When we lose someone we love, we feel deep sadness. This feeling is called grief. Grief affects not only our feelings but also our bodies.
Researchers at the University of Arizona studied how grief affects our heart. They found that intense grief can cause a significant increase in blood pressure.
This means that grief could put us at risk for heart problems.
The Study: Looking into Grief and the Heart
The study was published in a journal called Psychosomatic Medicine. It showed a connection between the severity of grief and increased systolic blood pressure.
Systolic blood pressure is the force that our heart uses to pump blood into our arteries.
Mary-Frances O’Connor, a professor of psychology who specializes in grief, was the senior author of the study.
The idea of “dying of a broken heart” inspired the research. This can happen after the loss of a loved one.
The study involved 59 people who had lost a loved one in the past year. Roman Palitsky, the lead author of the study, said they wanted to understand how grief affects our hearts during the vulnerable time after a loss.
The Experiment: Recalling Grief
To do this, the researchers conducted a process they call “grief recall.” They interviewed each participant and asked them to focus on their feelings of loss and attachment.
The participants were asked to share a moment when they felt very alone after the death of their loved one. After this, the researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure.
It’s like an emotional stress test, O’Connor explained. When the participants recalled their grief, their systolic blood pressure increased.
On average, it went up by 21.1 millimeters of mercury, which is the unit used to measure blood pressure. This is about the same increase expected during moderate exercise.
Findings: The Heart’s Response to Grief
The researchers found that the participants with the highest level of grief symptoms had the biggest increase in blood pressure during the grief recall.
This means that not just the death of a loved one affects our heart, but also our emotional response to that loss, O’Connor said.
These findings can be helpful for therapists and psychologists. They show that people experiencing grief are at higher risk for high blood pressure and other heart-related problems.
O’Connor suggests that therapists should encourage grieving clients to have regular medical checkups. People often neglect their own health when they are caring for a dying loved one or when they are grieving, she said.
Moving Forward: Dealing with Grief
In her lab, O’Connor studies a technique called “progressive muscle relaxation.” It helps grieving people learn to tighten and relax their major muscle groups.
This kind of body-based technique can help people manage their grief and reduce their stress levels, O’Connor said.
“I continue to look for ways to help address the physical and medical side of grieving, in addition to the emotional side,” she said.
After all, caring for our heart health is just as important when we are grieving.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and tongues of people with heart failure look totally different.
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The study was published in Psychosomatic Medicine.
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