Intense feelings of sadness are normal when we’re grieving. The symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack: chest pain and shortness of breath. It’s a condition called stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or broken-heart syndrome. Stress can also cause insomnia and changes in appetite.Įxtreme stress, the kind experienced after the loss of a loved one, is associated with changes in heart muscle cells or coronary blood vessels (or both) that prevent the left ventricle from contracting effectively. That may be why people often get sick more often and use more health care resources during this period.īut why is stress so hard on us? It’s because the body unleashes a flood of stress hormones that can make many existing conditions worse, such as heart failure or diabetes, or lead to new conditions, such as high blood pressure or heartburn. Evidence suggests that immune cell function falls and inflammatory responses rise in people who are grieving. “That affects the whole body and all organ systems, and especially the immune system,” Dr. Grieving takes a toll on the body in the form of stress. Whether you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, like I am, or the loss of a job, a home, or a beloved pet, it’s important to understand how the process puts your health in jeopardy. Maureen Malin, a geriatric psychiatrist with Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. “Most of these side effects are the result of emotional distress responses,” explains Dr. As a health reporter, I know this emotional experience comes with the risk for physical side effects. Now, for the first time in my life, I’m experiencing real grief. It settles in like a gloomy thrum - sometimes louder, sometimes softer - with a volume switch you can’t entirely shut off.įor me, that heartbreak arrived this past October, when my mother died after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and disability. Nothing quite prepares you for the heartache of profound loss.
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