How Your Body Might Know a Breakup Is Coming—Before You Do

Your brain might not want to admit it, but your body could already be waving red flags about your relationship.

Hormone expert with Balance My Hormones, Mike Kocsis, says that when something’s off in a relationship, our internal systems tend to react—long before we consciously make a decision to walk away. If you’re constantly anxious, physically exhausted, or just feel “off” around your partner, your hormones might be the ones trying to tell you it’s time to let go.

Take cortisol, for example. “Cortisol is the main stress hormone,” Kocsis told The Mirror. “In a difficult relationship—like one that feels unsafe, unpredictable, or overly demanding—your body can interpret everyday interactions as threats.” That chronic stress can leave you in a constant state of low-level fight-or-flight, even when you’re doing nothing but sitting on the couch next to your partner.

Then there’s dopamine, the chemical that makes new relationships feel like a drug. In the early stages, dopamine creates that butterflies-in-your-stomach effect. But in unhealthy relationships, it starts to follow a cycle of emotional highs and crashes—especially in unstable dynamics like situationships or on-again-off-again breakups. According to Kocsis, that’s when “dopamine becomes unreliable,” and you might end up chasing a version of the relationship that only exists in memory.

Are You About to Breakup With Your Partner?

Other essential hormones can shift, too. Low serotonin—responsible for mood, sleep, and emotional balance—can cause you to feel more irritable, flat, or emotionally unstable in difficult relationships. And when intimacy starts to feel like something you’re avoiding rather than seeking out, it might be a drop in oxytocin or even testosterone and estrogen that’s doing the talking.

“A healthy sex life doesn’t have to mean constant passion,” Kocsis said, “but it does need trust, connection, and openness.” If sex starts to feel like an obligation, or if you’re fantasizing about being with someone else just to feel free again, your body could be flagging a deeper emotional disconnect.

Psychological signs also matter. Human behavior expert Jessen James points to resentment, unresolved arguments, and emotional withdrawal as common markers that a relationship is no longer working. “If you keep falling back into the same trap… perhaps it is time to go your separate ways amicably,” he told Daily Mail.

Breakups might feel sudden, but your body often sees them coming. All you have to do is pay attention.