Just how do you know if you are having a heart attack? Not everyone will have the same symptoms and, sometimes, there are no symptoms at all. If you think that you could be experiencing a heart attack, do not wait any longer than 5 or 10 minutes to call for help; it is best to get examined as soon as possible. With that in mind, let’s discuss the top 4 symptoms of a heart attack.

1) Pain And/Or Pressure In Your Chest

The pain or pressure that occurs with a heart attack is known as angina and is the top symptom. It is often described as a burning sensation, tightness, fullness, squeezing or aching feeling. If it is extremely bad and has you doubling over in pain, then, of course, you should call for help immediately so that your chances of surviving are as good as they can be under the circumstances.

Even mild chest pain can be a heart attack occuring, so it is a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible, even if you do not think you need to. You could be in the pre-heart attack stage or be having a very mild heart attack. It is better to get it checked out than to do nothing at all.

Definitely call for help if the pain or pressure lasts for more than a few minutes and does not go away when you sit down or lay down, or if it goes away and then comes back.

2) Pain In The Upper Body

If you experience pain in either, one or both arm(s), this could be a sign that you are having a heart attack, especially if it is happening at the same time as chest pain. In this case, waste no time in calling for help.

The other areas of your upper body where you might have pain are the left shoulder, neck, jaw or back. Just like the chest pain, these pains are described as pressure, tightness, squeezing and generally uncomfortable feelings. They can also be mild, moderate or severe in nature.

3) Breathing Problems

Having trouble breathing could indicate that you are having a heart attack and, whether or not you are, this is something that you should seek help for right away. This could make you feel like have to suddenly take very long, deep breaths, which you might be having trouble doing, or, your breathing all of a sudden gets faster while your breaths become shallow.

As indicated before, if you are having breathing problems along with pain in your chest and/or upper body, call for help right away. This cannot be stressed enough; it is very important and could save your life.

4) Your Heart Feels Like It Is Racing

A good example of what it feels like when your heart is racing is right after you get done exercising. Your heart pumps faster and your pulse rate also increases. If this racing doesn’t slow down shortly after you have finished your exercise, there is a good chance you could be having a heart attack due to your heart working faster and harder to pump the blood throughout your body.

If your heart does not slow down, and you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and/or you smoke, along with pain in your arms or left shoulder, get to the phone right away and get help. It is better to get checked out than to risk your life.

There are some heart attacks that have absolutely no symptoms at all and are known as silent heart attacks. Because of the fact that they show no warning signs, it could be too late and you would not know it. The best thing you can do to prevent this is to regularly go to your doctor for screenings.

Remember, prevention is the best medicine.

Related Articles

• Signs of a Heart Attack: Why it’s Important to Know the Signs
• Am I having heart attack symptoms?
• Heart Attack In Women
• When You Survive a Heart Attack It Shouldn’t End Your Life
• Taking Care of Your Hypertension — Norvasc (Amlodipine) Can Help
• Heart Attack
• Don’t Ignore these Heart Attack Symptoms