I feel like my heart is breaking
Broken Heart Syndrome (Stress Cardiomyopathy): Symptoms, Causes, Treatments
Written by Mary Jo DiLonardo
Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on April 30, 2022
In this Article
- What Is Broken Heart Syndrome?
- Broken Heart Syndrome Causes
- Broken Heart Syndrome Symptoms
- Broken Heart Syndrome Triggers
- Broken Heart Symptom Risk Factors
- Broken Heart Syndrome Diagnosis
- Broken Heart Syndrome Versus Heart Attack
- Broken Heart Syndrome Treatment
- Broken Heart Syndrome Complications
- Broken Heart Syndrome Outlook
What Is Broken Heart Syndrome?
Broken heart syndrome is a condition with symptoms that may feel like a heart attack, like chest pain, and shortness of breath, but it’s caused by going through an emotionally stressful event, not by clogged arteries.
It's triggered by very stressful situations, like the death of someone you love.
Your doctor may call this stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
Broken Heart Syndrome Causes
It’s thought that when you have broken heart syndrome, your body releases stress hormones that temporarily curb your heart’s ability to pump as well as it should, and a part of your heart called the left ventricle temporarily weakens and stops pumping well. Experts also believe that your coronary arteries, which feed oxygen to your heart muscle, spasm. This can cause chest pain. The momentary "freezing" or "stunning" of your heart can bring circulation problems.
If broken heart syndrome is not treated, it can be as deadly as a heart attack.
Broken Heart Syndrome Symptoms
The most common signs are chest pain and shortness of breath. You may feel like you are having a heart attack. If you feel that way, call 911. You may also have:
- Dizziness or fainting
- Low blood pressure
- Nausea
- An irregular heartbeat
Usually symptoms start anywhere up to a few hours after you've had stress or shock.
Broken Heart Syndrome Triggers
Broken heart syndrome can be triggered by stressful emotional events, including good events, as well as bad ones, such as:
- The death of a loved one
- Surgery
- Serious illness
- Money problems
- Abuse
- Public speaking
- Losing your job
- Getting divorced
- Car accidents
- Emotional memories
- Winning the lottery
- Being the guest of honor at a surprise party
In rare cases, certain drugs may trigger broken heart syndrome, because they may cause hormones to surge in your body. Such drugs include:
- Epinephrine, which treats severe allergic reactions
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta), which can treat nerve problems among people with diabetes and is also an antidepressant
- Venlafaxine (Effexor XR), an antidepressant
- Levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl), which can treat thyroid problems
- Methamphetamine
- Cocaine
Broken Heart Symptom Risk Factors
Women are much more likely to have broken heart syndrome than men, especially women who are over 50.
This could be a result of lower estrogen levels, but doctors aren't sure. Common risk factors include:
- Being over 50 (for men and women)
- Genetics. Experts also believe that genes may make some people more likely to get broken heart syndrome.
- Having a head injury or seizure disorder like epilepsy
- Having a psychiatric disorder like anxiety or depression
You're not more likely to get broken heart syndrome if you have a history of heart disease.
Broken Heart Syndrome Diagnosis
If your doctor thinks you might have it, several tests can help figure things out:
Physical exam and history. Your doctor will examine you and ask about your symptoms. They'll want to know about any major events or stress you've had lately.
Electrocardiogram (ECG). Your doctor will do one of these to look for any problems with your heart's rhythm and structure. The results will let them know if your symptoms are from a heart attack.
Blood tests. Many of them can show damage to the heart.
Coronary angiogram. This test looks at coronary artery disease. Dye is injected in your chest and your coronary arteries to help your doctor see any blockages. People with heart attacks usually have them. Folks with broken heart symptoms typically don't.
Echocardiogram. This ultrasound shows your doctor if you have an enlarged heart or if your heart has an abnormal shape while it pumps. That last one can be a sign of broken heart syndrome.
Radionuclide perfusion imaging. A similar test to an echocardiogram, this helps show which areas of the heart muscles get blood normally through the coronary arteries. It also lets your doctor know where you could have heart damage.
Chest X-ray. This can show if you have an enlarged heart or if it has an abnormal shape. It can also help to see if lung problems are the cause of your symptoms.
Broken Heart Syndrome Versus Heart Attack
They may feel the same, but they’re different. Heart attacks are caused by blockages of waxy buildup within the arteries leading to your heart. With broken heart syndrome, there aren’t any blockages; the heart just doesn’t pump blood as well as it should, which causes heart attack-like symptoms. When treated, people should recover from broken heart syndrome more quickly than from a heart attack, because the heart isn’t damaged the same way.
