By Andrea Jervinis, LAT, ATC

You may have heard your Injury Prevention Specialist describe discomfort as a warning signal from your body. It’s an indication that potential damage may be occurring in your tissues. If you continually ignore it, over time that damage can lead to injury. Our body is equipped with other warning signals, some more obvious than others – thirst, hunger, tiredness, etc. But one that is easily overlooked and also damaging to our health is loneliness.

A Growing Concern

Loneliness is such a detriment to our health that former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared it to be a public health epidemic in 2023. In the report, he states loneliness is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and anxiety. But the most eye opening statistic found was that living with loneliness and being socially disconnected increases the odds of dying early. The odds are similar to someone who smokes up to 15 cigarettes a day.

The Workplace Effect

When a person feels lonely, their personal and professional lives are impacted. Dr. Murthy notes that loneliness at work can:

• reduce task performance
• limit creativity
• impair reasoning and decision making

Think of a construction worker, utility worker, or heavy machine operator working with these impairments during a demanding shift. They would need clear decision making skills to complete their job tasks and avoid hazardous scenarios.

The same goes for any industrial athlete. The inability to think fast on their feet when the occasion arises, could have negative consequences. Not reaching production numbers because of reduced task performance could result in disciplinary actions and, in the worst case, job termination.

Finding Connection

John Cacioppo, a lead researcher on loneliness, said “denying you feel lonely makes no more sense than denying you feel hungry.” When we feel hungry, we take action and eat something. When we feel lonely, our action should be to find connection. In Brené Brown’s book Atlas of the Heart, she reminds us about the human need for socialization. We are a social species and individualism doesn’t bode well for us. Rather, we get strength “from our collective ability to plan, communicate, and work together. Our neural, hormonal, and genetic makeup supports interdependence over independence.”

Loneliness is a silent struggle most of us will deal with in our lifetime. The most important thing to do is to take the alarm seriously and seek out connection. For those of us whose alarms are currently silent, keep an eye on our friends and coworkers. Check in on those we haven’t heard from in a while. Make a new friend at work, take a lunch break with someone, or share a smile because teamwork prevents loneliness.

*Source: Holt-Lunstad J, Robles TF, Sbarra DA, Advancing Social Connection as a Public Health Priority in the United States. American Psychology. 2017;72(6):517-530. doi:10.1037/amp0000103.

Andrea Jervinis, LAT, ATC || Andrea has been a Certified Athletic Trainer for 16 years, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Boston University. She has worked with colleges, performing artists, and with various trades in the industrial setting. Based in Northern Nevada, she spends her free time volunteering with a local non-profit and going on adventures with her family.

---

Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips for the industrial athlete from Work Right!