SEE: What is "Broken Heart Syndrome' and why is it on the up amongst women?
Let's just say it's not what you think it is...
When you think about the words, 'Broken Heart', what's the first thing that comes to mind? Well, most of us would immediately associate it with being sad over a break-up.
But as much as this has everything to do with your heart, it's not what you think it is. Broken heart syndrome is a medical condition, which is a medical phenomenon called, Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
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"Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, usually as the result of severe emotional or physical stress, such as a sudden illness, the loss of a loved one, a serious accident, or a natural disaster such as an earthquake." (Health Harvard)
It is said to usually present itself once a patient experiences a physical or emotional stressor, which could lead to long-term heart injury or impaired function.
Who would've thought, right? So then, if we were going to be technical, we could say that it could deal with a break-up, because that can be stressful too (those who know, know)...
A study that was conducted in the U.S revealed that more middle-aged to older women are being affected by broken heart syndrome.
"Analysing national hospital data collected from more than 135 000 women and men who were diagnosed with Takotsubo syndrome between 2006 and 2017, the study's senior author Dr Susan Cheng and her team discovered that diagnoses have been increasing at least 6 to 10 times more rapidly for women ages 50 to 74 than for any other demographic." (News24)
Even more interesting is that it was also found that the brain and the nervous system respond to different stressors as women get older.
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As much as it sounds like something that is a known amongst many women and men for that matter, stress can be detrimental to your health regardless of how healthy you think you are.
It isn't called the silent killer for nothing. So we suggest that you take a hard look at your life and try to apply some stress-relieving practices that work into your lifestyle. For instance, exercise, meditation, chatting to friends or family, or even a professional if you need to.
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