4 Things Grief Does To Your Health

At one point or the other we all have to deal with losing a loved one, or have experienced unfortunate experiences that made us weep, this can drain you not only emotionally but also, health wise. Grief is a silent killer just like some other diseases.
Below are some ways grief can affect your mental and physical health:

Weakened Immune System

A study showed that 249 people who lost an infant or child reported a total of 404 acute illnesses during the first year after the death. The most frequent were colds and flu, headaches, anxiety, infections, depression, and angina (severe chest pains). This shows that the loss of a loved one can affect the immune system and once anything affects the immune system, the system becomes prone to any sort of diseases.

Alcohol and drug abuse

Often, in a bit to escape the pains of losing a loved one, or any unfortunate occurrence, some people turn to the use of alcohol. This is because the use of these substances makes it easy to temporarily forget the reasons for grieving. Alcohol and drug abuse pose a great risk to human health, so, while in a period of grief, it is better to avoid these two.

Depression

Often, grief makes people go into depression and depression is very difficult to overcome. Grief most of the times lead to clinical depression and this might take a year at most to overcome.

Poor sleep

Grief often leads to a poor sleeping habit. This can inherently lead to heart problem or worse health problems. Again, terrible life events can lead to Broken Heart Syndrome. This is a short-term heart condition in which the heart does not pump normally. It can happen in healthy people. It is believed that a rapid increase in stress hormones (such as adrenaline) can temporarily damage hearts. Symptoms include sudden, intense chest pain. The pain can be so severe it may be mistaken for a heart attack. Broken Heart Syndrome can cause short-term heart muscle failure, but is usually treatable.
Therefore, while going through grief, it is advisable to always seek medical or psychological help. This will help avoid other health issues that might be difficult to manage at the end of the day.