5 warning signs of an unhealthy heart you should never ignore

If a middle-aged guy begins gripping his chest, sweating heavily, and starts to gasp for air, then we all know he is suffering from a heart attack. Well, according to Dr. Basel Ramlawi, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Main Line Health in Philadelphia, this is just the "Bollywood" depiction of cardiac disease. As per him, this might be the most dramatic way but definitely not the most common way in which patients ussually get heart attack.

Reality of subtle heart attack symptoms

As dramatically as you may visualise it, heart issues can be fairly subtle, he explains, and they appear differently in everyone. While someone having a heart attack may clutch their chest, others—particularly women and diabetics, who frequently have nerve damage which stops them from feeling pain more evidently—may not experience any chest discomfort at all. Other heart diseases may appear in similarly diverse ways.

Even the mildest symptoms should be taken seriously because, as Ramlawi puts it, "Your heart is the lifeline of your whole body."

However, Vice Chairman of Interventional Cardiology, Heart Institute, Dr. Rajneesh Kapoor from Medanta says that, even though not all heart problems have obvious warning signs, it's still important to be aware of the common symptoms in order to be able to spot even the smallest change or abnormality and seek medical attention quickly to stop the condition from getting worse.

Look out for these five warning signs of an unhealthy heart.

Nausea, indigestion and heartburn

During a heart attack, some people may have nausea, heartburn, dyspepsia, or stomach pain. Moreover, vomiting may be an addition to these symptoms. As a result, dyspepsia and heart attacks can often be confused. Similar to stomach issues, there are other possible causes for them to occur, but you also need to be aware that they could be signs of a heart attack.

Fainting, dizziness or lightheadedness

Everyone has occasionally experienced dizziness or fainting. While there are a number of reasons why you could faint, including heat from the sun, inadequate ventilation, standing up too quickly from a sitting or laying down posture, anxiety, or shock, but when fainting happens with chest pain or breathing difficulties, then this may be a sign of a more serious condition, and this may result in an issue with the heart's ability to pump blood.

Chest discomfort

One of the most typical indicators that your heart may be in danger is this one. When an artery is clogged or during a heart attack, you may feel pressure, tightness, or discomfort in your chest. The symptom normally lasts a few minutes, and this usually happens during physical activity and also when you are resting.

Another red flag of a cardiac issue is exhaustion. If you feel exhausted after doing an activity that you weren't finding difficult before, like carrying groceries or climbing stairs, there might be an issue. Particularly in women, extreme fatigue or inexplicable weakness, sometimes lasting days at a time, may indicate heart disease.

Pain in the throat or jaw

Common causes of throat or jaw pain include muscle problems, colds, and sinus infections. On the other hand, a heart attack may be indicated if you feel pain or discomfort in your chest that travels to your jaw or throat.

Check out these exercises for a healthy heart, suggested by Basel Ramlawi.