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What is a Silent Heart Attack?
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If you've ever seen a movie where an actor has a heart attack, you've probably seen them clutch their chest, eyes rolling back, groaning in the severe pain before they collapse onto the floor.
However, a movie heart attack can be different from a real one.
The pain you experience from a heart attack may be much less dramatic — and it may not even be very painful at all. But if you don't have the telltale sign of sudden chest pain that everyone is taught to recognize, it can be confusing. This is called a silent heart attack. It means you don't even know you're having one. But it's still dangerous — and even life-threatening.
What is a Silent Heart Attack?
A silent heart attack is just like any other — and just as damaging. Your heart needs oxygen-rich blood to function. If plaque (which consists of fat, cholesterol, and other substances) builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the heart, this blood flow can be significantly or completely cut off.
The longer your heart doesn’t have blood flow, the more damage that occurs. Because silent heart attacks may go unnoticed, they can cause a significant amount of damage. And without treatment, they can be deadly.
The good news is that you can prepare by knowing these 4 silent signs of a heart attack.
Four Signs of a Silent Heart Attack
1. Chest Pain, Pressure, Fullness, or Discomfort
Sometimes the pain from a heart attack is sudden and intense, which makes them easy to recognize and get help. But, what about when it’s not?
Most heart attacks actually involve only mild pain or discomfort in the center of your chest. You may also feel pressure, squeezing, or fullness. These symptoms usually start slowly, and they may go away and come back.
This can be complicated because these symptoms may be related to something less serious, such as heartburn. You know your body best, though. If you feel like something’s not right, you need to be evaluated by a physician or even head to the emergency room.
2. Discomfort in other areas of your body
A heart attack doesn’t just affect your heart — you can actually feel the effects throughout your whole body. But this can make identifying a heart attack confusing.
- Arms (one or both of them)
- Back
- Neck
- Jaw
- Stomach
3. Difficulty breathing and dizziness
If you feel like you’ve just run a marathon, but you only walked up the stairs, that might be a sign your heart isn’t able to pump blood to the rest of your body. Shortness of breath can occur with or without chest pain, and it’s a common sign of a silent heart attack.
You may also feel dizzy or lightheaded — and it’s possible you could faint. Though this can happen to both men and women, it’s more common for women to experience shortness of breath.
If you’re having trouble with tasks that weren’t previously difficult, such as making the bed or walking the dog, make sure you get it checked out in case it’s a subtle sign of a heart attack.
4. Nausea and cold sweats
Waking up in a cold sweat, feeling nauseated, and vomiting may be symptoms of the flu, but they can also be signs of a silent heart attack.
You may know what the flu feels like because you've had one before, but when your gut is telling you that these flu-like symptoms are something more serious, listen. Don’t chalk these symptoms up to the flu, stress, or simply feeling under the weather — they may be much more serious than that.
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