A heart attack is among the top leading causes of death in the United States and the entire world as well, especially in recent years. Doctors call it ‘myocardial infraction’, but we all know it as a heart attack.
Whatever it may be called, it won’t change the fact that if you have one, it’ll have life-threatening effects. People that have suffered from a heart attack say that now when they think about it, there were symptoms and signals that something was wrong before it happened, but they didn’t pay much attention to them.
Some say that these things occurred about a month before the actual heart attack happened, and if they actually payed attention to these signs, they might have prevented it. That is why, when it comes to preventing and lowering the risk of a heart attack, it is crucial that you spot these symptoms ahead of time and do something about them.
A heart attack can strike anyone, but there are some risk factors that increase the odds of experiencing one, such as:
- Hypertension
- Smoking
- Stress
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
The American Heart and Stroke Association says that strokes and heart attacks usually happen as a result of insufficient blood supply and/or coronary artery blood flow blockage.
According to statistics, more than 700,000 people suffer a heart attack in the United States alone every year, and a percent of these cases, somewhere around 100,000 people, actually die as a result of this.
More than half of those people that suffered from a heart attack never fully recovered from it and have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.
The only thing we can do when faced with this risk is to try and notice the early warning signs and symptoms that this life-threatening condition is on its way.
As previously mentioned, these signs can be spotted somewhere a month prior to the heart attack. Noticing them might allow you to do something beforehand and prevent it from happening.
Here You Can Read More About 8 Of These Early Warning Signs And Symptoms.
A Typical Body Weakness
One of the key symptoms that a heart attack is imminent is feeling an unusual body weakness. This can happen as a result of poor blood circulation and blood flow.
If you feel a general weakness in your muscles without any particular reason, do not ignore it, see a doctor and find out what is wrong.
Feeling Dizzy
As mentioned before, feeling dizzy without a particular reason can also be a red flag. It can happen as a result of poor circulation and effect the blood supply throughout the whole body, especially your brain, leading to you feeling lightheaded and dizzy.
It is one of the crucial symptoms that points to a heart attack.
Cold Sweats
Poor blood flow and circulation can lead to cold sweats and can be a symptom of an imminent heart attack. If you feel cold, clammy and unwell, go and consult your doctor.
Chest, Arms, Shoulders and Back Pain
This is probably one of the most commonly known symptoms of a heart attack – chest pain. However, the shoulders, arms and back pain can also be an indication of an increased risk of a heart attack, so mind these factors too.
Chest pain and tightness can happen just a few hours before a heart attack, but you still have time to call an ambulance and react in time.
Cold Or Flu Like Symptoms
This symptom might be a bit vague, but it is still worth mentioning, as many people that have experienced a heart attack said that they had flu-like symptoms about a month before the tragic event.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that if you have flu-like symptoms you are in danger of a heart attack, but it won’t hurt to consult your doctor, just in case.
Feeling Tired All of the Time
If you are feeling tired most, if not all, of the time, in addition to feeling muscle weakness, see a doctor immediately, because there is a 99 percent chance that you are going to have a heart attack.
These are probably the result of poor blood supply and usually happen to overweight and obese people. The tiredness you are feeling is a result of your heart working too hard to pump blood to all of your body parts.
Also, the bigger your body, the harder your heart has to work.
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath is also a serious warning of a possible heart failure. Just like any other organ in the body, the lungs need ample amount of oxygen in order to function normally.
The oxygen travels to your lungs via the red blood cells. Hence why poor blood supply to your lungs means difficulties while breathing and so on.
Additional Warning Signs That Indicate a Heart Attack
- nausea
- abdominal pain
- indigestion
- heartburn
If you have a magnesium deficiency, you are at an increased risk of experiencing a heart attack, as well as be sure to check your magnesium levels and increase them if they are low.