Lonely people are more likely to experience negative nightmares, according to a partnership with an Oregon State University expert. Colin Hesse of OSU believes the findings are significant since loneliness and sleep disturbances are substantial public health issues. They are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature mortality.

Link Between Loneliness and Nightmares

In a report published in the Journal of Psychology, Hesse and colleagues from the University of Arizona, the University of Tampa, and Whitworth University argue that stress plays a role in the relationship between loneliness and nightmare frequency and intensity (1). Other factors linking loneliness to dreams appear to be rumination (concern and anxiety) and hyperarousal, which is defined as being extremely attentive and concentrated. Mind states related to loneliness include worry, rumination, and hyperarousal.

Sense of Belonging is Crucial For Human Survival

In addition to shedding insight into the possible negative effects of insufficient human connection, the findings of the study conducted by Kory Floyd of the University of Arizona are consistent with the evolutionary theory of loneliness, which holds that a sense of belonging is necessary for human survival.

“Interpersonal relationships are very much a core human need,” said Hesse, director of the School of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State. “When people’s desire for good relationships is ignored, they suffer physically, mentally, and socially. Loneliness has developed to inform people when their needs for interpersonal connection are not being met, just as hunger or exhaustion indicate a lack of nutrients or sleep.

How Isolation Impacts Sleep Quality and Triggers Nightmares

Loneliness is a pervasive illness that severely impairs wellness, according to the study, causing suffering in a variety of ways, including poor sleep. Nightmares are one manner in which sleep quality is compromised.

The authors’ results linking loneliness to nightmares – in a correlative rather than causative fashion, Hesse emphasizes – are based on surveys of more than 1,600 persons in the United States ranging in age from 18 to 81. The findings also provide an evolutionary explanation for dreams, suggesting that humans evolved to experience stress, rumination, and increased awareness when lonely, rather than external variables such as trauma.

“It’s too early to talk about specific interventions in a concrete way,” Hesse said, “but our findings are certainly consistent with the potential that treating loneliness could help reduce someone’s nightmare experiences. That is something that may be addressed in controlled clinical research.”

The Sleep Foundation estimates that 50 million to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. “Quality restorative sleep is a linchpin for cognitive functioning, mood regulation, metabolism and many other aspects of well-being,” said Hesse. “That’s why it’s so critical to investigate the psychological states that disrupt sleep, loneliness being key among them.”

According to the US Surgeon General’s Office, even before COVID-19, roughly half of American adults reported measurable degrees of loneliness, and a lack of connection is on par with smoking in terms of increasing the risk of early mortality.

How Loneliness Affects Health

The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation provides the following statistics:

• A 29% higher risk of heart disease.
• A 32% higher risk of stroke.
• Older persons face a 50% greater risk of developing dementia.
• There is a greater than 60% likelihood of premature mortality.

Furthermore, those who experience lonely on a regular basis are more than twice as likely to develop depression than those who feel lonely infrequently or never.

References:

1. Interpersonal Loneliness Predicts the Frequency and Intensity of Nightmares: An Examination of Theoretic Mechanisms
   (Floyd, K., Hesse, C., Ray, C. D., & Mikkelson, A. C. (2024). Interpersonal Loneliness Predicts the Frequency and Intensity of Nightmares: An Examination of Theoretic Mechanisms. The Journal of Psychology, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2024.2378418)

Source-Medindia