Study finds chronic loneliness increases stroke risk in older adults

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Loneliness isn't just about how many people you're around, it's how you feel — and new research suggests it could affect your risk of stroke.

In fact, a new study found that older adults who reported being chronically lonely had a 56% higher risk of stroke than those who consistently rated low on a loneliness scale.

“Regularly assessing loneliness is important because if loneliness goes unidentified or is ignored, outcomes may worsen,” Dr. Yenny So, a research fellow in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said in an email.

of The study published Monday The study, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, looked at data collected between 2006 and 2018 as part of the Health and Retirement Study. More than 12,000 participants aged 50 and over were initially surveyed between 2006 and 2008, according to the study.

When the researchers followed up four years later, about 9,000 participants had remained in the study. They answered questions from the UCLA Loneliness Scale-Revised and were given loneliness scores at both time points.

According to the study, the researchers also tracked participants' incidents of stroke and analyzed that data in conjunction with their loneliness scores.

People who scored high on loneliness at both points in the study had a significantly increased risk, but those who scored high on loneliness at only one point in the study saw no clear association with stroke risk, Dr. So said, suggesting that the biggest effects on stroke risk occur over the long term.

“We've known for some time that loneliness is a risk factor for a number of diseases,” said Dr. Matt Pantel, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco and a lead faculty member at the school's Center for Health and Community Health, who was not involved in the study.

preliminary survey Loneliness and isolation Sleeping disorder, inflammation Loneliness and social isolation are associated with shorter lifespan, insomnia, and depression in younger adults and may be associated with shorter lifespan, insomnia, and depression in older adults. Loneliness and social isolation may be associated with a higher risk of heart disease, dementia, diabetes, addiction, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies in people of all ages.

“This (new study) has implications for clinicians and healthcare systems in that understanding whether and for how long people are lonely may help identify those at higher risk of stroke,” Pantel added.

Being alone doesn't necessarily mean feeling lonely. Being alone means not having many people around you, and being lonely is the feeling of isolation you feel whether or not there are people around you.

And studies have found that loneliness correlates with an increased risk of stroke, Saw said.

“Loneliness is a very subjective experience, so it's important to seek support to address and intervene for specific individual needs,” she said.

Healthcare providers can play a role by screening for loneliness and referring patients to therapists or behavioral health clinicians, Soh added.

“People may not realize they are feeling lonely or may be reluctant to admit it,” she says. “It may be helpful for them to complete a self-administered questionnaire to assess loneliness, either on their own or in a health care setting, to first recognize and acknowledge that they are feeling lonely.”

It's important to note that the study is observational, so it can't say that loneliness is a direct cause of stroke, only a correlation, Pantel said. People who feel lonely may share demographic and health characteristics that make them more susceptible to stroke, she said.

But the researchers conducted a thorough study and took other explanations into account, Pantel added.

So said the reasons for feeling lonely are often different for each person, and the changes that individuals need to make to become more socially integrated will also vary.

The effects of loneliness People of all ages “Loneliness and isolation are epidemic” in the United States, the Surgeon General said. Dr. Vivek Murthy 2023.

“Let those around you know that you're feeling lonely and identify what specifically would help you deal with the feelings of loneliness,” Soh said.

Various organisations offer resources to combat loneliness, so joining one in your community may help, Soh added.

While scrolling through social media may make you feel like you're part of a community, you may need a little more interaction to combat feelings of loneliness, says Dr Olivia Remes, a mental health researcher at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Previous CNN articleRemes was not involved in the latest study.

Respond to your friends' posts or send them private messages, she said. Even better, make it a daily habit to interact directly with people in your community.

“Practicing conversations with people you come across in your daily life can help. It can improve your mood, lift your spirits and even ward off feelings of loneliness,” she said.

If you find it hard to put yourself out there to make the connections you need, or you find yourself stuck in thought patterns that tell you you won't be accepted, it may be time to seek help from a mental health professional, said Louise Hawkley, PhD, principal research scientist at NORC, University of Chicago. In a previous CNN article:

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