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When Elvis crooned, “Are you lonesome tonight?,” he probably wasn’t thinking about sleep.
But a study out Tuesday suggests that people who feel lonely don’t sleep as soundly as other people, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference whether they’re sharing their bed with someone or not.
Previous research has found that lonely people are more likely to suffer health problems, such as heart disease and dementia, and the authors of the new study wondered if that might be due to its effect on sleep.
From an evolutionary perspective, the connection between loneliness and a poor night’s sleep makes sense, the authors write in the journal Sleep. “Humans must have relied on a safe social surround to survive and thrive,” the researchers say.
The University of Chicago scientists studied 95 adults between the ages of 19 and 84 who live in a farming town in South Dakota. Three out of four were married.
In interviews, they asked their subjects about loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. Three questions focused on loneliness: How often did they feel they lacked companionship, felt left out and felt isolated from others? The researchers also asked the participants how well they slept and whether they felt sleepy during the day.
People tend to be pretty off-base when they recall how they slept. To get more accurate information, the researchers asked their subjects to strap on a wristwatch-like device called an actigraph, which records movements, for a week. When wearers are still, scientists can be pretty sure they’re sound asleep.
In both the married and unmarried participants, researchers found a link between loneliness and tossing and turning.
The South Dakota folks weren’t nearly as lonely as other groups that have been studied, so the scientists think the link between loneliness and poor sleep quality probably applies to a wide range of people, explained lead author Lianne Kurina, an assistant professor of epidemiology.
Surprisingly, “negative affect,” a combination of symptoms of depression and anxiety and feelings of stress, didn’t seem to play a role in how well or how long people slept. However, unlike the lonely people, the depressed, anxious or stressed-out participants were more likely to think they didn’t sleep well.
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That's me. Being put into an incubator at birth instead of cuddling with my mom has sentenced me to a life of no romance, no girlfriends and totally clueless about all things intimate.
Attachment issues and inability to bond cause much loneliness. I at least have my pets to cuddle with in bed. I had the same start in life in an incubator because my mother was too ill and frail to do anything with me.
How can the guy in the picture feel lonely? He wouldn't be with me around!
Good luck getting him Up Uranus. :)
HAHAHAHAHA! i c wat u did there!
That's only true if there is a correlation between loneliness and blowjobs!
Ha ha, Up that is what I was thinking when I saw his photo!
When elvis crooned "Are you lonesome tonight?" he was singing to a Pizza :^)
Or a banana and peanut butter sandwich.
Dear Pizza, I want you inside of me.
The clear takeaway from this article is that you should move to South Dakota if you're lonely. Those states with small pops tend to have more married people though...
Pete Townsend wrote it best, Pictures of Lilly, Lilly oh Lilly...
I'm lonely and I sleep fine. I cozy up to my Kim K blow up doll.
Some people are lonely until they get into bed.
Off topic, but when I try to leave comments in a comment field in this format, the "older" tab to the left interferes and my comment gets frozen before I even send it. There's some kind of field overlap going on that screws things up. Something outside the comment box gets activated from inside it while typing. Anyone else experience this? Now I won't sleep!
Go take your computer to a technician that knows what to do.
This site has been having issues since yesterday evening on and off. I wouldn't rush your computer to a tech if everything else is okay. Several people have mentioned it today.
And this is news how?
I am single, although not lonely. I think I'd get less sleep if someone was in bed beside me snoring all night!
Been there, done that.
Lonliness has little to do with company. I would rather be alone than in bed with someone I didn't want.
Take my wife.. Plaese
I sleep with two fido's. they don't snore, or hog the covers, or take the credit-cards out of my wallet on sat. morning to go buy worhless crud at wall-mart I gotta sell at the garage sale next july.
Since the sudden death of my husband, I have slept poorly. The stress, depression, and loneliness is awful. I'd give anything to have him snoring beside me again.
GZimm, You have my condolences. I am so sorry. I have a friend who lost her husband two years ago. They had been married longer than I have been alive: 62 years. My friend also has macular degeneration, so she cannot read or watch TV or use the computer.
