Broken heart syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome, occurs when a person experiences sudden acute stress that can rapidly weaken the heart muscle.
People who have or had anxiety or depression may have a higher risk of broken heart syndrome.
When you experience depression, anxiety or stress your heart rate and blood pressure rise, there's reduced blood flow to the heart and your body produces higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Over time, these effects can lead to heart disease.
Broken heart syndrome, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo syndrome, typically occurs after a physically or emotionally traumatic event, such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, car accidents, bad fights or near-drowning experiences.
But heartbreak isn't just melodrama. It's one of the most painful life experiences we have and we need to take it seriously for our mental and physical health.” When Williams's husband left her after 25 years, she felt “imperilled”.
Some people describe it as a dull ache, others as piercing, while still others experience it as a crushing sensation. The pain can last for a few seconds and then subside, or it can be chronic, hanging over your days and depleting you like just like the pain, say, of a back injury or a migraine.
In terms of physical pain, women averaged 4.21 versus men's 3.75. While breakups hit women the hardest emotionally and physically, women tend to recover more fully and come out emotionally stronger. Men, on the other hand, never full recover -- they simply move on.
Broken heart syndrome is a condition with symptoms that may feel like a heart attack, like chest pain, and shortness of breath, but it's caused by going through an emotionally stressful event, not by clogged arteries. It's triggered by very stressful situations, like the death of someone you love.
They cause your heart to beat more rapidly and your blood vessels to narrow to help push blood to the center of the body. The hormones also increase your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
During a particularly stressful experience, the anterior cingulate cortex may respond by increasing the activity of the vagus nerve—the nerve that starts in the brain stem and connects to the neck, chest and abdomen. When the vagus nerve is overstimulated, it can cause pain and nausea.
Many people believe that heartbreak is just a mental affliction, but did you know that it can physically affect heart health? It's no secret that breakups bring along stress and anxiety. According to the CDC, long periods of mental distress can trigger the physical effects of heart disease.
Several studies show that men experience more depression, distress, and anxiety after breakups than women do. Men might like to come across as being tougher than overcooked steak after a breakup, but the truth is that they're actually more the consistency of jelly.
“Women tend to recover faster because they know how attached they are to their partners, so the shock isn't as great,” says Brown. “The pain is still there, to be sure, but it typically doesn't last as long because women intuitively know what the magnitude of the loss will be if things don't work out.”
While women suffer more on an emotional and physical level after a break-up, but they also tend to recover more fully and come out stronger from this experience.
Three-Month Rule: After a Break-Up
Basically, after a break-up, the three-month rule is a rule that says you and your ex are both given 3 months before entering the dating scene again. Just waiting it out, and mourning that your relationship ended. Just go on with your individual separate lives and see what happens.
They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, according to Mental-Health-Matters. These are the natural ways for your heart to heal.
The average age people meet their lifelong partner is 27 years old, according to a new survey from Match.com. The survey, which mostly surveyed British couples, found that most women find The One at age 25, whereas men are slightly older at 28 years old, The Independent reported.
Luckily, heartbreak doesn't last forever. Your heart will eventually mend, and you will find love again. To help you reach the point where you can date and love again after experiencing a broken heart, we spoke to two sex and relationship experts: Todd Baratz, LMHC and Rachel Wright, MA, LMFT.
After a breakup or the death of a loved one, the brain stops producing these chemicals, and the body literally suffers from the withdrawal of these feel-good hormones. Therefore, a broken heart feels so difficult and painful to deal with. The person often withdraws in their shell and is pushed into depression.