Insomnia... Indigestion... Nausea... Body Aches...
Most women would write these types of symptoms off as everyday "womanly" issues. And rightly so... But what many women don't know is that these very symptoms could be signs of a more severe problem: Heart Attack.
Generally, when people think "heart attack", they think of gasping for air and clutching your chest, pain in the left arm, etc... While these, of course, are generally definite signs of a heart attack, statistics show that 95% of women who have had a heart attack didn't recognize the symptoms at the time. Why? Because women's signs are completely different than men's, and are often mistaken for other, more common, issues that one wouldn't normally seek medical attention for. Sadly, because of this, women are more likely to die from sudden cardiac death than men.
Here are the signs you should NEVER ignore:
Indigestion: Cramps, nausea, diarrhea or any other unusual digestive activity can be signs of a heart attack. Become familiar with your system and take note if any unexplained changes should occur.
Fatigue and/or Insomnia: Many female heart attack patients reported having chronic fatigue in the few months prior to their attacks, however, during the last month prior to the attack, many of these women also experienced insomnia or inability to fall, or even stay, asleep.
Shortness of Breath: About 40% of women reported having shortness of breath during day to day activities such as walking up stairs, activities that wouldn't normally exert them.
Anxiety/Stress: Stress is a huge risk for a heart attack. Pretty much everyone knows that. But for women, it was the emotional experience they reported. Many said they experienced severe, uncontrollable anxiety before their attacks, like knowing somethings wrong but not knowing what it is.
Feels like Flu: Flu-like symptoms could very well be a heart attack in disguise. Clammy skin, sweating, body aches, and weakness are signs you should go to the doctor and make sure it's the flu.
Jaw/shoulder Aches: While men often feel pain and numbness in the chest, shoulder and arm, women commonly don't experience anything like that. Female survivors have reported noticeable pain in areas such as the jaw, ear, neck, and shoulder much like a pulled muscle or an ache.
Protect yourself. Pay attention to your body, it will always tell you what's wrong, you just have to know how to listen.
Cheers to health and happiness!
This information was gathered and summarized from an article found here.
