Broken Heart SyndromeDoes human heartbreak really exist?
If you have recently lost your partner, you know how heartbreak feels. It’s a mix of anxiety anddepression.The pain spreads throughout your body, you feel chills and warmth in your heart area, and it seems like you are dying.
Sometimes, the pain subsides for a moment, but then another wave of pain hits you, so strong that it feels like your heart is being torn apart.
If you lose a loved one forever, this pain becomes even more unbearable. You have likely heard stories of couples who lived together for 40 years, and upon one’s death, the other passes away a few days, weeks, or months later from heartbreak.
Well, all of this raises the question: can a person really die from heartbreak? To understand this, read this section on health and wellness from SelMagz.SelMagzRead on.
Broken Heart: Stress-Induced CardiomyopathyStress
In the medical world, there is a syndrome known as “stress-induced cardiomyopathy” or “broken heart syndrome,” where the pressure from grief becomes so intense that it leads toa heart attack.in the individual.
Apparently, the stress and grief from losing a loved one or facing any other stressful event triggers a series of reactions in your body and mind that can lead to illness and sometimes death. Heartbreak usually results in elevatedblood pressure,increased heart rate, blood clots, and a weakened immune system.
Takotsubo and Death from Heartbreak
However, doctors usually attribute death from heartbreak to a very rare condition called “takotsubo cardiomyopathy.” This condition commonly occurs under stress and results in a heart attack. In fact, whenever takotsubo is mentioned, a heart attack is also present.
This syndrome is named takotsubo because the heart typically takes on the shape of a takotsubo, which is a Japanese pot used to trap octopuses.
Older women are at greater risk
Recent studies show that older women are more susceptible to takotsubo, with 90% of reported cases occurring in women aged 58 to 75. However, most individuals suffering from broken heart syndrome recover within a month, and only 5% of women who die fromheart attackshave been diagnosed with this disorder.
Research shows that the risk of death for a broken-hearted person increases in the first 30 days after losing a loved one. So, the reason someone might die within 24 hours after the death of their 70-year-old partner could be this.
Of course, takotsubo can also occur in other life events like car accidents or natural disasters that are very tragic. For example, the cause of death for 21 middle-aged women in the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, whose average age was 68, was diagnosed as takotsubo.
The Brain: The Main Reason for Death from Heartbreak
Given that death from severe heart damage due to heartbreak is very rare, the chances of dying from an unsuccessful love life are also unlikely. When a breakup occurs, the issue is not just with your heart but also with your brain.
Scientists have found through a series of experiments that a person’s brain in love is very similar to that of a drug addict, and this is why neurologically a romantic relationship is essentially a form of addiction.
Time Heals All Wounds
The good news is that researchers have found that time heals these types of wounds, and the longer the time since the breakup, the less activity occurs in the brain region related to attachment. However, the healing process will be effective over time.
