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🎗️ | Averaging 3 hours of sleep per night. Lonely
- Feb 19, 2024
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Loneliness Linked to Insomnia Symptoms in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
In a study of 9,430 adults aged 50 and older, researchers found a significant link between loneliness and insomnia symptoms, such as difficulty falling and staying asleep, waking up too early in the morning, and nonrestorative sleep.
Feeling lonely can lead to sleepless nights for middle-aged and older adults.
In a study of 9,430 adults aged 50 and older, researchers from the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Duke University School of Nursing found a significant link between loneliness and insomnia symptoms, such as difficulty falling and staying asleep, waking up too early in the morning, and nonrestorative sleep.
Loneliness, according to researchers, can spark insomnia symptoms through various pathways, among them increased stress, anxiety, and heightened vigilance. Addressing loneliness could be key to better sleep and healthier aging.
The research team analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of middle-aged and older adults in the United States.
Their results showed 16% of the sampled adults developed at least one insomnia symptom over a six-year period. A lack of sleep is known to raise the risk for cardiovascular disease and memory problems.
The study was published in the July issue of Psychiatry Research.
To measure social isolation and loneliness, researchers used Steptoe’s Social Isolation Index and the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. The 20-item scale gauges how well statements like “I feel left out,” and “I have nobody to talk to,” apply to their lives.
Bei Wu, PhD
Senior study author Bei Wu, PhD, emphasized the distinction between social isolation and loneliness, explaining that the latter is linked with subjective perceptions.
“Loneliness represents a perceived discrepancy between one’s actual and desired social relationships,” said Wu, who is Dean’s Professor of Global Health at NYU Nursing and a consulting professor in the Department of Medicine and the School of Nursing at Duke. “In our study, loneliness was linked with sleep problems, while social isolation wasn’t after we adjusted for health indicators.”
Wu points out that, as people grow older, they are more likely to experience social isolation and feelings of loneliness.
“At middle age we still have work that connects us and we’re mobile so we can travel easily,” she explains.
“But as we age our social network starts shrinking. Loss of family, loss of friends, loss of spouse and also our work position can disappear. Adults may have less mobility to engage in community events or get together with friends for lunch, dinner, etc. So, all these things certainly raise the risk for loneliness and social isolation among older adults.”
