Heart Attack Signs and Symptoms EVERYONE Must Know

I’m willing to bet you’re like the many who believe they would be able to recognize whether they were having a heart attack or not. It’s not always that obvious however and it’s important to understand the symptoms and recognize the signs that may mean the difference between life and death.

Heart attacks are the most common causes of sudden death in America and although many people survive them, they can have long term effects that prove limiting to ones quality of life.

Heart attacks as they appear in the movies are never questioned and it’s always obvious that a person is having a myocardial infarction. Yet not all attacks are created equal and because individuals respond to pain in their own unique way, heart attacks can sometimes be very hard to detect.

Like many ailments and disease, early detection of a heart attack could save your life. Here a few conditions which can increase one’s susceptibility to myocardial infarctions:

1. Old Age

2. History of Smoking

3. Diabetes

4. Suffering from High Blood Pressure

5. Obesity

6. Sedentary lifestyle

7. Kidney Disease

8. Frequent Alcohol Consumption

9. Chronic drug user (cocaine or amphetamines)

I’ve always been adamant that Americans need to take personal responsibility for their health and not rely on the so called “care” system.

Be sure to recognize the lifestyle and health conditions that make you a target for heart failure and take steps to change them immediately or you may one day feel one or many of these symptoms:

Sudden Chest Pain

Depending on the severity of the attack and your tolerance for pain, a heart attack could feel like a seemingly harmless bout of indigestion or heartburn. Discomfort from heart failure can feel like the pressure of someone sitting on top of you or a fullness in the chest which can come in waves. It may not necessarily feel like its from the left side, however the pain can radiate from that side of your body.

Shortness of Breath

With a restricted chest comes the feeling of not being able to breathe. It may occur in conjunction with the chest pain but not always. If you feel unusually out of breathe it could be a sign of heart problems.

Numbness or Discomfort

It is not just your chest that feels the effects of a struggling ticker. Patients have described numbness or a tickling in both arms and pain in the back, shoulders, upper neck and even jaw. This response may be linked to the sudden flood of stress hormones and restricted blood flow in the muscles of the upper body.

Dizziness and Cold Sweat

Without proper blood flow to the brain, most heart attack victims feel dizzy and light headed, and can pass out from the limited oxygen to the brain. Sometimes the first sign can seem the least meaningful as patients can break out into a cold sweat with no other symptoms.

Less Common But Equally Important Signs

Nausea and even vomiting can signal a heart attack. Many patients have felt a sudden overwhelming feeling of doom or anxiety and the general feeling of not being well. The sudden feeling of exhaustion without any reason can also be a symptom.

Not all humans are created equal and our bodies have response mechanisms which can differ greatly from one person to the next, so always keep yourself in check and be aware of what feels normal and what does not.