If you have few friends at work or in your wider social circle then you could be making yourself more susceptible to stress and sleep disturbances. Of course, having few friends can be stressful in itself, leading to a vicious circle of strife.

Nordin based her conclusions on four studies of the phenomenon using three databases, including one on the working populations of northern Sweden.

However, there are differences between the genders. More women than men who are not sleeping well report that they have few friends around them and experience little emotional support. Moreover the negative effects of having few friends are greater among women than men.

In men, the risk of having difficulty sleeping is tripled if they experience pressure at work and at the same time report that they have had few friends to turn to for a long period of time or that the emotional support at work, that is, confirmation and appreciation, has lessened.

Disturbed sleep might ultimately channel the negative effects of having few friends into an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This was  among female heart attack victims, who commonly reported they had few friends.

So the answer for a long and happy life with plenty of sleep is obvious – make friends!

Adapted from an AlphaG release