Everyone’s been lonely at least once in their lives, but we must always not let loneliness get to us. We must always ensure that our loved ones can reach out to us whenever they feel lonely. That’s because loneliness isn’t just a mental health issue—it’s also a physical one. Loneliness can cause numerous health problems around the body that can severely affect the way we live our life!
Below are seven things that happen to our bodies when we are constantly lonely.
1. It Changes Our Health Habits for the Worse
Lonely people tend to develop habits that try—fruitlessly—to get rid of that loneliness. For example, they can binge eat, smoke cigarettes or drugs, or drown themselves in alcohol to forget how lonely they are. And while sometimes these things can make us less lonely albeit temporarily, the long-term effects are deadly.
On top of that, lonely people tend to not want to maintain a healthy body. They’d rather eat junk food instead of fruits and vegetables. They’d rather sit on their butts all day than go out to exercise. It’s difficult for them to want a healthy lifestyle when from their perspective, there’s nothing to have a healthy life for.
But oddly, it’s healthy eating and exercising you want to do to stop feeling lonely. Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants that flush out stressors and toxins from the body that contribute to loneliness. Exercising releases dopamine, a happy hormone that can lift your spirits every time you finish a workout.
So, while it’s difficult to want to be healthy, you’re going to have to do it to be less lonely. Thankfully, there are many easy lifestyle changes you can do to stay healthy and fit even with loneliness weighing on you.
2. It Makes Us Sleep Fitfully
Part of a good night’s sleep is sleeping in an environment you are comfortable in. Now, when we are feeling sad in real life, that can affect how well we slip into dreamland. Sure, crying yourself to sleep is something many of us have probably done, but we end up falling asleep because we are exhausted from crying our hearts out. On the other hand, we don’t cry when we’re lonely for the most part—we’re mostly resigned and apathetic, and that can keep us up at night.
3. It Makes You More Prone to Depression
Depression is a mental health problem that is characterized by negative feelings that affect the way you think and act. It makes you feel sad or apathetic even about things you typically enjoy. For example, while you typically enjoy going to work, a bout of depression can make the thought of going to work unbearable.
If you’re lonely, that can easily translate or progress to depression. Loneliness and depression have a couple of overlapping feelings—isolation, helplessness, and abandonment are some of them. It’s very important to seek help whether from a loved one or a mental health professional as being alone is not good for people who are lonely or depressed.
4. It May Cause Inflammation in the Body
Inflammation is a defense mechanism employed by our immune system. When we have stressors in our system like bacteria and viruses, our body heats up to try and kill them. Now, sometimes the immune system heats up even when there’s nothing to fight—this is called chronic inflammation and can lead to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and more.
Interestingly, the body considers loneliness as a stressor, and it’s been discovered that lonely people tend to have more inflammation and bad health than people who don’t.
5. It Can Lead to Dementia as You Age
One way to prevent or reduce the risk of dementia is by constantly stimulating your mind. So, if you’re not doing that by interacting with the outside world or nurturing relationships with loved ones, you’re at risk for developing dementia and other neurological disorders as you age. In fact, a study has shown that chronically lonely people upped their chances of dementia by up to 40%, not to mention the risk of getting hypertension and diabetes too!
Even if you’re busy, you should set some time to spend with friends, family, or even coworkers. Don’t isolate yourself while you’re still able to. Otherwise, it’ll be much harder to find companionship and camaraderie as you get older.
6. It Breaks Your Heart, Literally!
Research suggests that loneliness can increase your blood pressure. Indeed, loneliness is associated with a 29% increased chance of getting a heart attack and a 32% increased chance of getting a stroke. These cardiovascular issues can lead to death, so it’s literally like having loneliness break your heart and stomp it into little pieces!
Research also suggests that people who live alone past 45 have a higher chance of developing heart problems in the future.
7. It Shortens Your Lifespan
What all the previous sections tell us is that loneliness can have serious repercussions for our health. Combined, they shorten our lifespan considerably with a risk of premature death by up to 29%. In fact, being lonely is more dangerous than being obese, smoking, excessively drinking, and being exposed to pollutants!
Additionally, loneliness just takes a toll on our bodies. Humans are social animals that aren’t meant to do everything alone. If we do everything by ourselves, we put unnecessary stress on our bodies, especially as we age and we’re meant to be slowing down.
