Can you die of love? Or, rather, heartbreak? Can you get to die of grief? If we look at the universal literature of all time, or listen to a song on any theme, dying with a “broken heart” is often worrying.
We may even know first-hand the story of someone who has died shortly after losing their loved one because they could not overcome loneliness.
Can you “break” a heart?
But does medical research support these widespread and ancient beliefs? The answer could be affirmative, since more and more scientific evidence is being found.
Since the 1990s in Japan, and more recently in the United States and Europe, medical researchers have paid attention to transient apical dysfunction syndrome, or stress-induced cardiomyopathy.
In Japan, this alteration is known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, because the heart takes the shape of a vessel that has that name and is used to catch octopuses.
Researchers already distinguish broken heart syndrome from the classic myocardial infarction, with which it used to be confused
For centuries and centuries, the heart has been identified as the seat of feelings. We currently know that the trigger for emotions is the limbic system, located in the central middle area of our brain. Who, then, is the real culprit behind death from a broken heart? The heart or the mind?
It has been shown that there is a two-way highway that connects both organs, the brain and the heart. In fact, all emotions entail a more or less intense change in blood pressure and cardiovascular function, which more than justifies why the heart continues to be, popularly, the seat of emotions.
But let’s not get confused: what can lead to death from a broken heart is basically the brain, the mind.
brain and emotions
Emotions, according to the most recent discoveries in neuroscience, originate from the stimuli that the instinctive brain provokes in the emotional brain or limbic system.
This means that emotions are actually physiological responses to the onslaught of a basic instinctual impulse.
In the case of negative emotionsthese are always accompanied by a significant increase in the levels of adrenaline, and the other stress hormones, in the bloodstream.
As a consequence, an inflammatory process of the heart takes place. that, when the amounts of hormones are excessive or the heart has previous physical deficiencies, it can lead to death.
broken heart syndrome
Dr. Ilan Wittstein, from the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, in the United States, has pointed out the main differences between a classic heart attack and broken heart syndrome.
In fact, according to the data collected by Dr. Wittstein, it is very likely that between 1% and 2% of people who were diagnosed with a heart attack actually suffered an episode of broken heart syndrome.
- This condition has been reported in patients without any cardiac risk factors and that they were in good health.
- The concentration of stress hormones present in the blood is double or triple that in cases of heart attack.
- Also, the patterns of electrical impulses and the contractions of the heart are very different.
- In broken heart syndrome, if the patient does not die in the attackthe normal functioning of the heart recovers in a matter of days – or, at most, within a few weeks – while recovery after suffering a classic heart attack can last for a few months.
The triggers
And… what breaks our hearts? Among the patients affected by broken heart, The most varied situations with a strong emotional charge have been evidenced as possible causes:
Going through experiences such as the recent loss of a loved one, having been involved in a fatal accident, having been the victim of an armed robbery…;
But also apparently so harmless causes such as fear of speaking in public, being summoned to appear in court, or simply having the emotional shock of a surprise party.
In short, broken heart syndrome may be caused by any experience that may cause a sudden and excessive surge of adrenaline and stress hormones that damage the capillaries and stun the muscles of the heart.
The influence of personality
The influence of personality on the risk of coronary heart disease also seems quite clear. An optimistic personality is good coronary protection; on the contrary, a melancholic, choleric or irascible personality has twice the risk of suffering a coronary accident.
Being continuously subjected to a stressful situation It can also break our hearts. Prolonged fear or strong and persistent depression, or relentless exhaustion due to excessive physical or mental effort…
It is increasingly evident that it is necessary to introduce in this list the so-called “burnout” syndrome for work or for any situation of exaggerated demand –in English, burn out–, so frequent among workaholic executives who do not rest for a minute of their lives or in employees subjected to intense harassment and job demolition –mobbing– .
Especially tragic is the case of the firefighters who survive the flames and who, later, stress takes its toll.
prevention guidelines
Taking care of our emotions means moderating the stress caused by exhaustion, fear, anger and even grief. Losing a loved one inevitably implies suffering the consequent stress of grief. You can’t assume this loss in a few hours, but you shouldn’t succumb to misfortune forever either. Not to the point of risking one’s life.
The best protection against death by “broken heart” is, therefore, the care of emotions
It is essential not to get carried away by strong negative emotions. To do this, we can resort to mental control and thus prevent stress hormones from overflowing. Whatever the cause of this extreme nervousness, we must resort to anti-stress strategies to reduce it.
Know how to distract ourselves with daily activities, evoke positive thoughts, practicing yoga or relaxation techniques… In other words, it is about avoiding emotional hijacking at all costs, that harmful loop in which an emotion settles obsessively and permanently, causing stress hormones to accumulate and affect the health of our cardiovascular system.
We know that there are only two points that lead out of an emotional rut: eliminating the external cause that originated it -something that can be very complicated in certain cases- or superimposing the control of the rational brain to the emotional brain.
In any case, it is always advisable to resort to preventive measures:
- Blood pressure should be monitored regularly and if any anomaly is observed, consult a doctor without delay.
- We have to react quickly and effectively to any depressive episode, however small and harmless it may seem.
- Go to a psychologist or therapist before the level of stress harm our cardiovascular system.
- C.It is convenient that we rethink our lifestyle if stress starts to creep in.
Fathers, mothers and their inclination to stress
It has been shown that a positive attitude towards stress is transmitted by empathy from parents to children. The mother, in particular, transmits calm or nervousness to her baby from the intrauterine phase and eventual postpartum depression greatly affects the future mental baggage of the baby.
Prevention to enjoy a heart without fissures begins then in the family environment and from the earliest childhood.
It is important to keep in mind that moods, both positive and negative, are contagious.
Nevertheless, preventing does not imply running away from all emotional commitment in order to avoid the pain of not being reciprocated or to be abandoned in the future. There are many people who, probably unconsciously, flee from present pleasure to avoid possible future pain. This option represents living at half gas, and is not a guarantee of good health.
Rebuilding a broken heart
But living fully and joyfully, and developing an optimistic attitude, involves taking risks. And it will be easier to do so if we think that, no matter how solid the protective shells seem, fate can surprise us with unexpected pain.
If something or someone breaks our hearts at a certain moment, it is about knowing how we can put it back together as soon as possible, counteracting negative emotions with doses of positive emotions.
As popular wisdom says, decanted by centuries of praxis, the best way to cover the hole left by a nail is with another nail. Who can reproach an abandoned lover for quickly looking for a new love? Who can oppose parents who have lost a child from wanting to engender another child in whom to deposit their love?
It is possible to survive a broken heart, both physically and emotionally.. It is about closing that painful chapter of our life to open a new one full of hope. With growing enthusiasm, with the optimism that many good things are waiting for us just around the corner.