9 Warning Signs of a Heart Attack from Your Body a Month Before | Ochsner Health (2024)

1. Frequent chest pain

• Chest pain or discomfort is one of the most common signs of a heart attack. It may feel like a pressure or tightness in the chest, or like someone is squeezing your chest. The pain may also radiate to your arms, neck, jaw, back, or stomach and is often associated with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea or vomiting.
• If you experience chest pain or discomfort that lasts for more than a few minutes, seek medical attention right away. Don't wait to see if it goes away on its own, as this could be a sign of a heart attack. It's important to note that not everyone who has a heart attack experiences chest pain, and some people may only have mild or no symptoms at all.

2. Fatigue

• Feeling tired or worn out after a stressful day or restless night is typical, but this is another common sign of a heart attack. You may feel like you're more tired than usual, or like you cannot seem to get enough rest. This may be due to a decrease in blood flow to your heart, which causes the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Approximately 70% of women experience fatigue before a heart attack.

3. Dizziness

• You can feel lightheaded or dizzy for several reasons such as skipping a meal or dehydration, but it can also be a sign of a heart attack. If the dizziness is combined with chest pain or shortness of breath, a heart attack could be imminent.
• You may feel like you're going to faint, or like the room is spinning. This can be due to a decrease in blood flow to the brain or an irregular rhythm caused by a heart attack.

4. Indigestion or nausea

• Abdominal pain occurs in over 50% of heart attacks in both males and females. The symptoms may include an upset stomach, nausea with an empty or full stomach or feeling bloated. This can be due to the body's response to a lack of oxygen in the blood. Acid reflux or heartburn are also symptoms of a heart attack that are overlooked. Listen to what your body is telling you, if something feels unusual seek medical attention right away.

5. Sweating

• Unless you are going through menopause or have just completed an exercise, sweating excessively or breaking out in a cold sweat could be a sign a heart attack is looming. When your body is in trouble, it will go into fight or flight mode as a response to the stress, and this can lead to sweating.

6. Swelling in the legs, ankles and/or feet

• Unusual swelling in the legs, ankles or feet can be a sign blood is not pumping properly throughout the body.

7. Irregular heartbeat

• If you drink too much coffee in the morning, you may feel as if your heart is beating quickly. In rare occasions, this can be a symptom of atrial fibrillation, a medical condition also referred to as afib. When the heart is not receiving enough blood, every part of the body is affected, and many things can go wrong as a side effect.

8. Pain in other parts of your body

• Although chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack, you may also experience pain or discomfort in other areas of your body. This can include your arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach. The pain may feel like pressure, squeezing or fullness, and may come and go or last for several minutes or more. Your body is smart and sends signals throughout the body when your heart is in trouble.

9. Shortness of breath

• Shortness of breath is another common sign of a heart attack. You may feel like you can't catch your breath, or like you're having trouble breathing. You may also experience wheezing or coughing. This can happen when your heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. Shortness of breath may also be accompanied by chest pain or discomfort, fatigue, dizziness or nausea.
• If you're having trouble breathing, seek medical attention right away. Shortness of breath can be a sign of many different health issues, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.