The scare is a state that affects all people to a very strong surprise or something extremely unpleasant. When this is very serious, he can trigger health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, insomniaamong others, especially when there are already some diseases.
“Fear is a normal response from our body, which helps us survive in danger situations. When we are afraid, we fill ourselves with energy, our concentration increases, in some cases we can see and listen better, because we are in a state of survival,” explains Gonzalo Martínez, clinical psychologist.
The scare is an answer To fear. When we are afraid or we feel threatened, a relief signal arrives to the brain, specifically to the hypothalamus, from where hormones and neurotransmitters are released. These make breathing accelerate and that the heart pumps blood to the muscles or organs, to give a quick response to any risk situation that arises.
According to Martínez, when we are afraid, the muscles tense, the pupils dilate, the mind is concentrated solely on the threat situation and the ear exacerbates, all this so that the body is prepared for the action that would cause the threat.
Health problems by a scare
A scare can cause multiple reactions in the body, these will depend on each person, the type of scare, their severity and pre -existing conditions, says Katherine García, internist.
Although several people are accustomed to living the adrenaline of scare watching horror movies or in the mechanical games of amusement parks, they must take into account that having these experiences very often can cause negative consequences.
Among the most common health problems that can cause scare are:
- Increase or decrease in blood pressure
- Increase or decrease in blood sugar
- Fainting
- Dizziness
- Insomnia
- Stress
- Digestive problems, such as stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea
- Headache
- Muscle spasms
- Anxiety
People with post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorder could have a more dramatic reaction and have more serious consequences; as well as those who suffer from cardiac arrhythmia or chronic back pain, as they could aggravate their illness.
Given the questioning that a scare can cause a heart attack, Garcia indicates that it can occur, although it is rare. “A very strong scare causes many blood stress substances to be released, related to stress cardiomyopathy. This disease shares similarities with a myocardial infarction,” says the expert.
In these cases, people feel chest pain and transient decrease in the contractility of the heart, that is, their power to pump blood. Because the decrease in contractile force is mild, it is usually reversible upon receiving first aid.