Most people will feel lonely at some point in their lives. It’s a deeply personal experience that - in most cases - will thankfully pass. But for a growing number of people, particularly those in later life, loneliness can define their lives and have a significant impact on their wellbeing.

What causes loneliness?

We often feel lonely when we feel we don't have strong social relationships or are unhappy with the ones we have.

There have been several studies that have identified a range of factors associated with being lonely in older age. These factors include:

• social networks (living alone, being widowed or divorced, a lack of contact with friends and family and limited opportunities to participate in social occasions)
• health (poor health, limited mobility, social care needs or cognitive and sensory impairment)
• individual characteristics (age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, low income, retirement)
• neighbourhood characteristics (structures of buildings and streets, provision of local amenities, territorial boundaries, area reputation, neighbourliness, material deprivation of area of residence).

Loneliness is associated with depression, sleep problems, impaired cognitive health, heightened vascular resistance, hypertension, psychological stress and mental health problems.

Feeling lonely doesn’t necessarily mean you have no one nearby. You may be surrounded by friends and family but still feel lonely.

Do you feel lonely?

Loneliness is a deeply personal experience - unique to every individual. It can have different causes and different consequences for each and every one of us.

You may be lonely for a number of reasons:

• perhaps you’ve lost a loved one
• moved away from friends and family
• lost the social contact and enjoyment you used to get from work
• have health problems that make it difficult for you to go out and do the things you enjoy.

Why it’s important to address loneliness

Over recent years we've gained a greater understanding of the impact loneliness has on our health.

We now know that, for example, the effect of loneliness and isolation can be as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is more damaging than obesity.

It is associated with depression, sleep problems, impaired cognitive health, heightened vascular resistance, hypertension, psychological stress and mental health problems.

What you can do

There are a number of things you can do to tackle loneliness, such as take advantage of services that tackle loneliness:

• If you like having a chat but find it hard to get out, you could speak to like-minded folk on Gransnet.
• If you have sight loss, you can join RNIB’s telephone book club and talk to up to eight people on a monthly call for a small cost.
• Take steps to make new connections
• You might want to consider joining a friendship group. This can be a good way to build new and meaningful friendships, and help you to regain your confidence.
• Contact the Elderly hold monthly afternoon tea parties for people aged over 75 who live on their own with little or no chance to socialise.
• If you're missing the social connections you used to have through work, you could also consider volunteering or perhaps going to classes through The University of the Third Age.