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Home News Can you really be scared to death? Please note: This article was published more than two years ago, so some information may be outdated.
There's no question about it, the answer is yes, said Dr. When people feel an overwhelming fear, their fight-or-flight response jumps into action.
This response likely benefited early humans when they faced a menacing beast or aggressor, giving them the necessary adrenaline to either fight the attacker or flee the scene, Glatter said.
The rush of adrenaline is an involuntary response controlled by the autonomic nervous system. When faced with a fight-or-flight scenario, a person will experience rapid heart rate, dilated pupils and increased blood flow to the muscles, Glatter said.
When adrenaline is released, it triggers calcium channels in the heart to open. If a person is scared and has a large amount of adrenaline reaching his or her heart, the individual can develop an arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation — an uncoordinated contraction of the heart that makes it quiver, not beat regularly as it should, Glatter said. A terrifying event, be it a gun held to someone's head or a chilling Halloween trick, can trigger this disorganized heart movement, turning a scary situation into a deadly one, he said.
When faced with a life-threatening situation, the nervous system triggers the release of the hormone adrenaline into the blood, sending impulses to organs to create a specific response typically increased heart rate, increased blood flow to muscles and dilated pupils.
While the adrenaline rush can make people faster and stronger hence the advantage to primitive humans , there is a down side in revving up your nervous system. In rare instances, if the adrenaline kick is too high or lasts too long, your heart may overwork and cause tissue damage or constriction of blood vessels, in turn, raising blood pressure. In addition to raising the blood pressure and risking heart attack or stroke, it can cause more long-lasting damage to organs if these neuro-hormones are elevated over time or if there is an imbalance in the chemicals.
While it may be rare for a completely healthy individual to drop dead from fear, those with a predisposition to heart disease are at an increased risk of sudden death. People who experience a great fear can also develop a condition called takotsubo syndrome, or broken-heart syndrome.
Depression and fear can live along the same emotional spectrum, as many people can express fear instead of a sadness as a sign of depression.
And, unfortunately, depression and anxiety can also increase the odds of being scared to death. And while constant exposure to fear may lead to common heart problems or anxiety, there is a possibility that it can lead to even greater problems down the line.
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