Grief can trigger broken heart syndrome, a painful condition that is often mistaken for a heart attack.

Yes, you can die from a broken heart

Researchers reviewed the health records of about 200,000 people diagnosed with broken heart syndrome from 2016 to 2020 and the death rate was 6.5%—with men's deaths roughly doubling that of women.

Heart attack risk jumps to 21 times its norm on the day of a loved one's death

Research published in 2012 suggests that the intense emotional burden of suffering a loved one's death can escalate heart rate, blood pressure, and clot risks—culminating in elevated heart attack risk. The increased heart attack risk remains after that first day, remaining eight times above normal during the first week, and then dropping down over the course of a month. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Extreme grief elevates cardiovascular risk and lowers immune system function

A 2014 analysis of cardiovascular risk and bereavement after a lost partner found that grief elevates the risk of stroke and heart attack for the 30 days following death of a partner and the risk then attenuates after that.

Love and heartbreak trigger powerful, neurochemical-driven changes in the body

The feeling of falling in love floods the brain with dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin, which collectively dull pain and boost immunity. However, the loss of these chemicals during a break-up produces withdrawal-like symptoms and heart issues, such as high blood pressure.

The body's response to cardiac arrest has been linked to near-death experiences

Most people who report near‑death experiences experience events like out‑of‑body sensations, altered cognition, emotional and spiritual shifts, or even supernatural phenomena, particularly during cardiac arrest. Research suggests many such experiences may be linked to brain-generated sensory distortions that can be experimentally replicated, suggesting a physiological rather than mystical cause.

Panic attacks are intense fear episodes that often occur without a clear trigger

Unlike typical fear responses to real danger, panic attacks can mimic serious health problems, such as heart attacks. Sweating during a panic attack may seem random, but it's a leftover survival mechanism that made it easier for our ancestors to escape by slipping out of an attacker’s grasp.

Chronic stress affects nearly all parts of the body

Stress is our body’s internal mechanism to deal with changes in our internal balance. As such, the stress response affects nearly every organ system through a cascade of both fast and slow hormonal changes. While short-term stress can be adaptive, long-term stress may cause serious health issues.

Stress can be contagious—and scientists want to learn more about it

Researchers have shown that being around someone who is stressed can trigger a stress response in your body, such as elevated cortisol levels and elevated heart rate. One way this was recently studied was by having people watch stressful activities, like a recorded job interview or solving challenging math problems, and then sampling hormones in observers' spit.

The neuroscience of heartbreak

An analysis of functional MRIs revealed a difficult fact: the active brain areas of people experiencing heartbreak were very similar to those actively in love. This is a major reason why people in the middle of rejection can't accept the reality of their loss. This article breaks down the various changes in neurotransmitters and neural pathways for those enduring that universal experience, heartbreak.

Prolonged Grief Disorder has certain recognizable risk factors

This official diagnosis is characterized by intense, daily symptoms of grief a year after the loss of a loved one among adults and faster—around at least six months—for kids and teens. Factors that put people at increased risk of this disorder include being single, attachment anxiety, violent or unnatural death, low education, low income, and multiple losses, among others.

Grief rewires the human brain

The human brain handles stress and emotional traumas similarly. In response to the emotional stress of a situation like the death of a loved one, divorce, or abuse, the brain may strengthen or weaken connections between nerves to form new neural connections. Over time, chronic stress can diminish brainpower, reducing overall nerve growth and memory to shift resources to enable elevated fear responses and enable humans to survive.

Fear (and stress) can be contagious via pheromones secreted by the body

While seeing someone else in a panicked state may induce a stress response, researchers have found stress can be literally contagious—chemicals contained in sweat and other secretions can trigger stress hormone release in others. Theories suggest this feature is an evolutionary adaptation to protect groups from danger.

