5 Early Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

Every day, many people worldwide experience a heart attack. It is therefore very important that you recognize the warning signs of your body so that you can seek help on time. Smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and long-term stress are a number of factors that increase the risk of having a heart attack or cardiac arrest. A healthy life and caring for yourself can therefore reduce the risk of a heart attack.

But did you know that if you are affected by a heart attack, your body will start warning you a month in advance? In this article, we will list 5 early warning signs of a heart attack. Be sure to read them all carefully and contsult a docter if necessary.

1. Weak feeling
One of the most common symptoms of a heart attack is the feeling that your body is weakening, mostly felt in the hand, arms and legs. As heart failure becomes more severe, the heart is unable to pump the amount of blood required to meet all of the body’s needs. Your body feels weak because a vein has been rebuilt near your heart. This means less optimal blood circulation and blood flow. To compensate, blood is diverted away from less-crucial areas, including the arms and legs, to supply the heart and brain.

2. Dizziness and sweating
Heart problems and sweating often go together. Sweating occurs primarily in cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial infarction. In certain rarer heart diseases, chills (cold sweats) may also occur. This is primarily a symptom of heart inflammation. Other symptoms of this include a slight fever, loss of appetite, aching joints, fatigue, and small red dots on the eyes, nails, and oral mucosa.

3. Pressure on the upper body
Pain in the upper body (including but not limited to the chest area) may indicate a heart attack. Be attentive to any strange or unusual symptom from your hip upwards. These may include a pressing, heavy, painful or uncomfortable feeling in the chest, back, neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, elbows, between the shoulder blades, in the jaw, throat or even in the gums or earlobes. Of course, a small pain that goes away in a few minutes does not have to mean a heart attack is coming.

4. Heavy cold or flu
It does happen quite often that people seem to be suffering from a very severe flu, when in fact they are having heart problems. Extreme fatigue and exhaustion that lasts for days, gastrointestinal problems and a general feeling of sickness can be symptoms of a heart attack. These symptoms are easy to confuse with a flu, and especially in this day and age, it is difficult to distinguish between different viruses. So be wary if you find that the symptoms are abnormally bad and consult a doctor if you are in doubt.

5. Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath is also an important symptom of a heart attack. If you have a heart attack, you often have a pressing, oppressive pain in the middle of your chest that may be accompanied by shortness of breath. This pain can radiate to your left arm or jaw, but sometimes also to your back or right arm. In a heart attack, the pain lasts longer than 5 minutes. Be alert for it. However, you do not necessarily have to have pain in your chest area to speak of a heart attack if you have shortness of breath.

When you recognize these symptoms, it would be wise to consult a doctor.