You’ve probably heard about the term – broken heart. And while many always think about grief as of an emotional experience only, as a bereaved parent you have found out that it manifests in a physical form as well.
On our website, we’ve already talked about how grief can cause stomach problems, as well as many other physical symptoms. Today, we will look deeper at the aspects of grief and its correlation to heart health and heart symptoms.
As someone who is in the grieving journey, you’ve probably had at least one panic attack, which left you wondering if there was something truly and physical wrong with your heart health.
Among many symptoms, those that almost always appear include chest pain, heart palpitations, and the feeling of having a big burden on your heart – truly in a physical form.
Experienced therapists and doctors can tell you that what you are experiencing is known under the term “broken heart syndrome.” Is that real and what symptoms it causes? Let’s find out…
Broken heart syndrome is called stress-induced cardiomyopathy and represents a temporary heart condition triggered by sudden emotional stress.
People who have undergo various traumatic experiences report having these issues. It is not something that is happening in your head, but can actually be explained in the medical fields.
When you are experiencing a broken heart syndrome, what actually happens is that the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) weakens and temporarily changes shape. Many are scared to experience the symptoms of a broken heart syndrome because it can look like a real heart attack.
Let’s take a look at the most common symptoms of the broken heart syndrome:
- Chest pain. The most common one is definitely chest pain. A lot of people claim that they also felt like something very heavy lays on their heart area.
2. Shortness of breath. Not being able to breathe properly is a lot of times linked to stress and anxiety. It is also a common symptom of a broken heart syndrome.
3. Irregular heartbeat. As said already, heart palpitations and arrhythmia are common with this syndrome, and those are definitely the ones that make people believe something is seriously wrong with their health.
+Dizziness. Besides the mentioned issues, people with a broken heart syndrome also experience dizziness.
Can a broken heart syndrome give you a heart attack? The good news is that it cannot because it isn’t caused by a blocked artery. What causes the symptoms we mentioned above is a huge amount of stress hormones. They can become too much for the heart.
Another condition that is linked to the broken heart syndrome is also a fight-or-flight response, flooding the body with stress hormones. We already wrote about it which you can read more about here:
What doctors want to drag attention is that people who have lost a loved one, in the weeks following the loss, are actually at a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and arrhythmias. It’s important to monitor and take care of one another in this stage of shock.
Medical experts also claim that inflammation in the body, triggered by emotional stress, may damage blood vessels. Disrupted sleep and poor appetite (which are common in the grieving process), weaken overall heart health. What I would suggest here is that you get a regular doctor checkup, just to be sure that your heart and blood vessels are okay, despite the grief and broken heart syndrome.
Women over the age of 50 are at the higher risk, as well as anyone with the history of anxiety and depression.
Don’t forget to take care of your heart while grieving and be extra gentle with it.