How to repair a baby’s broken heart

A rare disorder that prevents some babies from getting enough oxygen to their organs can be repaired through a series of three intricate surgeries. This article and graphic explain the process behind correcting single-ventricle defects, also known as SVDs.This disorder happens when one of the heart's lower chambers doesn't work correctly, resulting in deoxygenated and oxygenated blood circulating the body rather than just the latter.

Too little stress can be as problematic for our health as too much stress, because mild or moderate stress—followed by recovery—helps make us resilient.

Stress-induced adrenaline can trigger a 'hysterical strength' response

The stress response is a powerful ancient mechanism designed to maximize human survival—it can even result in superhuman strength. The adrenal glands are located just above the kidneys, and stress-induced adrenaline release causes more blood (and therefore more oxygen) to flow to your muscles, increasing performance.

Grief is defined as the anguish and physiological distress experienced after significant loss

It usually occurs following the death of a loved one, and symptoms may include confusion, apprehension about the future, separation anxiety, and ruminating on the past.

Stress and the brain

While an acute stress response is a normal bodily function, the effects of chronic stress can be extremely damaging to the human body. This is particularly true with regard to the brain. This article explores the effects of stress on the human brain, including how chronic stress may lead to psychological conditions such as depression and memory loss.

Consuming true crime media can increase stress and anxiety

Consuming true crime media can activate one's sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight response. Staying in this heightened state of vigilance can lead to stress-related illnesses, including hypertension, and mental conditions, including depression and anxiety. Additionally, people who actively consume crime news, whether they consider it to be entertainment or educational in nature, report being more fearful of crime, regardless of actual crime rates.

Stress evolved as a survival mechanism to keep humans alive

Stress activates the “fight-or-flight” response when we face threats. It’s triggered by the hypothalamus, which signals the release of adrenaline and cortisol, heightening awareness and energy. While acute stress helps in short bursts, chronic stress—persistent over time—can harm both physical and mental health, leading to conditions like hypertension, anxiety, or depression.

Heart attacks are less harmful at night

When heart attacks occur during the day they typically do more harm to the heart tissue than if they occur at night. A 2025 study suggests that daytime heart attacks have higher levels of immune cells called neutrophils to contend with and they appear to worsen the injury. Scientists confirmed this same pattern in experiments with mice. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

The biology of stress in your body

Stress is a normal human response that has evolved over millions of years to handle changes or threats in our environment. This article is a helpful overview of the biological basics of this response. While it is not harmful to our physiology in the acute setting, chronic stress can lead to damaging changes in the human body over many years.

Heatstroke is sometimes missed because the patient is really sweaty

Since the condition involves losing the ability to cool oneself, clinicians sometimes see someone who has exertional heatstroke—like a high school athlete who is really sweaty—and don't realize the heat-related illness has already progressed to heatstroke. Classic heatstroke typically occurs among the very young or the elderly. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

How do anxiety and stress differ?

This article explains that though “stress” and “anxiety” are often used interchangeably, there are distinct differences between the two. Stress is defined as the body's response to an external trigger and can be classified as acute or chronic. Anxiety, however, tends to be triggered internally by excessive thoughts and judgement. Whereas stress disappears when the trigger is gone, anxiety tends to stick around. If left unchecked, both can escalate into more severe mental health conditions.

Key symptoms of burnout can be both mental and physical

Burnout can be accompanied by several symptoms, including low energy and chronic fatigue, trouble concentrating, difficulty sleeping, and depression. It may even manifest physically as musculoskeletal pain, headaches, stomach and intestinal pain, and more. More intense cases have been linked to cardiovascular and mental health disorders.

Mental health symptoms may manifest differently across cultures

Mental health, like physical health, is imbued with values, beliefs, and traditions. Symptoms of distress are not universal and may differ based on racial, ethnic, and cultural contexts. Because mental health may be stigmatized or communities may have varying belief systems about causes of mental health challenges and how to fix them, it may affect how symptoms manifest. Chest pain, for example, may be a sign of mental distress—not the need for a doctor.