After a year, her daughters finally talked her into trying an anti-depressant and she is feeling a bit better and told me she continues to take them. She has great faith in Jesus and that helps her (something I envy but just can't grasp).
I wish you the best.
I used to care, but things have changed.
I sleep just fine being single and I love it. If I had a girlfriend, I would not sleep with her. This world is full of S h i t when it comes to relationships. There's no such thing as a good relationship. People just misuse, abuse and leave eachother confused. Funny how when the lust burns like fire, everything appears ok, this is a dilusion and only prepares "lovers" for a major set back. Stay away from relationships based on "lust". The lust of the flesh, the pride of life are of the world, not from God.
the only @!$%# in relationships, is the @!$%# you bring to it...you should probably check your side of the 2 person equation if the after the lust ends, so does your relationship.
My brother-in-law sounds like you, always thinking people are using him and abusing him...
reality is that he's a pretty pathetic guy, and every other year "needs a new direction in life" because he's just not happy...newsflash, something tells me the problem lies with you...just like it does with my brother-in-law. Thankfully his sister (my partner) was able to wake up and smell the roses before too long or our relationship wouldnt have lasted 12 years. It's not fun or desirable to be with a woe-is-me type, and it sucks when they seem to think it's everyone else with the issues.
Look in the mirror buddy...you want people to stick around longer than the lust? give them a reason to stick around. No one should have to stay with you out of pity.
More money wasted on the obvious. I guess verifiable evidence is important to convince sociopaths and people who have never been lonely, kind of like having to provide evidence that poverty really exists to people who have never been poor.
Hypothesis: real compassion and empathy (walking a mile in another man's shoes) would make many sociological and psychological surveys irrelevent and safe untold numbers of dollars.
Yes, it's and obvious conclusion, but it still needs to be corroborated with facts - so maybe other disciplines can try and do something about it. Also, they likely didn't go in planning to find strong evidence of this correlation (or more likely, a reporter is magnifying this find). They likely were doing a study along with a general set of questions, trying to see what patterns they find.
no wonder I toss and turn all night!
Everyone should have a few dogs to keep themselves and eachother company.
or cats.
good sleep comes and goes - sometimes you want to be in the same bed as someone and other times, you can't wait to sleep by yourself. snorers and bed hogs are just too much for me to handle.
Hypothesis: loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress are likely caused by having money problems. You can't get a girl with no money, hence you are alone. At the same time, money problems are likely the culprit for keeping you awake all night and getting stressed out.
Cure: Money
William, if you had money and and then "got a girl", wouldn't you still be lonely, knowing she was there only because you had money?
Don't give up. There are plenty of women out there who follow their hearts, not your wallet (at least I think there are). Maybe you're meeting the wrong kind of women.
But, yes, money problems are stressful and can really keep you awake at night. Good luck.
im a lonely woman and it isn't any fun. it is real and not alot ya can do about it when your limited in choices by where u r located. the idiots around here aren't worth my time but i have a lot to offer someone who would appreciate it. so im goin to nursing school to try and get out of this small town trash. maybe meet someone who is educated in something other than bud light!! money doesn't but happiness but it might buy a ticket out of here!!
you sound very vunerable, becareful you don't want to meet the wrong person, go and finish your school, I was told when you date while your going to school is an extra 4 credit course , so if your taking 16 credits imagine 4 more credit on top of that, you difinitely will burn out in stress, so take it easy and do what important , everything else will role in place when you finish, so don't rush
that's very true leona. thanks for the good advice. ive been alone for a long time and it gets to me sometimes more than others, but you are right i should concentrate on finishing school first. thats the most important thing right now.
i suffer from extreme insomnia and being lonely. wish i could find a man who wants a relationship more than a beer and a good time. being lonely stinks and i wouldn't wish it on anyone except my ex!!
LIFE STINK!!!!!LOL
Funny how you can be married in a relationship, little children all about you and still feel like so lonely......