Long Term Effects Of Heartbreak On Health 

Depression 

It is normal for people to feel sad or experience unhappiness following an emotionally devastating event. It is not normal however, for those unhappy feelings to become severe and last for a prolonged period of time. Sometimes a very stressful event, such as an intense breakup, can lead to a state of clinical depression.

Depression is a serious medical condition that has a variety of symptoms, including trouble sleeping, weight loss or weight gain, a loss of motivation to perform normal daily activities, the development of suicidal thoughts, extreme fatigue to the point of exhaustion, and feeling a sense of worthlessness.

If you have gone through a recent breakup or have experienced the loss of a loved one and you are now experiencing symptoms of depression for longer than two weeks, it is important that you contact your doctor right away. You may benefit from antidepressants or talk therapy to feel better.

Remaining In A Toxic Situation 

Breaking up with a loved one is hard to do for many people. Even when a relationship takes a turn for the worse, the intense feelings that are involved can make it difficult to end the relationship, even though you know in your heart that it has to be done. In many toxic relationships, individuals cannot imagine themselves going through life without that other person along for the journey. When the relationship is destructive and detrimental to a person’s well-being, the individual needs to realize that it is time to get out, no matter how much he or she thinks it will hurt. 

Maintaining a toxic relationship is just as detrimental to your health as are the effects of heartbreak.  Staying in a negative, stressful relationship can put you in constant emotional stress, causing a weakening of the immune system and making you physically sick, as well as putting you at risk for developing heart disease in the future. 

Dying Of A Broken Heart 

Sudden death following extreme grief has been researched for many years. In 1971, psychiatrist George Engel wrote a research paper detailing the number of people that die soon after the death of a loved one. This may be especially true of long-married elderly couples.  The extreme feelings of sadness and loss experienced following the death of a loved one can cause symptoms of depression and weight loss and, in some cases, death as reported in a 2008 study done by Dr Ivan Mendoza.

Mendoza found that in 102 reported cases of sudden death, 13 of those deaths happened near the anniversary of the death of a loved one. Mendoza also concluded that sudden grief-related death seemed to occur more in men than in women. 

Most people are often overwhelmed with tips on how to remain healthy and eat a healthy diet, as well as how to take care of their bodies. Typically, these tips don’t include advice for dealing with a broken heart. It is just as important to deal with grief in a healthy, positive way and keep yourself safe from toxic relationships, as it is to eat healthy and exercise. We need to take care of our broken hearts because the effects of a broken heart on the body are very real and in some cases, detrimental to our overall health and well-being. If you find yourself having overwhelming feelings of loss that cannot be controlled or that lead to thoughts of suicide, contact emergency personnel immediately.