Broken Heart Syndrome Treatment
Broken heart syndrome is treatable. Your doctor will prescribe medicines used to treat things like heart failure. For example:
- ACE inhibitors
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
- Beta-blockers
- Diuretics (water pills)
- Anti-anxiety medication
These drugs can help your heart while it recovers.
Broken Heart Syndrome Complications
On rare occasions, people die from broken heart syndrome, but most people recover fully without any long-term effects.
But it’s possible to have complications, such as:
- Heart valve damage
- Heart failure
- Low blood pressure
- Fluid backing up into your lungs
- An irregular or disrupted heartbeat
Broken Heart Syndrome Outlook
People who survive the initial stun to the heart typically get better within 4-8 weeks. Your doctor may order a test, such as an echocardiogram, after 6 weeks, to see if your heart has improved. Once you recover, your doctor may tell you that you can stop taking the medication that was prescribed for broken heart syndrome. This usually happens within 3 months of your initial diagnosis.
The science behind a broken heart
While it will be different for every person and every circumstance, there are some scientifically sound methods of heartbreak healing you can try.
Heartbreak is an unfortunately common part of the human experience, and it really, really sucks. We’ve all been there, and it’s safe to say we all want to avoid experiencing heartbreak ever again.
We feel heart broken when we lose someone or something we loved or wanted very much, like a romantic relationship or a friendship, a family member, a pet, or a job or opportunity that was very important to us.
Heartbreak can cause a large amount of stress, especially if the loss is a sudden one. This stress can affect how we feel emotionally and physically, and may take weeks, months or even years to recover from.
While there’s still a lot to discover about how and why we experience love and heartbreak and the effect these have on our bodies, scientific study has provided us with some clues about why heartbreak makes you feel so rubbish, and some strategies to use if you’re feeling really down.
Why does it hurt so much?
Studies show that your brain registers the emotional pain of heartbreak in the same way as physical pain, which is why you might feel like your heartbreak is causing actual physical hurt. The language we use to describe heartbreak – “I feel like my heart’s been ripped out”, “it was gut wrenching”, “like a slap in the face” – all hint at the way we associate physical pain with emotional pain.
Heartbreak hormones
Hormones aren’t just for randy teenagers – our bodies produce a long list of hormones every day for different purposes, including falling in and out of love.
Love can be addictive, like a drug, because of the hormones our brain releases when we become really attached to someone or something. Dopamine and oxytocin in particular are hormones which make us feel good and want to repeat behaviours, and are released at elevated levels when we’re in love.
Then, when heartbreak happens, these hormone levels drop and are replaced with the stress hormone cortisol. Designed to support your body’s fight-or-flight response, too much cortisol over a period of time can contribute to anxiety, nausea, acne and weight gain – all those unpleasant mental and physical symptoms associated with heartbreak.
A medically broken heart
Ever wondered if emotional heartbreak can actually, physically break your heart?
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy is the medical name for a syndrome that can be caused by heartbreak, or more accurately, the stress of a heartbreaking situation.
Acute emotional stress, positive or negative, can cause the left ventricle of the heart to be ‘stunned’ or paralysed, causing heart attack-like symptoms including strong chest, arm or shoulder pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, loss of consciousness, nausea and vomiting.
The good news: the condition doesn’t usually cause permanent damage like a heart attack does, and often resolves itself. The bad news: it can be stressful and painful, with people often thinking they’re having an actual heart attack.
Because it’s not possible to tell without tests what’s causing your symptoms, if you ever experience the symptoms of heart attack you should call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance.
How to heal heartbreak
While it will be different for every person and every circumstance, there are some scientifically sound methods of heartbreak healing you can try.
Tips for dealing with general stress can help you in times of heartbreak, and set up healthy habits for an ongoing, healthy lifestyle.
When you’re heartbroken, it can be easy to withdraw from your regular life and stop doing the things that you enjoy. But getting out and about, spending time with positive and supportive people, eating well and exercise can all help boost your mood and distract you from your upset.
Keep in mind that the old adage that “you’ll heal with time” has some truth to it. Over time, as the stress eases and you begin to calm down and recover, you should expect your bodily systems to gradually return to normal.
When to get help
There’s no shame in feeling like you’re not coping very well with a heart break – as we’ve seen, heart break can be a big shock to the system.
