Heartbreak is one of those experiences that almost everyone can relate to. But having your heart broken causes more than just an emotional reaction - it puts your body through a lot:
1. Physical pain
Numerous studies have found that emotional pain activates the same areas of the brain as physical pain, hence why heartbreak can be so agonising. According to Geoff MacDonald at the University of Toronto, the brain pain centres cannot tell the difference between two and stimulate a similar response. He says:
"It is easy to put aside touchy-feely stuff as less important, but it can literally kill people because human beings depend on social connection for survival".
Case in point: Broken Heart Syndrome or Takotsubo syndrome. This can occur when intense emotional distress actually causes the heart muscles to fail. The condition was first recognised roughly 20 years ago by Japanese scientists and is often misdiagnosed as a heart attack due to the similar symptoms like chest pains and shortness of breath. Dr Nicholas Robinson, Interventional Cardiology Consultant at Ramsay Health Care describes it as the following:
"This syndrome, seen more commonly in women than men, can occur as a consequence of an intensely emotionally stressful event such as divorce, breakup or emotional rejection"
We all know someone who's acted a bit bonkers after a breakup; reacting irrationally, obsessively and unable to accept the situation. This is because you actually experience similar symptoms to drug withdrawal. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who's done extensive research into the subject of love and heartbreak, found that when people are shown images of their ex-lovers, it activates the reward systems of the brain involved in cocaine addiction. Dr Fisher has been quoted saying:
"Romantic love is an addiction. It's a very powerfully wonderful addiction when things are going well and a perfectly horrible addiction when things are going poorly"
3. Disrupt your biological rhythms
Couples who live together can regulate each other's biological rhythms. Both sleep and appetite can be massively thrown out of whack after a break up, which in turn can lead to further physical problems. Sleep is a vital component in both your physical and mental wellbeing and disrupting this pattern can lead to weight gain, slower reactions and even make you more prone to getting infections.
Although the irregular sleep and eating habits can of course affect how well your body fights off infection, the main culprit from heartbreak is the increased level of cortisol. Our neurological response to stress is the release of cortisol and adrenaline: hormones that help our bodies deal with perceived danger. When exposed to stress over a prolonged time, these hormone levels can have severe and sometimes long-lasting effects on the body.
It's thought that elevated levels of cortisol can lead to a weakened immune system, increased weight gain, memory problems and even heart disease. A study carried out at the VU University Medical Centre in The Netherlands found evidence that high levels of cortisol may make you more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. The good news is that stress from a break-up won't last forever. You will eventually get over it. Promise.