Topic: can you die of loneliness?

[FerminaDaza]

Bad news,Lonestar: Loneliness is a health risk.

Via the Independent:

"The results were unchanged when you considered their objective social circumstance, for instance whether they were married or lived near family and friends. These didn't change the association between loneliness and mortality," he told the meeting.

Although many people state that the prefer their own company, the solitude or joy of being alone is not the same as the pain of feeling alone, which can lead to depression and low self-esteem, he said.

Chronic loneliness is linked with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the morning, which raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Loneliness is also linked with higher blood pressure and a weakening of the immune system, Professor Cacioppo said.

One possible explanation for its link with ill-health is that loneliness seems to make people sleep less deeply. Lonely people tend to suffer from brief "microawakenings" in the night, which may reflect a nervousness about being alone at night, he said.

"As people age and lose mobility, they are at an increased risk of chronic loneliness, which would threaten the person's well-being almost immediately, and would increase their odds for depression, compromised immunity, and fatigue due to poorer quality sleep — all of which could hasten their ageing," Professor Cacioppo said.