What does a beating human heart look like?

Tucked behind your rib cage and between your lungs sits your heart. This knot of cardiac muscle will (typically) beat billions of times throughout your lifetime, sending oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body, powering countless biological processes that have enabled you to read this very paragraph. This two-minute video provides a glimpse of the mechanics happening inside your chest via an animated anatomical model.

Stress affects different animals in different, but useful, ways

Animals feel stress when they experience actual dangers—such as a zebra chased by a lion. Humans often feel stress from worries, memories, or even thoughts about problems that may occur in the future. For this reason, animals tend to experience stress in short, intense bursts. Conversely, people can feel stressed for long periods, which can eventually be harmful to their health.

Prolonged stress impairs the prefrontal cortex

Burnout isn't just a feeling—it physically affects the brain. Prolonged stress impairs regions of the brain responsible for decision-making, emotional control, memory, and more. It can also lead to chemical imbalances, like reduced dopamine and norepinephrine levels, that worsen these effects.

Pulsatile tinnitus is when you hear thumping synchronized with your heartbeat

This rare type of tinnitus, which sounds like rhythmic thumping or whooshing, is often linked to blood vessel conditions or high blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure through exercise and food choices can help reduce the severity of this condition.

The Lazarus Effect is when a heart begins beating on its own after declared death

Formally called autoresuscitation, this rare phenomenon occurs when someone is declared dead following a cardiac arrest but their heart beats again without help—making it seem like the person came back to life. Doctors don't know the exact cause.

Exertional heatstroke is a top killer of athletes and soldiers-in-training

Often characterized by collapsing while exercising in the heat with intense sweating, this type of heatstroke among otherwise healthy people occurs when the body loses the ability to cool itself during intense exercise and the body's core temperature has risen to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and cannot cool itself. If treated quickly, it's often survivable, though it can cause lasting damage.

Low cell division rates in heart cells make heart cancer particularly rare

The heart's location in the chest also offers protection from external cancer-causing factors. The disease affects about 3 in every 10,000 people, though most cases arise from metastasis from other body parts.

The two phases of stress: fast and slow

The physiological response to acute stress generally involves two phases—the "fast" response in which adrenaline is released, and a second "slow" response in which cortisol is released. This technical resource reviews what happens in the body during each phase.

Some research suggests that the gut microbiome influences our risk of heatstroke, with elevated exercise levels raising body temperature to unsafe levels and increasing gut permeability—causing a "leaky" gut.

Strokes are caused by abrupt stoppage of blood flow to the brain

A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted, either by a blockage (ischemic stroke) or bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke). Each year, nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke, with around 85% of them being ischemic.

Anticipatory grief describes experiencing sorrow ahead of a loss

All-consuming anticipatory grief—like if you know a loved one will soon die from a chronic illness—can be disabling. Seeking exercise, healthy food, hobbies, and trying to toggle between thinking about an upcoming loss and focusing on other matters is important for promoting health.

Our ancient fight-or-flight response may contribute to modern ailments

Many common modern diseases humans struggle with may in fact have their origins in our ancient fight-or-flight stress response. Long-term effects of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline—in this case, triggered by things like workplace stressors—can wreak havoc on the delicate internal balance of our organ systems.

Touch deprivation can heighten anxiety and depression

Pacinian Corpuscles are pressure receptors just under the skin that send signals to the vagus nerve in the brain—that's the cranial nerve which regulates involuntary actions like breathing, heart rate, and the general "fight or flight" response. Activating those receptors can slow the heart, decrease blood pressure, and lead to the release of oxytocin and cortisol. The absence of touch, conversely, can promote negative feelings.

Grieving is a process—no need to rush social activities or major life decisions, if possible

Individuals experiencing grief may find comfort through counseling, online support groups, support books, and activities like volunteering. Each of these resources can help individuals build a community or new daily patterns when navigating intense anguish.