Physical Symptoms of Grief

Everyone knows that grief hurts emotionally, but manypeople are surprised by how much grief hurts physically too. The physicalsymptoms of grief include: 

• Digestive problems, including nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and stomach ache

• Insomnia

• Exhaustion

• Flu-like aches and pains

• Headache

• Muscle tension

• Tightness in your chest 

• The sensation of a lump in your throat

• Dizziness

At the same time that grief can cause physical symptoms byitself, it also weakens the immune system, which can leave you open to viruses and infections. 

Grief causes physical symptoms because of several differentprocesses that occur in the brain when you are experiencing grief. First, ourbrain produces a number of pleasurable chemicals when we are close to people(or pets) that we care about. These neurochemicals include dopamine and oxytocin (sometimes known as the "cuddle hormone"). In evolutionary terms, this system emerged to encourage humans to form strong bonds with each other.Forming close tribes helped to keep everyone safer.

When we lose someone we care about, whether through death or the end of a relationship, we experience withdrawal symptoms from these neurochemicals. This withdrawal, similar to the withdrawal from drugs, creates a deep yearning for the person as well as a number of physical symptoms. 

In addition to withdrawal symptoms, grief unleashes avariety of stress hormones in the body. Stress hormones are designed to help usrun or fight when we encounter danger, and these activities use up the stresshormones. When the danger is emotional instead of physical, these stress hormones build up in our bodies, causing a variety of problems - including inflammation, fatigue, and even heart problems. 

Broken Heart Syndrome

For some, grief can literally break their heart. The condition, known as "broken heart syndrome," strikes healthy peoplewith no history of coronary heart disease, and is characterized by heart attack-like symptoms: chest pain, angina, arrhythmia, shortness of breath,fainting, and even heart failure.

Broken heart syndrome occurs in response to a shock of somesort, such as a death, divorce, disaster, unusual physical exertion, or even ahappy surprise such as a major lottery win. This condition occurs when the body, in response to a stressful event, releases too many stress hormones.These hormones can temporarily affect heart function. 

Of the roughly 1.2 million heart attacks that occur in theUnited States each year, around one percent (or 120,000) may be caused bybroken heart syndrome. Fortunately, most make a full recovery without lasting damage to the heart.

There is no way to differentiate broken heart syndrome from a heart attack without a full medical examination, and anyone experiencing heart attack symptoms should go to the emergency ward immediately.