Know the Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

The hot weather that occurs every summer can put extra strain on your body, especially if you’re either very old or very young or are doing strenuous work outside. One thing you need to be especially conscious of is your heart. Doing vigorous work, especially if you’re not used to doing such things, can put your heart under a lot of stress.

Keeping healthy through diet and exercise is the best way to take care of your heart. But it is always important to be aware of the signs of a heart attack. Any one or combination of the following could be a signal for a heart attack and you should seek help immediately:

· Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting for more than a few minutes.

· Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms.

· Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.

The sooner you can get yourself to a doctor or medical professional, the better. Between using CPR, bypass surgery, pacemakers, drugs to stop a heart attack in progress, surgical techniques to repair heart defects, and now transplants, science has taken us a long way toward surviving heart problems such as a heart attack. The fact is though, heart diseases are America’s #1 killer, so take care of your heart and watch out for warning signs of severe stress to it.

Source for the warning signs: The American Heart Association

Nicole Niemiec is an occupational therapist with 10 years of experience working with patients of all ages and illnesses. Nicole has seen firsthand how poor health habits can affect your body. She developed her site, http://www.healthy-insights.com to provide information to assist you with leading a healthy lifestyle in order to enhance and prolong your quality of life.

Family Health