How Heartbreak Impacts Our Health
January 10, 2024
Writer: Reilly French
Editor: Jessica Isser
Shoving your face with ice cream, crying till your eyes are swollen, listening to sad music, and screaming at the rom-com on your TV are common ways the media loves to portray women struggling with a breakup. This can be true, but it's usually more complex than just one scene in a movie. Going through a breakup can be one of the most emotionally and mentally draining experiences you can have during your lifetime, but how might it impact your physical health?
A broad scope of researchers have studied the strain of heartbreak on physical health and have seen a connection between the two. Overall, as with breakups, “researchers concluded that rejection, and emotional and physical pain, are all processed in the same regions of the brain”(Schaefer, 2016). In fact, experiencing rejection by a partner or someone you love triggers the same area of the brain that is used when experiencing physical pain (McConnochie, 2020). On top of that, our body creates multiple other physical reactions. Researchers have seen changes in heart rate, higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline released, higher blood pressure, sleep inconsistency, and the immune system is found to be more vulnerable when experiencing heartbreak (McConnochie, 2020).
Going through a breakup is not a linear healing journey as much as we wish it to be. There are good days and bad days, where symptoms feel like they're gone forever or will stay forever. But, it is temporary. Sometimes we cannot help but feel this way because neurons signal our brain to tell us that we are in physical pain. With this, the only true way for our mind to calm itself and allow the pain to run its course is with time and patience. Yes, this suggestion is overdone, but it is true. As of now, there is no medicine to subdue this emotional and physical pain. However, there are steps you can take to help yourself heal.
What to do for a broken heart depends on the individual, but research has found general suggestions to keep in mind.
Be sure to maintain being active even when it is the last thing you want to do (try taking a walk, stretching, or even taking up boxing to help regulate your emotions!)
Do your best to maintain your regular eating habits; eating healthy, balanced meals at least three times a day will help your mental and physical health as you go through this process.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for support; surround yourself with people you love and who love you, and do the things you love with them!
Going through a breakup is a complicated process and can be very painful, but, just as you heal from physical pain, you will heal from heartbreak. Both these injuries take time and care to heal. While your heart may not have literally broken, with a positive outlook, your heart can heal just like a physical wound.
Work Cited
McConnochie, T. (2020, July). The science of a break up: What happens to our bodies?. HCF. https://www.hcf.com.au/health-agenda/women/strong/how-to-deal-breakup#:~:text=%22We%20see%20changes%20in%20our,our%20sleep%20can%20be%20disturbed.%22
Schaefer, A. (2016, March 16). How does heartbreak affect your overall health?. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/what-does-heartbreak-do-to-your-health#treating-heartbreak
