The loss of a loved one and grief is not just a matter of emotions. Researchers from the University of Arizona decided to check what happens to the hearts of people in mourning.
Sayings or proverbs speak of a heart that is torn from grief or dies from grief. There is now scientific evidence that grief over the loss of a loved one can be devastating to heart health. Bereavement can cause a significant increase in blood pressure, and evidence suggests that bereavement may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The results of the study were published in the journal Psychosomatic medicine.
Pressure rose at the mere mention of the loss of a loved one
A group of researchers from the American University of Arizona invited 59 people who had experienced the loss of a loved one over the past year to participate in the study. During the tests, volunteers had to talk about the most difficult emotional moment after the death of a loved one within 10 minutes. The researchers called it an emotional stress test because they measured blood pressure, among other things, during the conversation.
When mourning was called, the participants experienced an increase in systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure that the heart puts on the arteries when it contracts. Compared to baseline, systolic blood pressure increased by an average of 21.1 mmHg, the unit used to measure blood pressure. This is about the amount of gain you would expect from moderate exercise.
Check Yourself Regularly During Bereavement
As the authors of the study emphasize, the heart is negatively affected not only by the death of a loved one, but also by the emotional reaction to the loss. The results of the new study could be helpful to clinicians as they clearly show that bereaved people are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and other heart problems.
“It is important that psychologists and therapists encourage grieving patients to have regular medical checkups. Often, when we care for a dying loved one, we neglect our own health,” said one of the authors of the study, Prof. Mary Francis O’Connor.
Source: Wprost
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