It's a feeling that we've all felt at some point in our lives. "Loneliness is a subjective feeling that the connections that we need in our life are greater than the connections we actually have," Murthy said. It's a feeling that has become so common that U.
S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared loneliness an epidemic.
Half of all adults have felt it over the past few years. "This is not just a problem with the elderly or the young, this is affecting all age groups," he said. Loneliness was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic - a time when we were socially isolated, leaving us cut off from friends, family, and loved ones.
While loneliness has been linked with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide, research shows loneliness can have devastating effects on your physical health as well. "This is one of the surprising things about loneliness and isolation is that it is both impactful to your physical and mental health," Murthy said. "It increases your risk of heart disease, of dementia, of stroke, of premature death.
It actually has been associated with slower or poor wound healing. I mean the health effects go on and on." In fact, Dr.
Murthy says the health impact of loneliness is equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. But he says it's important to remember, you are not alone. "This is not evidence of you being broken or deficient in some way.
We all struggle with this," he said. So what can you do if you're struggling with loneliness? The : "It c.
