9 Scary Ways A Broken Heart Physically Destroys You
There's a reason it hurts so damn bad.
Ahhh, love. It's either crazy, wonderful and euphoric, or stabbing, gut-wrenching, and heartbreaking.
We've all heard people dramatically toss around lines about being addicted to love. Even if it hurts and gives them that awful pain in the gut, they can't help but be drawn to the euphoric feelings... like ecstasy.
So, they fall in love, end up with a broken heart, and then swear off love forever. That is... until the next person shows up and the cycle repeats over and over and over again.
They even read some quotes that make the correlation between love and drugs that some heartbroken fool made up. Usually, we brush it off and write these people off as drama queens.
Here's the thing, though: these lovesick "fools" may actually be on to something. And it's called broken heart syndrome.
Can a broken heart kill you? Well, one major thing we've learned about heartache is that it doesn't discriminate. It doesn't matter who you are or how tough of a cookie you've always been, it just takes one person to worm their way into your heart and — boom — you, too, might find yourself suffering from a broken heart.
And if you're someone who has been through many, many, many heartbreaks (from failed high school crushes to your first divorce as a middle-aged adult), you know how the process of coping and moving on is so darn difficult and takes way too long.
Why isn't there an easier way to get over broken heart syndrome?
In the spirit of finding out why getting over that dreamboat (or douchebag) is just so damn hard, we did a little digging.
It turns out the answer to the question "can a broken heart kill you?" is right in front of our faces. Because broken heart syndrome does more than just make you sit in front of Netflix, watching Love Actually, and devouring a tub of ice cream.
Here are 9 scary things heartbreak does to your body, from withdrawal-like symptoms to hair loss and high blood pressure. Yikes.
1. You suffer from withdrawals.
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Love is a drug in a way. Many studies have found that a bad breakup can have similar effects that withdrawing from cocaine has.
All I know is this: I sure wouldn't want to feel the pain of an actual drug addict overcoming their addiction. It sounds excruciatingly painful, in the worst way.
2. You become obsessed.
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Sometimes your heartache may lead to some obsessive behavior, almost as if you're craving a fix, so you get it with a little social media stalk sesh. Which doesn't normally help the healing process in the long-run (no, not even if you see they're miserable without you).
3. Your chances of depression increase.
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It has been proven that stressful events that cause humiliation (i.e. horrible breakups) increase the chances of depression — even more so than an event like death.
4. Your heart literally breaks.
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No, really! We're not being dramatic — doctors have found that "Broken Heart Syndrome" is very real. This is when the loss of a loved one results in what closely resembles a heart attack (and could even be misdiagnosed as so). However, it usually only occurs under more extreme circumstances, such as the death of your love.
5. You lose your appetite.
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This often occurs because your body's cortisol levels rise, causing you to lose your appetite — a reaction to the level of stress the breakup may have caused you. I must say, you really had my heart if you can get me to go cold turkey on the food.
6. You feel physical pain.
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For years I'd listen to love songs and wonder how people could be so dramatic; then I experienced it for the first time myself. I felt like I swallowed needles after I figured out my boyfriend and I were over.
But then I thought I might be a little delusional until new research found that during a breakup, the brain essentially triggers sensations that you usually feel in moments of actual physical pain.
It may prompt a number of physical effects, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, stomach pain, loss of sleep, and depression. See, heartache is more literal than you ever imagined.
7. Your blood pressure rises.
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A study found that being around people you have mixed feelings towards can cause a certain level of stress and, in response, your blood pressure can increase.
You know the motto “too blessed, to be stressed”? If not, it's time to adopt it. No amount of worry will bring him back — the only thing that tends to do that is you moving on. So, do your thing and don't let the stress get to you, girlfriend.
8. You lose your hair.
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According to Dr. Bessam Farjo, medical director of the Institute of Trichologists, “It's not uncommon for women to suffer hair loss after the stress of a relationship breakdown.” I don't know about you ladies, but I'm not trying to go bald for balls (it's just not an exchange I'm willing to make).
9. You're motivated to become a better person.
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There's good news finally. We found that 35 percent of women say they feel motivated to exercise or diet, after a breakup; overall, 84 percent have found that this is a good opportunity to change something about themselves.
I will admit that my intentions don't begin completely focused on self-improvement — it's more like an evil plot to make him regret dumping me on my ass. I will say that it makes me feel happier when I hit the gym after a bad breakup. You know, after I pick myself up out of the bed from days of sobbing.