One thing that should be taken a lot more seriously in society is a breakup and how it can affect people going through it. So many people will write off your feelings when you tell them you just broke up with your partner. “Don’t be sad, there’s a bunch of fish in the sea” or “girl forget them, let’s go get a drink and have a good time”, can often be what you hear when experiencing the ending of a relationship. Though these statements can be true and helpful at some point during your healing journey, a breakup can do more than just make you dislike your old partner. A breakup causes people to change mentally yes, but did you know that it can also change you physically? Yes, a breakup can literally cause a broken heart.
You may know that there is something called heartbreak or even heard of a broken heart, but did you know that it’s an actual thing and not just a saying? Yes you can literally be suffering from a broken heart and it’s called Broken heart syndrome.
Broken heart syndrome (BHS) is when your heart breaks, literally. Also referred to as stress-induced cardiomyopathy. BHS is when you experience sudden and intense chest pains due to an extremely stressful event. It could come from a divorce, the death of a loved one or even breaking up with your partner. Some people may experience it after feeling betrayed, rejected or even extremely excited about a drastic and life changing event.
With broken heart syndrome, your heart enlarges and doesn’t pump the way it should or as well as it should. Though your heart can still work normally, if it doesn’t pump well that means it has to work twice as hard, which causes strain and contractions on the heart.
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Broken heart syndrome is not only unfortunate to have to experience, but it can also cause many health complications, even if you’re a very healthy person.
First, it’s very similar to a heart attack. Usually if you experience chest pain because of broken heart syndrome, it will feel like a heart attack because the symptoms are somewhat the same.
Second, this condition can lead to even more cardiac health issues such as heart disease and failure because your heart is not working the way it should, causing a lot of stress on the heart.
It also can lead to severe and short-term heart muscle failure. Although very rare, extreme broken heart syndrome cases can even be fatal in some instances.
It can also lead to depression and anxiety that can worsen over time if the proper actions to handle it are not executed. Women are also more likely to experience broken heart syndrome than men are.
The good news is that BHS is usually treatable. Though there is no specific type of treatment for broken heart syndrome, people can fully recover from it within a month.
The treatment given for those suffering from BHS is what they would give those who suffered a heart attack, until the test comes back and a diagnosis is determined.
Your doctor will perform an electrocardiogram on you when you first feel symptoms and an echocardiogram about 4-6 weeks after you’ve got it checked out and diagnosed to make sure your heart has fully recovered.
Unfortunately there is no way to prevent a broken heart that leads to broken heart syndrome. Though, learning how to manage stress and minimize it while learning distress tolerance skils and problem solving techniques can be a big help in management or the prevention of BHS worsening.
Mediation, yoga, breathing techniques, a warm and relaxing bath or shower, and journaling are ways to help lower stress levels. Switching over to a healthy and balanced diet if you don’t already have one, exercise and finding a support group or supportive people to help you through a stressful event are also ways that can be beneficial.
Sometimes love hurts even when it shouldn’t, so give yourself grace and care, always.
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