Loneliness is an epidemic in the United States and it could be affecting how long we live.

The associate chief medical officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Dr. Amy McKenzie, says being lonely can affect your health.

“Loneliness has been studied and found to be one of the bigger risk factors that we’re finding that can be linked to lots of different conditions, both physical and mental. And so having an active social life is one way to guard against that. And when we think about loneliness, really what it is, is it’s that disconnected feeling from other people.”

McKenzie says loneliness can trigger stress hormones that cause inflammation in the body that can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and anxiety. She says it’s important to maintain social connections and you can do that by volunteering, calling a friend, or taking a class.