Does loneliness harm your health?

A study published in the Lancet Public Health journal last year showed that loneliness increases the chance of hospitalization due to infection by 12%.

Loneliness is spreading with increased working from home and watching programs on holidays instead of working in groups and socializing.

The psychological stress response affects chemicals in the body, called cytokines, and causes inflammation associated with premature aging. 

There's very strong evidence linking loneliness to poor health, but it's from observational studies, where you look at a factor, like loneliness, and see the effect down the line (for example, on mortality rates).

There is only one way to prove that loneliness causes medical problems, which is through a type of experiment called a randomized controlled study, in which one group of patients gets a treatment and another group gets a placebo.

However, it is very difficult to conduct this type of experiment on something as complex as preventing loneliness.

Most importantly, it is very difficult to finance these trials, as there is no profit for pharmaceutical companies. So the evidence base in terms of controlled studies for treating loneliness is not as strong as it could be.

Jeremy Welsh, GP at Mythe Medical Practice, revealed that he is a believer in the importance of social interactions. He managed to convince his colleagues to use some of their available “medical” budget in a unique way, by getting all their patients over the age of 65, who were feeling lonely, to participate in social activities to see if that could improve their health.

This resulted in a decrease in GP appointments by 13.6% for this group of patients.

It is too early to see the impact on rates of strokes and heart attacks.

Substances that help combat insomnia

Dr. Irina Layalina, a Russian biologist, revealed the foodstuffs that help overcome insomnia.

The scientist said in an interview with the newspaper “Izvestia”: “Insomnia is an annoying and debilitating condition that can lead to depression. Many people mistakenly believe that alcohol is one of the ways to overcome it, and they call it a good sleeping pill. But in reality, this is not true. Yes. "Drinking alcohol can make you drowsy, but only for a short time, because then it reaches the blood cells and the person wakes up and will not be able to sleep."

According to her, the following substances help get rid of insomnia: chamomile tea, mint and lemon basil; Warm milk with honey; Bananas and broccoli because they contain tryptophan, an amino acid that helps with sleep because it contributes to the secretion of melatonin (sleep hormone); Almonds contain magnesium, which also helps in the secretion of melatonin. Oats are also beneficial because they also contain magnesium; Salmon, because it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that can affect sleep quality.

She says: “To overcome insomnia, you must avoid caffeine and nicotine before bedtime. You must also practice regular physical activity, and it is best to adjust the timing of sleep and wake-up, and you must stop using all electronic devices 30 minutes before bedtime. Of course, the effectiveness of these methods may vary from person to person.” “So if insomnia becomes a problem, it is best to consult a doctor for personalized recommendations.”