30-Second Summary
- Being lonely can affect us in many ways.
- Loneliness doesn’t just impact our mental health, but it changes our physical health, too.
- Lonely people tend to be more at risk for health conditions and unhealthy habits.
- Maintaining social relationships will help keep you healthy and prevent various health risks associated with loneliness.
Introduction
Loneliness means something different to everyone. At one point or another, we will all experience loneliness.
Many things can cause loneliness. You might have trouble making friends, or you may have recently experienced the loss of someone through death or divorce. Whatever the cause, being lonely can have a lot of surprising impacts on your health. Even while leading an overall healthy lifestyle, being lonely can have a huge negative effect on your life, health, and happiness.
Humans are social and community-driven creatures, so it’s important to make sure that we get the social interaction we need every day. But if you are someone who struggles with mental health issues like depression or social anxiety, this can be even more of a challenge than it might be for others.
There are ways to help calm your mind and body, allowing you to get the healthy social interaction you need. It’s also very important that you receive emotional support from the people you love.
Moreover, using something like Relaxia can make the difference you need. It’s a natural supplement that may help alleviate stress and improve your mood.
All that said, let’s get into how being lonely can affect your brain health and what you can do to help.
5 Ways Being Lonely Affects Our Brains
- It Can Encourage Excessive Drug and Alcohol Use. Lonely people tend to consume more alcohol and drugs than people who are not. The reason is that drug use and alcohol can be a coping strategy for those struggling with mental health problems like loneliness. People who are lonely and who are looking for ways to feel better, even temporarily, may turn towards unhealthy mechanisms like drugs and alcohol.
While it’s totally fine to have a glass of wine every once in a while, excessive drinking and other drug use can have a massive impact on both your mental and physical health. You may find yourself growing dependent on these drugs, and they can also put you at risk for severe conditions like liver damage.
Some people who have social anxiety may also turn to alcohol to help ease their anxiety in social situations. Instead of turning to drugs and alcohol, seeking therapy and speaking to your doctor can help.
- It Can Trigger Feelings of Depression and Anxiety. It’s very common for lonely people to suffer from depression and anxiety. Not getting the human interaction we need daily can result in extreme mental health problems like these.
One of the biggest issues with depression and anxiety is how cyclical they can be. They may come up for a person who is lonely because of their loneliness, but the depression and anxiety could further their isolation, making them feel more depressed. You may feel like you’re in a never-ending loop. If your loneliness makes you feel anxious, finding ways to calm your mind and body will help.
You should speak to your doctor if you notice symptoms of depression and anxiety right away. You might also want to look into a supplement like Relaxia to help. There are supplements on the market that help relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- It Can Affect Your Memory. One surprising way that loneliness can affect your health is by affecting your memory. Lonely people tend to have more problems remembering things. You might also find it difficult to perform more complex cognitive tasks or learn new skills.
One of the reasons why social interaction is so important is because it gives us the chance to exercise our brains. Interacting with other people allows us to stretch our minds, keeping our memories and cognitive abilities sharp.
Not getting this social interaction could result in a decrease in your memory. You could also be more at risk for health conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, which primarily affect your memory and cognitive capabilities.
- You Might Be More at Risk for Disease. Loneliness can cause us to pick up some pretty bad habits that can affect not just our mental health, but our physical health, too.
When we are lonely, we tend to choose foods and activities that aren’t healthy. A lonely person may eat more junk foods than someone with happy and thriving relationships.
Lonely people may also get less exercise and live a more sedentary lifestyle. It’s crucial to get enough daily physical activity as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.
Eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise every day will help you feel confident, active, and prevent cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other illnesses. Also, maintaining a good social life is a huge part of keeping yourself healthy in general.
- Loneliness Can Cause Chronic Stress. At some point in all our lives, we will experience a little stress. Stress is a natural part of being a human. And small amounts of stress can be beneficial for our health. But if you are feeling chronic stress or struggling with an anxiety disorder, that can seriously impact your life negatively.
One of the major side effects of being lonely is that you will be more prone to stress. When you are stressed, your brain produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is responsible for things like your fight or flight response. Too much cortisol can cause a range of health concerns and could even shorten your lifespan significantly.
Maintaining healthy relationships will help prevent chronic stress and allow you to live happily.
Conclusion
If you want to make sure that you are maintaining your health and living a fulfilling life, then loneliness is something you should be aware of. Being lonely can have a range of impacts on your health. Some of these effects might be more surprising than others.
The good news is that there are great ways to prevent loneliness, especially in the age of the internet. Connect with people with similar interests, try new hobbies, and live a happy, healthy, and social life.