Is it possible to die from a broken heart?
I have a personal connection to this question. According to family oral history, in 1909, my grandmother’s mother died of a “broken heart” after losing her husband. She left behind five small children who went on to have childhoods right out of Oliver Twist.
Decades later, an acquaintance challenged me, saying it wasn't possible to die of a broken heart. I was taken aback and felt a bit gullible. As an empath, I had never questioned the viability of the story.
Fast forward 20+ years and I met my husband who had been diagnosed with “broken heart syndrome” while navigating divorce from his first wife, to whom he thought he was married for life. I felt somewhat vindicated. I became even more convinced that dying from a broken heart was possible after conducting my own research into the impact of stress hormones on our wellbeing.
Which brings me to the devastating story of Joe and Irma Garcia. Irma was one of 2 teachers killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Days later, Joe tragically suffered a fatal heart attack, and was described by doctors as dying of a broken heart.
I’m not surprised and, despite the terrible circumstances, feel fully vindicated as my instinctive belief has been acknowledged by science.
When we are placed in extremely stressful and distressing situations our bodies react by activating 'fight or flight' mode and the spiraling anxiety we feel is because we are awash with the neurochemicals cortisol and adrenalin.
Adrenalin is useful as it helps us release energy stores to give us the strength to carry on and to facilitate swift actions and responses - but it also can make us extremely fearful and increase our heart rate and blood flow to unhealthy levels.
Cortisol is also a critically important brain chemical which numbs pain when we are in challenging situations and allows us to 'fight on'. However, if left unchecked high cortisol levels will soon lead us to be all but paralyzed by anxiety.
We need to be mindful of the fact that many of us regularly face stressors from multiple emotional situations. Our body's chemical reactions to these stressors can create enormous risks for us.
There are many exercises we can do to manage our cortisol and adrenalin levels.
One I recommend using immediately and regularly is recovery breathing – an established, medically proven technique:
➡️ Count your pulse for one minute and record the number
➡️ Lie down and place your hands on your thighs
➡️ Breathe out all the way
➡️ Breathe in deeply
➡️ Pause momentarily
➡️ Breathe out while counting to 10
➡️ Expel all remaining air
➡️ Repeat 10 times
➡️ Retake your pulse (it should have dropped)
My sincere and wholehearted condolences to all those affected by the heart breaking events in Uvalde and all those suffering from any heartbreak.
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