Your heart gives life to everything you do, but many of us don’t pay attention to the potentially serious warning signs it’s giving us. Finding what it’s telling you might just save your life.
Our heart is the control centre for virtually everything in our body, keeping us alive, alert, and ready to conquer each new day. However, for many people, our hearts are doing more than just keeping our blood pumping —they’re trying to send us a message.
Heart disease is the number one killer in the world, accounting for 1 in 4 deaths in the United States alone. What’s worse is that many people ignore the symptoms of heart trouble, mistaking them for other, more minor medical issues. Every second count when your heart is concerned, so ignoring your symptoms can prove fatal fast. We’ve compiled a list of the 20 warning signs your heart is giving you, many of them so subtle you might think they’re nothing at all. If you’re experiencing any of them, it’s time to talk to your doctor and make sure that minor issue doesn’t turn into a life-threatening one.
1. YOU FEEL QUEASY
That unsettled feeling in your stomach could be more than just a case of nerves. If your stomach is tied up in knots all of a sudden, or if you experience vomiting seemingly out of nowhere, it’s well worth mentioning to your doctor. Fortunately, nausea and vomiting are often early warning signs of a heart attack, so getting them attended to early may help you fight back before your life is at risk.
2. YOU’RE OUT OF BREATH
Whether you’re changing altitudes or upping the intensity of your workout, it’s not exactly unheard of for even regular exercises to find themselves winded. However, if you’re struggling to breathe as you go about your daily business, it could be a sign that your heart isn’t working properly. Many individuals with heart disease develop pulmonary oedema, a condition in which the lungs fill with fluid. When the heart doesn’t effectively carry blood to and from your vital organs, your blood pressure increases, causing the transfer of fluid from your blood vessels to the alveoli, tiny air sacs inside the lungs. This makes it difficult to breathe and can often create a feeling of heaviness in the chest, similar to what some people experience during a panic attack.
3. YOU’RE DIZZY
A little dizziness after a day at the amusement park is normal. When that feeling occurs seemingly out of nowhere, you might be in trouble. Dizziness is often a warning sign of heart disease, often accompanying pulmonary oedema. When your brain isn’t receiving adequate blood flow, it can make you feel woozy, as can pulmonary oedema, which can limit the amount of oxygenated blood being delivered to your organs.
4. YOUR SHOULDER ACHES OR IS NUMB
Numbness and pain in the left shoulder are among the most widely-reported heart attack symptoms, and definitely ones you shouldn’t ignore. While shoulder pain can also stem from everyday wear and tear, like tendonitis or a rotor cuff injury, if the pain is moving down your chest and into your fingertips, it’s important you call 911 right away. Often the pain isn’t just limited to your arm, however — many people experience it in their jaw and neck, too.
5. YOU’RE ALWAYS EXHAUSTED
We get it: there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done and get a good night’s rest, too. While there are tons of things in this world that can make you sleepy, from a lack of caffeine to poor sleep, sudden, unshakable fatigue can also be an indication your heart isn’t doing its job effectively. When your heart isn’t firing on all cylinders, it limits the amount of oxygen-rich blood to your organs, making everything you do both more difficult and more draining. Coupled with the fluid buildup in the lungs that often accompanies heart disease and you’ve got a recipe for serious exhaustion
6. YOU’RE NOT HUNGRY
While it might be nice to imagine having our hunger for junk food disappear, when your appetite vanishes entirely, it can be cause for serious concern. Lack of hunger can often be an early warning sign of a heart attack, so if you find yourself turning up your nose at your favourite foods, it might be worth mentioning to a medical professional. Fortunately, just because you’re not hungry doesn’t mean you’re definitely dealing with something serious; everything from dietary changes to stress can cause your eating habits to change, too.
7. YOUR THYROID IS FUNCTIONING IMPROPERLY
Your thyroid is one of those body parts you’re unlikely to think about until an issue arises. Unfortunately, when your thyroid isn’t working properly, it can spend your life in virtually no time. A review of research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism increase a person’s risk of developing heart disease, and heart disease can also cause thyroid dysfunction by limiting blood flow and causing hormonal changes. Strangely enough, many of the symptoms of thyroid issues, like fatigue, coughing, and rapid weight gain, are also symptoms of heart disease, so investigating one issue may lead to the diagnosis of another.
8. YOU FEEL A SENSE OF DOOM
A sense of impending doom might be your heart’s way of telling you it’s time to high-tail it to the doctor. For many people with heart disease, the combined lack of oxygen and blood flow can create a profound sense of doom, which can appear out of nowhere. Coupled with the breathless feeling that often accompanies pulmonary oedema, you can feel serious terror in even the most serene spaces.
9. YOU’RE ALWAYS THIRSTY
We could all stand to drink more water —the CDC suggests that most adults are drinking less than a third of what they should each day —but a constant thirst that never goes away might have more to do with your heart than your hydration. The combination of electrolyte imbalances and gastrointestinal upset that often go along with heart disease can make you feel thirsty even when you’ve just downed a significant amount of water, so don't be afraid to speak up if you're suddenly parched all the time.
10. YOU HAVE SLEEP APNEA
The snoring that keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep could be a sign that your heart isn’t working as well as it should. Heart disease and sleep apnea often go hand-in-hand, although it’s not always clear if the former causes the latter, or vice versa. If you’re concerned that you may have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor.
