How To Tell If You're Having A Heart Attack

By: Gabrielle Talley

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Research in recent years identifies ways how to tell if you’re having a heart attack. Many people think of heart attacks as sudden heart failure when really there are many different symptoms. You may not think the symptoms are those of a heart attack. Learn about the signs and save yourself or someone else if they show these symptoms.

  1. Check for discomfort in your body. Many heart attacks start with discomfort in the chest area. Sometimes the discomfort symptoms disappear and it seems like it was only heartburn. However, the symptom comes back for no apparent reason. To tell if you’re having a heart attack, you should be aware that the feeling can be uncomfortable, feeling like a pressure or squeezing sensation on the chest.
  2. Not only do the uncomfortable symptoms occur in the chest but also in other areas of the body. To tell if you’re having a heart attack, know that there could be pain in the back, arms, jaw, stomach and neck. Persistent discomfort is the main way for how to tell if you’re having a heart attack.
  3. Check airflow to the lungs. Along with physical pain and discomfort shortness of breath is another symptom to look for to tell if you’re having a heart attack.
  4. Check for other signs. The body tries telling you that something is wrong through many different signs. The fake heart attacks that Redd Foxx’s character Sanford on Sanford and Son used to perform is not the true way that heart attacks happen. Check for other signs that include cold sweats, lightheadedness, and nausea. These symptoms often appear when learning how to tell if you’re having a heart attack.
  5. Call 9-1-1. Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance immediately if any of these symptoms are present. Even if you think these symptoms are not a heart attack, call and have the emergency medical staff check you to be sure. Medical staffers train for these situations, and can get you the care you need at a hospital. Calling for help may save your life.
 
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Posted on: May. 04, 2010