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Heartbreak: Can It Cause Serious Sickness?

Heartbreak: Can It Cause Serious Sickness?
Heartbreak can lead to a wide range of bodily changes such as appetite changes, weight changes, headaches, stomach problems, anxiety, depression and a general feeling of being ill.

From physical pain to broken heart syndrome, upcoming studies are showing that heartbreaks can cause physical changes in the body.

Written by Kashish Sharma |Published : March 27, 2023 8:25 PM IST

While heartbreak was considered an emotional or psychological hurt, upcoming studies have been showing that it can affect people physically. Studies have shown that feelings of rejection, emotional hurt and physical pain are all processed in the same areas of the brain.

Over a period, science has understood that falling in love is not simply an emotional experience but might also involve physical and neurological changes. The feeling of euphoria is associated with the release of happy hormones such as serotonin and cortisol. Similarly, the feelings of loss and rejection also invoke changes at a physical level.

As per some quoted experts, heartbreak can lead to a wide range of bodily changes such as appetite changes, weight changes, headaches, stomach problems, anxiety, depression and a general feeling of being unwell.

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Heartbreak and body

As per reports, a possible reason that heartbreak can cause physical symptoms might be the simultaneous working of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. While the former tries to make a person ready for a fight or flight response, the latter does the contrary and helps the body relax. As per some quoted experts, this simultaneous switching on of both systems can confuse the brain and the heart and can also cause some disturbance in the electrical activity. As per research, there is a nearly 41 per cent increased risk of a person dying in the first six months of their spouse passing away. Reportedly, there have been cases where people have suffered a stroke or heart attack after a breakup.

As per experts, after suffering a loss or heartbreak, there is an increase in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol which affects blood pressure and can cause acne and anxiety. There also exists an overlap between the neural mechanisms causing physical pain and those activated after a heartbreak. As per reports, a study showed that when some people were shown photos of the people they loved and lost due to heartbreak showed a similar activation of brain areas that are associated with physical injury.

It can mimic a heart event

Broken heart syndrome is a condition that might mimic a heart event and is caused due to extreme emotional stress. The condition though not very common has been predominantly seen in heartbroken women. Also called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, it is usually characterized by the weakening of the left ventricle, the heart's pumping chamber and is caused due to extreme physical and emotional stress, strong enough of causing a sudden disturbance in the heart's functioning. A reason could be a sudden and uncontrollable surge in hormones like adrenaline that might affect the heart. This might be caused due to sudden hearing of unpleasant news such as someone breaking up with a person or the loss of a loved one. It can have typical heart attack symptoms like shortness of breath and sometimes the blood pressure might drop suddenly. The condition can cause confusion among healthcare providers who might find it hard to differentiate unless tests like an angiogram might show no signs of blockage or other functional abnormalities. People affected by it can recover in a month and in rare cases, it can lead to death.