{"id":31164,"date":"2023-12-05T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-staging.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/?p=31164"},"modified":"2023-11-15T20:03:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T20:03:00","slug":"health-benefits-of-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/health-benefits-of-friendship\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sleep and Health Benefits of Friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most people experienced some form of social isolation early on in the pandemic. A lack of connection with other humans isn’t just isolating\u2014it’s terrible for your health<\/a>. Loneliness has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure<\/a>, heart disease<\/a>, a weakened immune system<\/a>, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve ever experienced the thrill of reuniting with friends after a long time away, then you know how important friendship is to life. But did you know that friendship can also support your health and mental well-being? Or that it can even support a good night’s rest? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to discover more about the health benefits of friendship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is friendship? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Friendship refers to trusting, reliable, affectionate social contact between people. A friend is more than an acquaintance. Friends know you and care for you. They’re your allies in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mendi Baron, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and CEO of Nevada-based\u00a0Moriah Behavioral Health<\/a>, says healthy friendships provide social and emotional support. He suggests that healthy friendships feel safe, generally positive, and mutually beneficial.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep and health benefits of friendship <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having good friends is good for you! Here are five ways friendship can support your sleep and health:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Reduces stress<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most people know what it’s like to feel less stressed after confiding in a friend. In fact, studies have shown that positive friendships reduce stress markers in the body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venting to a friend can\u00a0reduce high blood pressure<\/a>. Completing stressful tasks with a friend is\u00a0easier on your heart<\/a>\u00a0than doing the activity alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Lifts your mood<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“Spending time with friends can lift our moods by releasing dopamine and serotonin,” says Shelby Harris<\/a>, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of sleep health for Sleepopolis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two neurotransmitters play a key role in your mood and sleep. Dopamine and serotonin both promote relaxation. Harris says serotonin also plays a role in the production of sleep-regulating melatonin<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Helps fight anxiety and depression<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A 2023 research review<\/a> found that adult friendships can help protect against depression and anxiety<\/a>. The reason is simple: Supportive friends help you feel happy, loved, and safe. A supportive community can also help you feel a greater sense of purpose and meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the benefits of friendship don’t stop there. Depression<\/a> and anxiety<\/a> can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm,<\/a> according to Harris. So, protecting against these mood disorders may also protect you from poor sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or sleep problems, it is important to talk to your doctor,” Harris reminds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Supports your immune system<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remember how friendship can boost serotonin? Well, that’s good news if you want to fight illness and infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that healthy serotonin levels can\u00a0help strengthen your immune system<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Improves sleep quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“Cortisol<\/a> is a stress hormone that can disrupt sleep and worsen sleep quality,” Harris explains. “If cortisol levels are high before bed, it can make it more difficult to wind down before be [and] fall asleep.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line? Quality friendships help lower your stress hormone, thus boosting your sleep quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to build quality friendships <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Building new friendships as an adult can be complicated. Baron says we tend to carry fears and biases from past relationships. But that doesn’t mean quality friendships aren’t possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The best way to make a friend is to simply be open,” he says. “Reach out, go to places where people congregate, join events or groups \u2026” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, not all friendships are the same. “Ensure that the friendships you are seeking, and the ones that you make, provide a benefit to you, are safe, are mutual, and do not bring you down or hinder you in any fashion,” says Baron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAQs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How does friendship affect your brain? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Harris points out, friendship can boost dopamine and serotonin, often called the “happy chemicals<\/a>” of the brain. Dopamine gives a temporary sense of pleasure, while serotonin offers a longer-lasting sense of well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the significant health benefits of maintaining close friendships?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of friendship on mental health are significant. Maintaining close friendships can help relieve stress, improve sleep, and offer protection against anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does having friends contribute to mental health improvements? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Spending time with friends can immediately reduce stress and boost your mood. Long-term mental health<\/a> improvements could include a general sense of mental well-being and a reduced risk of anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One of the most basic human needs is social contact,” Baron says. Bottom line: Building and maintaining healthy friendships is critical to your sleep, health, and overall well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking is an activity that can help you sleep<\/em>\u2014and feel<\/em>\u2014better. Learn all about the <\/em>sleep and health benefits of walking<\/a><\/em>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most people experienced some form of social isolation early on in the pandemic. A lack of connection with other humans isn’t just isolating\u2014it’s terrible for your health. Loneliness has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, a weakened immune system, and more.  If you’ve ever experienced the thrill of reuniting with friends after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":31165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[389,390],"tags":[],"coauthors":[422],"guest":[],"host":[],"class_list":["post-31164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep-health","category-sleep-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31164"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31168,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31164\/revisions\/31168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31164"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=31164"},{"taxonomy":"guest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guest?post=31164"},{"taxonomy":"host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host?post=31164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}