Heart Attack Signs You Should Know
Most of us have seen in the movies or on television a person who starts having a heart attack. They always gasp for breath and place their fist over their heart. Would it surprise you to learn that when a person has a heart attach that they do not always do this? The signs for heart attach are as varied as we are and are even different for men and women.
Here is a list of the most common heart attack symptoms. It includes the signs from chest pain, nausea, heartburn to the “Levin’s Sign” of putting the hand over the heart.
1. Chest pain: This is the most common symptom reported by heart attack victims. If you suddenly begin to have pain in the chest, you should call a doctor or go to the emergency room immediately. The pain from a heart attack can be severe, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes mild pain is a sign of a heart attack.
2. Pain in the shoulders, arm(s), or jaw: Pain can radiate from the chest or you may feel more pain in these three areas than you do in the chest.
3. Nausea, fainting or dizziness, weakness or anxiety: Sudden nausea, weakness and dizziness with a fear that something is wrong. Common symptoms in women.
4. Pressure in the chest: Mild to severe.
5. Irregular heart beat or palpitations: This is when you can actually feel your heart beating and can tell it is beating rapidly or “fluttering”. Sometimes this can be misunderstood as an anxiety attack.
6. Shortness of Breath: If the heart is not pumping correctly, it will be difficult or impossible to breathe. If you feel short of breath after a period of rest, such as when you get up in the morning or you have been riding in a vehicle all day, this should be taken even more seriously.
7. Heartburn: You can feel pain in the same area as you do when you have eaten something you shouldn’t have eaten. Don’t dismiss heartburn pain.
8. Sweating excessively: Breaking out in a sudden sweat and feeling “clammy”
9. The “Levin’s Sign”: The classic movie “fist held to chest” position. While many people don’t do this, some do so automatically when they are having a heart attack.
10. No Signs at all: A heart attack can occur without any signs or symptoms. This doesn’t mean of course, that you should run to the emergency room because you feel good. Many women don’t feel any pain at all when having a heart attack. Diabetics and seniors are also at risk for this symptom. If you have any chest discomforts or you have cause to worry about heart disease, see your doctor and have your heart check out. Of all the symptoms, this is the worst one of all. The only way to ease this symptom of heart attack is to prevent the heart attack.
