Summary: Social isolation has previously been linked to shorter life spans and a wide range of health problems in humans. A new study reveals social isolation leads to sleep loss, which, in turn, leads to cellular stress.

Source: University of Pennsylvania.

Penn study found that isolating animals leads to sleep loss, eventually cell stress.

Social isolation has been linked to a wide range of health problems, as well as a shorter lifespan in humans and other animals. In fact, during a U.S. Senate hearing on aging issues this spring, a representative for the Gerontological Society of America urged lawmakers to support programs that help older adults stay connected to their communities, stating that social isolation is a “silent killer that places people at higher risk for a variety of poor health outcomes.”

Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found a possible explanation…