Loneliness is linked to higher blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. Extreme loneliness can lead to stress and early death

Extreme loneliness worse for health than obesity and can lead to an early grave, scientists say.

Chronic loneliness is linked with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the morning, which raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Loneliness is also linked with higher blood pressure and a weakening of the immune system, Professor John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, said.

One possible explanation for its link with ill-health is that loneliness seems to make people sleep less deeply. Lonely people tend to suffer from brief “microawakenings” in the night, which may reflect a nervousness about being alone at night, he said.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/extreme-loneliness-worse-for-health-than-obesity-9132031.html