The Health Risks of Loneliness, and What to Do About It
On Jan 23 Cigna released its 2020 Loneliness Index, reveling that “America's loneliness epidemic is getting worse, with three in five adults (61%) reporting they are lonely, a seven percentage-point increase from 2018.”
Cigna notes in its press announcement, as do reporters covering the topic, that this rise in loneliness coincides with the rise in mental health crises in America. More than 46 million people are living with a mental illness, Cigna said.
The TIME Magazine article I mentioned Sunday, notes that:
“Mental illness is rising in every country in the world. Depression is so common and debilitating that it’s one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and, coupled with anxiety, costs the global economy about $1 trillion a year in lost productivity, according to the World Health Organization. Among millennials (who are ages 24 to 39 in 2020), depression is the fastest-growing health condition, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association recently found.”
Cigna’s study points a finger at the modern way of work: an always-on culture and an increasingly disconnected workplace that’s resulting in more time online and less time with friends and family.
"In-person connections are what really matters," Doug Nemecek, chief medical officer for behavioral health at Cigna, told NPR. "Sharing that time to have a meaningful interaction and a meaningful conversation, to share our lives with others, is important to help us mitigate and minimize loneliness."
Why is loneliness such a big deal? What is loneliness anyway?
Loneliness and Physical Health
Loneliness isn’t being alone. You can be alone without feeling lonely. “Loneliness refers to the discrepancy between the number, and quality of the relationships that you desire and those you actually have,” according to Pysch Central.
Loneliness is a state of mind, how you feel about your connections (or lack there of) not how many you have. According to Mind, a mental health charity in the UK, Loneliness can have different causes, varying from person to person.
Some events that could lead to loneliness, include:
- Bereavement
- Break-up
- Retirement
- Starting or graduating college
- Moving to a new area
- Holidays
- Shortage of money, separating you from social events
- Belonging to a minority
- Caregiving
- Discrimination due to a health condition
- Discrimination because of gender, race, or sexual orientation
Other researchers note that estrangement from family, being single, as well as certain workplace conditions can increase your risk of chronic loneliness.
But why is loneliness such a big deal?
Chronic loneliness can increase your risk for:
- Depression
- Sleep disorders
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Substance abuse
- Mental health challenges
- Emotional problems
- Arthritis
- Dementia
- Suicide attempts
- Increased stress levels
- Poor decision making
- Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
“Loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, making it even more dangerous than obesity,” Nemecek said, during the release of Cigna’s 2018 report.
How to Prevent or Combat Loneliness
If you’re feeling lonely, here are a few steps experts recommend you take:
- Remember social connection is just as important as a healthy diet, regular exercise, and quality sleep.
- Practice self-compassion, recognizing your feelings with grace, knowing that others feel the same way.
- Connect in-person. Spend time with a friend, colleague or acquaintance in-person, rather than via social media or text. Even a phone conversation, they say, is superior. Rather than messaging, walk down the hall, greet strangers, engage with the humans.
- Practice random acts of kindness. It helps you connect to the world and takes your mind off of yourself.
- Unplug from social media, and the highlight reel.
- Focus on quality of connections, not quantity of connections.
- Remember your physical health: exercise, nutritious food, quality/quantity sleep.
- Avoid over-work.
- See a counselor to help you work through what is troubling you.
References:
- https://www.cigna.com/individuals-families/health-wellness/chronic-loneliness
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/well/mind/how-loneliness-affects-our-health.html
- https://www.verywellmind.com/loneliness-causes-effects-and-treatments-2795749
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-in-your-body-when-youre-lonely/
- https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20180504/loneliness-rivals-obesity-smoking-as-health-risk