5 Quiet Clues Your Heart May Be in Trouble

A heart attack happens when blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, stopping oxygen from reaching the heart muscle. Without oxygen, the heart muscle starts to get damaged. As scary as it is, it may happen unexpectedly to anyone.

According to the American Heart Association, it occurs to someone in the United States about every 40 seconds. It may not be entirely unpredictable, as there are warning signs that can be recognized, but what if there are uncommon symptoms that people fail to notice? This article will delve into information that might help you recognize these signs.

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Sometimes heart attack symptoms are easy to notice, but most heart attacks start slowly with mild signs as blood flow to the heart decreases. About two out of three people have warning signs before a heart attack. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort, which may feel like pressure, squeezing, burning, or tightness in the middle of the chest. It may last several minutes or come and go.

On the other hand, a silent heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart is blocked, causing damage without the usual chest pain or clear symptoms. You may not even know it’s happening, but it still harms the heart and increases the risk of future problems. Silent heart attacks make up about 45% of all heart attacks. They’re often found during check-ups or after other health issues.

Additionally, researchers stated that 22% to 60% of heart attacks are silent. Women and people with diabetes may be more susceptible to silent heart attacks. Many expect heart attack symptoms to be obvious, but they can be subtle or confusing. Even subtle signs can be serious, and without quick treatment, a heart attack can be deadly.

Uncommon silent heart attack symptoms to watch for:

With the silent heart attack having subtle indicators, Artemis Cardiac Care listed the following symptoms to help recognize the signs.

1. Discomfort in other parts of the body. Pain or discomfort can spread to areas like the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach. These sensations are sometimes mistaken for indigestion or muscle aches.
2. Mild chest discomfort. Instead of sharp pain, you might feel a sense of pressure, tightness, or heaviness in your chest. This feeling may be brief and easy to ignore.
3. Shortness of Breath and Lightheadedness: Feeling unusually out of breath during normal activities, along with dizziness or feeling faint, could point to a heart problem.
4. Unusual Fatigue: Feeling extremely tired for no clear reason, even after plenty of rest, can be an early warning sign, especially for women.
5. Nausea and Cold Sweating: Unexpected nausea, vomiting, or suddenly breaking into a cold sweat without an obvious reason may be signs of a heart attack.

Additionally, nearly half of the women in a 2003 study said they experienced sleep problems in the weeks leading up to their heart attack. These issues included trouble falling asleep, waking up often during the night, and feeling tired even after a full night’s rest.

Moreover, people with severe sleep apnea have a much higher risk of having a heart attack than those without it. According to the American Thoracic Society, sleep apnea raises the risk of heart attack or sudden cardiac death by 30%.

In one study, researchers followed 1,123 people with sleep apnea for 4 to 5 years to see how many had heart problems like heart attacks or cardiac death. They found that the more severe the sleep apnea was at the start, the higher the risk of serious heart issues was later. Risk factors like family history, obesity, and breathing problems during sleep can make this worse, so it’s important to get treatment early.

The hidden danger and its risk factors.

Certain health problems can raise your risk of a heart attack, such as being overweight, not exercising regularly, eating too much salt, fat, or cholesterol, having high blood sugar, feeling stressed, having preeclampsia during pregnancy, or getting an infection. While some risks can’t be changed, like having a family history of heart disease, being a man over 45, or being a woman over 55 or postmenopausal.

For women, heart disease risk is partly due to their smaller body size, hormone levels, and lower red blood cell count, which can all affect heart health. While both men and women share common risk factors like family history, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure, some risks affect women more.

People of the internet also shared their experiences and observations about silent heart attacks:

• I was an ER and cardiac nurse before I left the bedside to work in hospice. And when I was an ER tech before that, I remember a fit, healthy-looking woman in her late 50s coming in because she started having what she described as indigestion/acid reflux that wasn’t going away with Tums and “is now so bad it hurts through to my back.”
  The policy was to get an EKG on anyone who complained of anything that could remotely be cardiac, and that included epigastric (upper belly) pain or upper back, shoulder, or jaw pain, especially if it radiated. So I did my job as a dutiful tech and got the EKG and almost gasped out loud when I saw the dreaded Acute MI (heart attack) indicator on the printout.
  We were trained not to react and just say, “I’ll give this to the doctor, and they’ll see you shortly.” I think he was just as surprised as I was. She ended up in the cath lab ~30ish minutes later and afaik she recovered.
  I’ve seen countless heart attacks over the decades of working in healthcare, and most of the patients look like they’re having a heart attack—sweaty, grayish-pale, clutching their chest. But occasionally someone walks in and is just like, “It’s probably nothing, but...” And I feel like most of the women I’ve seen have that atypical epigastric, upper back/shoulder/or jaw pain.
  I’ve definitely seen women have the classic presentation and men have atypical presentation, but I feel like it’s only been more recent (in the last few decades) that medical education has highlighted how women may present differently, and stressed the importance of screening them even if their symptoms are atypical. © TheLakeW**** / Reddit
• I was walking around and working for most of two weeks after mine, trying to convince myself I was fine, and it’d just been a flu bug. When the cardiologist who saw me after my primary sent me immediately to him, he called ahead to the hospital like, “Admit this woman as soon as she comes in.”
  And I could see (when we got to the ER) the staff there were just side-eyeing me at first because I had no current pain, was walking, fully alert, etc...but as soon as they did their EKG and echo suddenly you could see their total demeanor change like “Oh, no.” © throwawayanylogic / Reddit
• A woman who was in my job before me was having severe molar pain. She called in to go to the dentist, who found no issues. She had a heart attack. She is ok now, and it is a testament to women’s different symptoms. © WordAffectionate3251 / Reddit

Preventative measures for heart health.

Heart disease is mostly preventable, and to better take care of yourself, with these measures:

• See your doctor to learn your risk for heart disease.
• Quit smoking. One year after quitting, your risk drops by 50%.
• Get regular exercise. At least 150 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like jogging), or a mix of both. Include strength training at least twice a week.
• Eat a healthy diet. Choose fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, and seeds. Limit processed foods, added sugars, salt, and alcohol.
• Keep an eye on blood pressure and cholesterol. Regular check-ups help catch high blood pressure or cholesterol early so they can be treated before they harm your heart.
• Manage diabetes. If you have diabetes, keeping your blood sugar in a healthy range is key to avoiding heart problems.
• Stay at a healthy weight. Reaching and keeping a healthy weight takes pressure off your heart and lowers your risk for other health issues.
• Manage stress. Long-term stress can hurt your heart. Try stress-reducing activities like mindfulness, meditation, or regular exercise.

Making these changes could help lower your risk of a silent heart attack and also boost your overall health.

About half of first heart attacks are fatal, so experts stress the importance of finding heart disease early, before symptoms appear. A regular heart health check-up is vital. People should get a check-up from their doctor. This helps identify risk factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and family history, which all raise the chance of having a heart attack.

Silent heart attacks are dangerous because they often go unnoticed or cause very mild symptoms, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Spotting subtle warning signs and managing risk factors early are key to prevention. Regular check-ups and maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle can greatly reduce the chances of a silent heart attack and improve overall heart health.

In another article, your food cravings might signal what your body needs. To know more about these cravings, check this link.