We’ve all felt it, the crushing weight of heartbreak as if your entire being is shattering along with your emotions. We’ve come to understand that heartbreak isn’t just a metaphorical wound, it leaves real, tangible imprints on your brain and body.
Even science reveals that a broken heart is a mind-body affair. Let’s unravel how love lost rewires your brain, taxes your health, and why healing requires more than just time, as it is a journey of both mind and matter.
Humans are wired to form emotional bonds for survival, and heartbreak can be difficult to understand. According to the Healthline publication, recent research suggests that people experiencing heartbreak, experience similar brain activity when in physical pain. It is explained that this could be due to the simultaneous activation of both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, which slow down relaxation and increase heart rate and muscle activity.
The above source further mentions that heartbreak can have severe physical effects, including weight loss, overeating, headaches, stomach pain, and a general sense of unwellness. It can lead to appetite changes, lack of motivation, weight gain, overeating, and withdrawal from friends, family, and activities, the health hub continues.
According to the Oprah website, after a breakup, the heart rate may drop, leading to emotional stress and increased cortisol and inflammation levels and this affects sleep, digestion, and immunity. It is claimed that in rare cases, emotional distress can cause serious heart damage.
The above publication explains that brain regions that process the pain of social rejection or loss also process physical pain, therefore critical thinking skills and self-control decline after a rejection.
“Major stress, including the emotional kind, can switch your hair follicles from growth to resting mode, a state called telogen effluvium. (The thinning doesn’t start until about three months after the stress began because of your hair’s growth cycle).”
Also see: Exploring the theories of love
