The human heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood on average each day. While it is an incredibly strong organ, constantly moving to keep you alive, it can weaken from daily stressors, dietary intake, and various external factors. Knowing what to watch for in terms of heart attack symptoms and signs when it comes to your health is extremely important.
Squeezing and Pressure:
It's difficult to explain if you've never experienced it, but many of those who have experienced a heart attack report sensations of pressure around the chest and back. This tightness is more uncomfortable than painful, but a startling sensation none the less. It can make it difficult to breathe, and may dissipate or spread down the arms and up the neck.
Breaking Out in a Cold Sweat:
When the heart struggles to beat, lots can go wrong in your body as it tries to regulate itself. One of the reactions felt due to these changes, is a sudden change in temperature, and the inability to stop sweating. Breaking out in a cold sweat is almost always cause for concern, but when combined with any of the other early warning signs for a heart attack, you should definitely contact a medical professional.
Upset Stomach:
Abdominal cramping, nausea, and gassiness aren't always felt prior to a heart attack, but they can be signs that something isn't right in your body. Digestive issues, flu like feelings, and diarrhea can also be heart attack symptoms.
Dizziness and Shortness of Breath:
Blurred vision and dizziness are common symptoms experienced by heart attack sufferers. These can leave you feeling out of control, unable to walk, drive, or even speak properly. Shortness of breath or an inability to catch your breath is another serious sign.
Back and Arm Pain:
Many people assume that if you feel a pain in your right arm, rather than the left, that there is nothing to worry about in regards to a possible heart attack. While it's true that arm pain tends to radiate into the left side before or during an attack, it can also spread to the right arm, up the neck, jaw, and into the upper back.
Fatigue and Malaise:
A general feeling of tiredness, aches and pains, and all around illness can also be a predecessor for a heart attack. Many men and women report feeling unwell, tired, and unable to function regularly at work or home. However, not all heart attacks follow a specific set of symptoms. Many sufferers felt no symptoms whatsoever before an attack took place.
If you are experiencing one or more of the above mentioned heart attack symptoms, you should contact medical support as soon as possible. Heart attacks can occur quite suddenly, and if you are able to act quickly before the attack hits, there is a greater chance of survival. Understanding which signs to watch out for can also help you to protect friends and family members. Be vigilant when somebody close to you mentions dizziness, arm pain, or chest tightness. Encourage him or her to consult with a physician.