| Loneliness weighs heavy on heart |
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by Yachna Khare, 24x7 Updates
A heavy heart may be just as bad for the body as it is for the soul. Having no one to share your joys and your sorrows with can harm not only your emotional health but also your physical one. According to a study by University of Chicago researchers, Loneliness has been found to be a major risk factor in increasing blood pressure in older people, a condition that increase the risk of death by stroke and heart disease, the number one cause of deaths in United States.
Although this study was of people between the ages of 50 and 68, the problem increases with added years, which indicates it is more severe for senior citizens age 70 and older. A study last year found nearly 60 percent of the elderly in this group are experiencing some form of loneliness. “The major causes of fatality and mortality have changed from infectious to cardiovascular diseases.Loneliness is a complex physiological phenomenon that incorporates feelings of dysphoria (depression) and stress, dissatisfaction with social support and hostility towards others” co-authors Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo quoted in their study.
Their findings may be of clinical interest because high blood pressure is a well recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the researchers said.
The new study revealed that blood pressure readings for lonely people are as much as 30 points higher than in non-lonely people, even when other factors such as depressive symptoms or perceived stress are taken into account. This is equivalent to the difference between a normal blood pressure of 120 and a level of 150 which signifies Stage 1 hypertension. The intensification of the problem with age, gives further reason to consider those age 70 and over at the very highest risk.
The increase in blood pressure associated with loneliness is about the same magnitude as reductions attained through weight loss and regular physical activity in people suffering from hypertension. According to authors, going by these standards, improving ones sense of social connectedness could have clinical benefits comparable to lifestyle modifications.
The research team also took into consideration other factors like race, weight, alcohol consumption, smoking, blood pressure medications, and demographic characteristics and found that people who rated high on being lonely had a significantly higher blood pressure than non-lonely people with similar profiles on the other measures.
“Lonely people differ from non-lonely individuals in their tendency to perceive stressful circumstances as threatening rather than challenging. They passively cope with stress by failing to solicit instrumental and emotional support and by withdrawing from stress rather than by actively coping and attempting to problem solve.” The nuclear & single family parent culture has further aggravated the loneliness which people in higher age groups face.
"In light of these findings, demographic changes in the United States portend a health crisis," the authors warned. "Not only is the U.S. population aging, but household size is decreasing, the number of people living alone is increasing, and geographic mobility continues to separate people from the love and support of caring friends and family members." The authors pointed out an important limitation of the study. "This study is limited by its correlational nature," they wrote. "Causal statements about the role of loneliness await the results of longitudinal research."
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