The effects of loneliness can be different for everyone, but according to experts, a few can be profound and wide-ranging, especially on your health. Doctors say the condition – which can make you feel empty, sad, or longing for company – has significant effects on your physical and mental health.
In 2023, the US Surgeon General released an advisory, calling attention to loneliness as an urgent public health issue. And while nearly everyone experiences some loneliness at some point in life, chronic loneliness can wreak havoc on your health.
Here’s a look at five ways it can affect your overall health and well-being.
Chronic loneliness causes psychological stress, raising levels of stress hormones, which damage your arteries over time and lead to conditions like hypertension and atherosclerosis. Studies say people aged 45 years and older who live alone have a 27 per cent increased risk of dying of heart disease. Previous research has also suggested that loneliness increases blood pressure.
A Chinese study says the risk of dementia among lonely people is higher in men.
And if your body sends distress signals even though there’s no physical injury or danger, it can lead to inflammation that in the long run can set in dangerous diseases and conditions like heart issues, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer.
According to studies, more socially isolated people have higher levels of inflammatory chemicals associated with poor health. The findings suggest that human bodies interpret loneliness as stress, injury, or pain.