If you’re feeling like the stress, sadness or anger isn’t passing, if you’re having trouble getting back to normal life, or if you’re concerned in any way about how you’re feeling mentally or physically, it’s time to get some extra help. Talk with a supportive friend, family member or partner, book an appointment with your GP, or call a hotline like Lifeline or beyondblue to talk to a counsellor about how you’re feeling.
Broken Heart Syndrome: a disease "out of the head" from which you can die
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Image copyright, Getty Images
Your heart can suffer after some unfortunate event, and your brain is most likely responsible for your "heartbreak", experts say.
Swiss scientists are conducting a study on the so-called "broken heart syndrome".
Psychological stress can cause acute transient left ventricular dysfunction. The syndrome is manifested by the sudden development of heart failure or chest pain, combined with ECG changes characteristic of myocardial infarction of the anterior wall of the left ventricle.
- Scientists have found out how stress causes heart disease
Most often, this syndrome develops against the background of stressful situations that cause strong, often sharply negative, emotions.
Such events can be the death of a loved one or separation.
Scientists do not yet have complete clarity on how this happens. In the publication of scientists in the medical journal European Heart Journal, it is suggested that the syndrome is provoked by the brain's response to stress.
The "broken heart syndrome" was first described by the Japanese scientist Hikaru Sato in 1990 and was named "takotsubo cardiomyopathy" (from the Japanese "takotsubo" - a ceramic pot with a round base and a narrow neck).
Image copyright Getty Images
This is different from a "normal" heart attack, when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked. Blockage of blood flow to the heart occurs when there is a blood clot in the coronary arteries.
However, the symptoms of broken heart syndrome and heart attack are similar in many ways, most notably difficulty breathing and chest pain.
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Often some sad event is a kind of trigger that provokes the onset of the syndrome.
However, joyful events that cause strong emotions can also lead to the development of broken heart syndrome. For example, getting married or getting a new job.
Broken heart syndrome can be temporary, in which case the heart muscle will recover in a few days, weeks or months, and in some cases the syndrome can be fatal.
In Britain, about 2500 patients are diagnosed with broken heart syndrome each year.
Image copyright Christian Templin, University Hospital Zurich
Image captionX-ray of the heart of a person diagnosed with takotsubo syndrome
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The exact cause of broken heart syndrome is unknown to scientists.
However, it is suggested that this syndrome may be associated with an increase in the level of stress hormones - for example, adrenaline.
Elena Gadri from the University Hospital Zurich, together with her colleagues, studied the brain activity of 15 patients diagnosed with broken heart syndrome.
Imaging data showed significant differences in the brain activity of these patients from that observed in 39 participants in the control group, who were healthy.
Much less communication has been noted between the areas of the brain responsible for controlling emotions and the body's unconscious (automatic) responses (such as the heartbeat).
"Emotions are formed in the brain, so it is quite possible that the disease is formed in the brain. And then the brain sends the appropriate signals to the heart," says Gadry.
Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of the syndrome.
The Swiss scientists who conducted the study had no CT scans of the patients before they were diagnosed with broken heart syndrome.
Therefore, researchers cannot claim that the reduction in connections between different parts of the brain was a consequence of the development of the syndrome, or that the syndrome developed due to the reduction in connections.
"This is a very important part of the study, it will help us better understand the nature of this syndrome, which is often overlooked, and it continues to be a mystery to us," says Joel Rose, head of the British organization Cardiomyopathy.
"These studies will help us understand what role the brain plays in the syndrome and why some people are affected and others are not," says Joel Rose.
"These observations confirm our long-standing assumption about the special role of the connection between the brain and heart in the formation of takotsubo cardiomyopathy," says researcher Dana Dawson from the British Heart Foundation.
Breathing - Yellowcard | Translation and lyrics
BreathingBreathing Eyes are feeling heavy And I can feel you breathing Something I've been keeping locked away And I can feel you breathing I can feel you breathing How am I suppose to feel about the things I've done I know that I hurt you And I can feel you breathing I can feel you breathing Though the eyes feel heavy, I can feel your breath, Something I wish I could keep I can feel your breath, I can feel your breath How should I feel after what I've done? I understand that I hurt you, I can feel you breathing I can feel your breath The author of the translation is Inna Kuchinskaya Like the translation?Breathing Lyrics Rating: 5 / 5 5 opinions You might like Just like heaven Le temps de l'amour Glimpse of us I love my boyfriend | Ocean avenueYellowcardTracklist (13)
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