“The body pays the price” on unresolved grief, say APSU nursing researchers

By: Seth Riker January 27, 2026

APSU nursing researchers are drawing attention to the often-overlooked physical toll of grief, linking prolonged loss to changes in immune response and long-term health. | Photo by Eleyce Herrington

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Grief rarely arrives with permission. It doesn’t wait for a convenient moment or follow a predictable timeline. It shows up after a death, yes, but also after a diagnosis, a divorce, the loss of independence, or a life that no longer looks the way we expected.

And despite how common grief is, two Austin Peay State University nursing professors say grief remains widely misunderstood.

In an article published last fall in the American Nurse Journal, Dr. Leslie Binford, assistant professor, and Dr. Debra Rose Wilson, Lenora C. Reuther Chair of Excellence, examine grief not only as an emotional experience, but as a health issue with measurable effects on the body. Their article, “Grief and systemic health: Supporting others and yourself through a loss,” highlights how unaddressed grief can influence immune function, inflammation, sleep, and long-term disease risk.

“People tend to think of grief as something you should move through quickly,” Wilson said. “But grief doesn’t just affect how we feel. It affects how our bodies function.”

One reason grief is so often misunderstood is that it doesn’t look the same for everyone. While death-related grief is more socially recognized, the authors note that people also grieve many other losses—some of which are rarely acknowledged. These include the loss of a relationship, a job, financial security, physical ability, fertility, or even a sense of safety or identity.

The article describes several common but often overlooked forms of grief:

• Anticipatory grief, which occurs before a loss, such as when a loved one is seriously ill
• Disenfranchised grief, which happens when a loss isn’t socially validated or openly acknowledged
• Prolonged or complicated grief, when intense longing and distress persist for months and interfere with daily life

“When grief isn’t named or supported, it doesn’t go away,” Binford said. “It tends to show up in other ways … fatigue, disrupted sleep, weakened immunity, or chronic stress.”

At the center of the article is the connection between grief and the immune system. When someone experiences ongoing stress or loss, the body releases chemical messengers called cytokines. In the short term, these cytokines help the body respond to injury or illness. But when grief is prolonged, cytokines can remain elevated, keeping the body in a constant state of inflammation.

This sustained inflammatory response, sometimes referred to as the “cytokine effect,” can impair immune function and increase vulnerability to infection, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, depression, and other chronic health issues. Social isolation, multiple recent losses, and disrupted sleep can intensify this response, compounding health risks over time.

“Grief activates the body’s stress systems,” Wilson said. “If those systems don’t get a chance to reset, the body pays the price.”

The authors emphasize that grief does not require fixing, but it does require acknowledgment and care. Simple, compassionate actions can help reduce the physical and emotional toll of grief, both for those experiencing loss and for those supporting them.

They encourage people to:

• Offer presence rather than solutions
• Allow grief to look different for each individual
• Encourage connection and community
• Support rest, routine, and self-compassion

For nurses and caregivers, this awareness is especially critical. Nurses often carry both their patients’ grief and their own, sometimes without space to process either. Recognizing grief as a health issue—rather than a personal weakness—can help sustain both personal well-being and professional compassion.

“Grief is universal,” Wilson said. “And when we make space for it, rather than rushing it or minimizing it, we give people permission to heal, not just emotionally, but physically too.”

About the School of Nursing

The Austin Peay State University School of Nursing prepares compassionate, highly skilled nurses through rigorous academics and clinical training. Part of the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, the program is recognized for its commitment to community impact and its driving motto: Kindness Matters.