What are the symptoms of excessive sadness?

Excessive sadness is prone to "broken heart syndrome" symptoms similar to heart disease.

Broken heart syndrome (heartbroken

Syndrome) refers to extreme sadness or anger caused by major external events such as lovelorn and bereavement. At this time, the left ventricle contracts rapidly, leading to dyspnea and chest pain, similar to the symptoms of a heart attack. After broken heart syndrome was first discovered in Japan, the medical community began to study it, proving that any race has the opportunity to suffer from it, accounting for 1% of patients with acute heart disease.

The harm of broken heart syndrome takes many forms:

1 heart disease

According to a study conducted by Harvard University in 20 12 years, the probability of a person who has been widowed for 24 hours is 2 1 times.

In the first week of bereavement, widows are six times more likely to suffer from heart disease than women who have not lost their loved ones. The stress of widowhood may increase heart rate, raise blood pressure and make blood more viscous. At the same time, sleep and appetite disorders, forgetting to take medicine regularly, these factors have increased the risk.

2 diabetes

Losing a loved one may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This disease usually occurs in middle age.

According to a study by Danish scientists, the probability of mothers who lost their children in the first 18 years going to hospital for treatment due to diabetes is 4 1% higher than that of mothers who did not lose their children. Scientists believe that high cortisol levels will damage cells in the pancreas for a long time, thus affecting blood sugar. Complications of type 2 diabetes may be serious, including poor blood circulation, poor vision, heart disease, kidney disease and abortion.

3 headache

Losing a loved one may lead to tension headaches. One third of adults often experience this so-called "stress headache".

So far, scientists have not accurately understood the reason for this result. Headaches are usually related to muscle tension in the shoulders and neck. At the same time, dizziness, nausea, palpitation, stomach cramps and muscle pain are common side effects of people who experience strong emotional stress. Experts believe that these symptoms are caused by the release of cortisol and adrenaline into the blood. Even if the headache is not caused by sadness at first, psychological stress will aggravate the headache.

4 asthma

Any major stress event, such as bereavement, may cause asthma attacks. In the early stage, the risk of asthma is greater.

In 20 13, a study of more than 5 million Swedes and Danes found that children who lost their parents or siblings before the age of 18 were more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than those who did not lose their relatives 10%. Danish scientists in charge of this study believe that the stress caused by bereavement may change the immune system and increase the risk of asthma attacks.

5 hypertension

It is not surprising that blood pressure usually soars in the first few weeks of losing a loved one. This is because the stress hormones released into the blood make the heart beat faster and the blood vessels narrow.

At present, the evidence of the long-term effect of bereavement on blood pressure is not completely clear. However, a study of 150 widowers showed that their blood pressure was still high after 25 months of widowhood. Research on the families of soldiers killed in battle shows that their blood pressure is higher four years after losing their loved ones. This may be related to abnormal stress hormone levels, or it may be caused by destructive changes in lifestyle such as smoking or drinking. Hypertension may not be a serious problem for healthy young people, but it may lead to heart disease or stroke for middle-aged and elderly people who already have health risks.

6 alopecia

It usually takes three years for a hair to grow from the scalp, then it goes into a "dormant" state for three months, and then falls off to make way for new hair. At any time, 10% of the hair is dormant. Under natural circumstances, hair generally falls off within 30 days to 150 days.

A few weeks after losing a loved one, some people lose their hair at an alarming rate. Too high cortisol level may make 30% or even more hair sleep and fall off after 3 months, resulting in bald hairs on the head and thinning hair. Fortunately, hair loss in this resting period usually heals itself, and most of the hair will return to normal within 6 months.

7 cold

Sorrow weakens the immune system, making people prone to colds, sore throats and abdominal discomfort, and cortisol is the culprit.

When people are under pressure to get out of danger quickly, the chemical cortisol in the body will surge. In order to provide more energy for muscles and brain, it diverts body resources from the immune system. If this situation lasts for weeks or even months, it will make people more likely to get sick. Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom said that chronic severe stress will increase the risk of viral infection by 20%, and because cortisol inhibits the immune system, the human body will not respond correctly to vaccination. This means that if you have recently lost a relative, the flu vaccine injected once a year is unlikely to work, thus increasing the risk of infection.

Inflammatory bowel disease

About 654.38 million British people suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease-ulcerative colitis. Symptoms such as diarrhea, bloody stool and stomach cramps are all caused by inflammation of the large intestine. As for the cause, it is still unknown in medicine and there is no way to treat it. However, the stress of losing a loved one may lead to the recurrence of the disease or aggravate the symptoms.

9 cancer

The immune system plays a vital role in the anti-cancer process. Losing a loved one will increase cortisol levels, which may weaken the immune system.

A study conducted by Swedish scientists shows that women who have lost their husbands are twice as likely to develop breast cancer as women who have not lost their husbands. A study of more than 6,000 Israeli families shows that the incidence of cancer is higher among parents who lost their sons in the war. However, the British Cancer Research Center said that it is difficult to clarify the specific causal relationship between bereavement and cancer because there are many factors that increase the risk of cancer.

10 muscle pain and fracture

Losing a relative may lead to many unhealthy lifestyles, such as drinking, smoking, eating junk food and reducing exercise.

With the growth of human age, muscles and bones will gradually degenerate, and the grief caused by the loss of loved ones may make the degeneration of muscles and bones more serious. Cortisol may reduce bone formation and make the bones of widowed people more fragile. Janet Lord, an expert in immunology and bereavement at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, said: "Bereavement may be accompanied by depression. Patients with depression go out less, which aggravates the deterioration of musculoskeletal. "