How loneliness can affect our heart and blood pressure

Loneliness is a subjective feeling. It arises when theres a gap between the social contact you want and the contact you actually have. This doesnt only concern the number of relationships you can feel lonely even if you have plenty of contacts when their quality feels insufficient. Conversely, a small circle of people can be enough if those connections feel close or deep.

The London study showed that loneliness really does take a toll on the heart. It compared information from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which collects self-assessments from older people every two years, with data from the national health service care register. It showed that people the average age was 64 who felt the loneliest had a 30% higher chance of developing a cardiovascular disease than people who felt not or only slightly lonely. The chance of a hospital stay for this reason was even 48% higher among the loneliest people.

A Canadian study came to similar conclusions. It also found that the link between loneliness and a higher blood pressure in the cross-sectional analysis of 28,238 middle-aged and older adults (4585 years) was particularly noticeable in lonely women. Men seem to cope with loneliness better.

What does this mean for times when we have to severely limit our social contacts (e.g. lockdown)?

In an Argentine study, it was noticeable that during the spring 2020 lockdown more patients with high blood pressure values came to emergency departments than in the months and the same period in previous years. While overall fewer patients needed care, the proportion of those who showed markedly elevated blood pressure readings among those still seeking help was strikingly high.

The reasons for admissions, however, remained the same as in times without lockdown: chest pain, breathing problems, dizziness, etc. and specifically also because of high blood pressure. In searching for the causes of the increased high blood pressure readings, the researchers mainly point to higher stress from fear of the virus, a tighter financial situation, family problems and reduced personal contacts. Changes in lifestyle are also seen as a possible cause.

During movement restrictions many people move significantly less, eat more, and sometimes drink more alcohol all of which can add up to weight gain, which is known to negatively affect blood pressure.

This highlights how important it remains to maintain a healthy lifestyle even during these times.

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This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 04/2024).

Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.

How loneliness can affect our heart and blood pressure

What does this mean for times when we have to severely limit our social contacts (e.g. lockdown)?

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