A study has found that people who feel cut off from their family and friends have more trouble sleeping – and the lonelier they feel, the more they toss and turn.
Researchers at the University of Chicago in the U.S. asked about 100 people to wear devices that kept track of how well they slept.
Tossing and turning during your sleep? You may be lonely
The participants answered questions about their general health, as well as how often they felt left out or isolated.
Being lonely did not seem to affect the amount of time spent asleep – but those who felt the most cut off had the most ‘fragmented’ sleep.
Researcher Lianne Kurina suggested that we have evolved to sleep best when we feel safe, and so feeling part of a group may help us feel more secure and rest more soundly.
Furthermore, feelings of loneliness or isolation may make it harder for the brain to switch off, meaning we wake up at the slightest disturbance.
Dr Kurina added that low-quality sleep has been linked to weight gain and diabetes.
The study, reported in the journal Sleep, marks the latest warning about the impact of loneliness.
She said it is likely that we have evolved to sleep best when we feel safe.
Feeling part of a group may help us feel secure and so sleep more soundly.
Feelings of loneliness or isolation may make it harder for the brain to switch off, meaning we wake up at the slightest noise.
A study by the Mental Health Foundation last year found 18 to 24-year-olds were twice as likely to feel lonely as those over 55.
The charity warned that young Britons' obsession with social networking sites has created an ‘Eleanor Rigby’ generation that is cut off from family and friends.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the foundation, said: ‘The internet is not a root cause of loneliness but it can exacerbate the problem.
'Meeting and talking to people online is not having a proper sort of relationship - and you don’t get the same sort of feedback as you do when you meet someone in person.’
Two years ago, John Cacioppo, a psychology professor at the university who also worked on the latest study, said that health problems associated with loneliness made it as bad for us as smoking or obesity. ( dailymail.co.uk )
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