h Heartbreak hurts. Whether it's due to the death of a loved one or a broken relationship, the painful effects cannot be denied.
If your heart has been broken, you may have experienced a period of sadness, grief, and anger. You may have felt physical effects such as chest tightness, loss of appetite, or brain fog. And if that's not enough to deal with, it has been scientifically proven that a broken heart can lead to death.
Some people, including Debbie Reynolds after the passing of her daughter Carrie Fisher, have died of a broken heart. Johnny Cash passed away 4 months after his wife June Cash. Joe Garcia, the husband of a teacher who died in the 2022 Uvalde Texas school shooting, passed away just two days after the tragedy.
These cases are noteworthy because they are thought to be rare. However, new research indicating unfavorable long-term outcomes suggests that more people may be susceptible to succumbing to grief than we realize.
Broken heart syndrome, also known as Takotsubo syndrome, mimics the symptoms of heart attack and can be fatal even in moments of stress. Unlike "true" heart attacks, broken heart patients do not have blockages in the arteries delivering blood to the heart. So what causes intense chest pain and shortness of breath? It is related to how your heart communicates with the rest of your body.
Your brain and body have a deep and codependent relationship. Scientists call this the "mind-body connection."
Internal Warning System
The human brain contains networks of nerves and chemicals directly connected to different areas of the brain. Think of it as an underground subway system where information cars travel to important organs. For example, when the brain picks up environmental signals of danger, fear, love, or joy, it sends a lot of hormones to the organs along the appropriate tracks. When the message is received, the body...