Loneliness and Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Overview

Journal Health Psychol Open

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Psychology

Date 2020 Apr 15

PMID 32284871

Citations 54

Authors

Sarah C Griffin

Allison B Williams

Scott G Ravyts

Samantha N Mladen

Bruce D Rybarczyk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite the mounting evidence linking loneliness with health, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain obscure. This systematic review and meta-analysis on the association between loneliness and one potential mechanism-sleep-identified 27 relevant articles. Loneliness correlated with self-reported sleep disturbance ( = .28, 95% confidence interval (.24, .33)) but not duration, across a diverse set of samples and measures. There was no evidence supporting age or gender as moderators or suggesting publication bias. The longitudinal relationship between loneliness and sleep remains unclear. Loneliness is related to sleep disturbance, but research is necessary to determine directionality, examine the influence of other factors, and speak to causality.

Citing Articles

Analysing expression of loneliness and insomnia through social intelligence analysis.

Shah H, Househ M BMJ Health Care Inform. 2025; 32(1.

PMID: 39832823 PMC: 11751960. DOI: 10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101116.

'Who Listens to the Listener, Who Cares for the Carer?' A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Connectedness and Sleep Experiences of Young Siblings of Neurodivergent People.

Pavlopoulou G, Sim E, Peter S, Gardani M, Beevers V, Kassa C Child Care Health Dev. 2024; 51(1):e70014.

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Social connectedness and sleep in Blackfeet American Indian adults.

John-Henderson N, Henderson-Matthews B, Helm P, Gilham S, Runner G, Johnson L Sleep Health. 2024; 11(1):33-39.

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Predicting the Risk of Loneliness in Children and Adolescents: A Machine Learning Study.

Zhang J, Feng X, Wang W, Liu S, Zhang Q, Wu D Behav Sci (Basel). 2024; 14(10).

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Profiles of community support and challenges associated with insomnia symptoms: Findings from the pilot Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio Health Study.

Singh R, Villalobos K, Cohen J, Maleku A, Pyakurel S, Suzuki T Sleep Health. 2024; 10(6):722-730.

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