Is it possible to die of fear

We all sometimes say something along the lines of “you scared me to death!”. But can strong fear really lead to death?

Humans, like all other animals, have an evolutionarily developed “fight or flight” defense mechanism that our bodies turn on automatically during times of great stress. His describedCan a person be scared to death? / Scientific American Walter Cannon in the Department of Physiology at Harvard University in 1915.

When we face danger, the autonomic (acting involuntarily) nervous system reacts. At her command, the adrenal glands secrete adrenaline, which rapidly spreads throughout the body.

This hormone causes the opening of calcium channels in the membranes of cardiac muscle cells. Calcium ions makeCan a person be scared to death? / Scientific American heart beat faster. Blood flow to the muscles increases, the pupils dilate, and the digestive process slows down. The body prepares for a fight or a quick run to protect itself.

This helped our primitive ancestors better cope with dangers like a jaguar suddenly jumping out of the thicket.

However, adrenaline rushes, despite the benefits in moments of danger, lead to risky consequences. Overloading cells with this hormone can lead to a situation where the heart muscle simply can notCan You Really Be Scared to Death? / Britannica relax, which leads to rhythm disturbance and ventricular fibrillation. From really strong horror, the heart can literally stop. And this happens to perfectly healthy people.

Not only fear can lead to death, but also other overly strong emotions. High levels of adrenaline can also killScared to Death: Can You Really Die of Fright? /Live Science during sexual intercourse, religious ecstasy, or overly enthusiastic sports fans. Number of heart attacks increases1. G. Bazoukis. Impact of major earthquakes on the incidence of acute coronary syndromes – A systematic review of the literature / Hellenic Journal of Cardiology,
2. J. Zarifeh. Natural Disasters and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease / Handbook of Psychocardiology during tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

And even if fear, stress and excitement do not kill immediately, they contribute to the development of heart disease in the future. For example, military conflicts become causeE. Mahase. Living in a war zone increases heart disease and stroke risk years after conflict ends, study finds / The BMJ heart attacks and ischemia of the heart, even years after the restoration of peace.

Japanese doctors in 1990 describedIt's True (But Rare) That You Can Be Scared to Death / Cleveland Clinic the so-called takotsubo stress cardiomyopathy, when due to the strong effects of adrenaline and norepinephrine, myocardial contractility decreases. The disease is also called "broken heart syndrome", as its trigger is severe emotional stress - loss loved one, work, livelihood and so on.

Maybe, causeIs It Possible to Be Scared to Death? / The Atlantic The perniciousness of fear is that modern people struggle with their horrors without resorting to a physical reaction.

We have stopped "fight or flight" because stresses are now less material than predators or natural disasters.

The bursts of adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol in our bodies do not serve real needs - to become faster, stronger, more aggressive, but load the body's systems in vain.

So fear can really literally lead to a heart attack. But fortunately, probabilityIt's True (But Rare) That You Can Be Scared to Death / Cleveland Clinic the fact that a person will simply take it and die of horror is very, very small. To cope with this feeling at critical moments, just breatheIs It Possible to Be Scared to Death? / The Atlantic deep. This allows you to normalize the pulse.

And make time for sports and aerobic exercisebecause the cardiovascular system of trained people is best managesCan you really be scared to death? / American Heart Association with bursts of adrenaline.