Research has shown how important social connections are to our happiness. Very happy people have rich relationships and spend little time alone, talking with friends is one of the happiest activities, and socializing give us a lot of positive emotion. On the other side, loneliness is correlated with health problems like inflammations, decreased immune response, and difficulty sleeping, and being excluded by others creates the same effect in our brains as pain.

What Loneliness is Not

Loneliness is not as you may get literally from the word. It is not being alone– there are people who prefers being alone and are happy. It is not about how many people you know in your life or how often you mix up with them. The point is the type of your connections. It is about how strong your connections are. People with strong connections tend to be happier, better in terms of productivity and healthier.

Effects on Immunity

being lonely for long periods is found to reduce immunity response to illnesses. The cause of this could be that loneliness makes the body to secrete hormones which are usually secreted when one is under stress.

Effects on Blood Pressure

It was found that people who are lonely for 4 years or more have higher blood pressure. Researchers cannot prove loneliness as a cause but they found no other cause like aging, sex, diet, or social background.

Exercise

Lonely people are more likely to cut back on their workouts depriving the body of the healthy benefits of physical activity. From another side, being active with friends is a way to make relationships.Aim for 2.5 hours of activity a week. If you have medical conditions, check with your doctor first.

Memory Sharpness

When you are lonely your ability to remember things or solve problems decline with age. The chance of developing diseases like Alzheimer is big . It is worthy to note that many factors affect those risks, and it is not clear-cut that loneliness causes these conditions.

Tobacco Smoking

The probability to light up is higher when you are lonely. But smoking is all bad for you. Smoking affects almost every organ in the body including heart, lungs, brain, vessels and skin. When people are stressed they might cope by reaching for a cigarette. If that’s you,you may want to start considering quitting before things get even worse.

Effects on Heart Health

Conditions affecting heart health are more common in lonely people. They include obesity,hypertension, and abnormal cholesterol levels, for example.The reasons could be many– like if you smoke, get depressed, or don’t exercise when you are lonely.

Depression

Depression affects body and mind. Loneliness increases the incidence of depression . And depression can be isolating, so you get in a vicious circle. If you have depressive symptoms that are severe or last more than 2 weeks — including feeling depressed or hopeless, less interest in things , low energy, sleep problems, or appetite changes — seek help. Tell your doctor or counselor.

Weight Gain

You may get more weight when you are lonely, because you might eat more than usual or crave unhealthy foods to soothe yourself.You also might stop exercise. This predispose you to guilt, depression and obesity., diabetes, hypertension and cardiac disease. When your weight is going up , watch your emotions, diet and exercise.

Sleep

Sleep problems are common in lonely people. That can make it more difficult to concentrate during daytime and make mood low. Over time, poor sleep can make DM, hypertension, cardiac disease, obesity and depression more likely.

Alcohol and Drugs

Lonely people are more likely to abuse drugs, including alcohol. They can give a false sense of feeling better, but that sense is temporary.With time, that can seriously harm your physical health, work, family and relationships. 

‘Me’ Time

Lonely people need more time on their own to recharge than extrovert ones.This is not harmful unless it makes you more disconnected from people.This can happen when you get more than necessary on your own or when you feel not understood.

Take Right Action

Look for ways to connect with people. List your hobbies : chess, nature, riding, hiking, reading, writing?Join a club, look for people to share your interests. Make plans of activities with other people. Talk about your feelings.

seek therapy if you find it difficult to connect with people. Do self-care: Regular work outs, sleep, and balanced diet.

When To Seek Help

Normally people can feel a little lonely from time to time and this is not abnormal. But if you find it hard to reconnect, of you feel depressed or anxious, or your work life or family life is impacted severely, then it is time to seek help.