perceived stress even when exposed to the same stressors as non-lonely people, and even when they are relaxing.

A study focusing on the association between eating disorders and loneliness found that many characteristics of loneliness relate to multiple different kinds of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.

Therefore, loneliness can be a factor in either weight gain or weight loss. According to the study, for those who gain weight, it's often because they use food as a way to numb the feelings of loneliness they're experiencing.

A study Donovan conducted that looked at 79 community-dwelling older adults found that those who had higher levels of a protein called amyloid also reported a lack of companionship, as well as more frequent feelings of isolation.

Many scientists believe that amyloid accumulation in the brain is the underlying cause of Alzheimer's. This theory hypothesizes that the amyloid compound messes with communication between brain cells and eventually kills those cells, therefore leading to the cognitive decline characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. A study found that those who feel lonely are more prone to feeling cold symptoms.

The study exposed people to the common cold virus and then quarantined them in a hotel room for five days.