How the Signs of Heart Problems Can Differ from Men to Women

As a professional wrestler… one of the first lessons I was taught was how to recognize when an opponent is in distress.

This seems like a conflict of interests as it’s my job as a wrestler to make sure the other guy is too beat up to continue.

But I’m talking about REAL distress… the life threatening kind.

It’s important for wrestlers (as well as everybody else!) to be able to notice when somebody… whether it’s their opponent or not… is in real trouble because the last thing you want is for somebody to die on you (in the ring or otherwise)!

And this lesson was literally beat into me by my trainers… especially on how to recognize the signs of heart problems in men… seeing as that was who I would only wrestle against.

So… I assumed that all heart problems were accompanied by the same warning signs for everybody… in both men and women.

And you know what happens when you “assume” something, right?

You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the symptoms for heart health issues do vary between the sexes.

And while I thought only men were at risk of heart failure…incredibly, I was not alone… as only 20% of women even consider heart ailments as a great health risk.¹

But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As it turns out… more American women die from heart issues then men.²

What’s more, heart health (or lack there of) is the number one killer and leading cause of disability in women.

Unfortunately… one out of every three women will die from it.

Just as alarming… two thirds of women who have had an episode of heart failure never fully recover.³

Frightening statistics for sure, but it also should be enough inspiration for women to want to maintain a healthy heart.

But as important as prevention is for a healthy heart… so too is knowing the signs that danger is imminent.

Symptoms for a woman can be different then symptoms for a man and it’s important to know those differences because it can save your life… or that of someone you love.

So where do we start?

First of all…there’s also a wide range of warning signals… and chances are it won’t be like the dramatic scenes that you see in the movies; you know the kind… where a person clutches there chest and falls to the ground.

This actually only happens to about 5% of people.⁴

For the real word… the signs are much more subtle.

What are the Signs of imminent Heart Failure?

The typical signs of heart failure for both women and men are:

• Pain or discomfort in the middle of the chest…and can be range anywhere from mild to strong. It can last can either last only a few minutes or it can come and go.
• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
• Shortness of breath, which often occurs before or with the chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea or vomiting
• Feeling faint or woozy
• Breaking out in a cold sweat

Women are more likely then men to have pain that is not in their chest. It might radiate from their shoulders or between their shoulder blades or they might even have shortness of breath, nausea/ vomiting, or pain in the back, neck, or jaw.

But women are also more likely to have less typical signs of heart failure, such as:

• Heartburn
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling tired or weak
• Coughing
• Heart flutters

The question of how when these symptoms occur and how long they last can vary.

Sometimes they can happen suddenly… but they can also develop slowly.

It could happen over hours or it can happen over days… even weeks before an attack actually occurs.

Also… if you’ve previously had heart problems your symptoms may not be the same for the next “big one”.

Even if you suspect you are having a heart issues but aren’t completely sure… you should still have it checked out anyways.

Besides… what do you have to lose other than your life?

Knowing the signs and symptoms of these life changing sneak attacks can make all the difference for a positive outcome and can minimize the damage to your heart.

Don’t underestimate your symptoms by brushing them off as heart burn or stress.

If you suspect you’re having symptoms of heart failure… call 911 right away, and if you don’t have access to such emergency medical services… have someone take you to the hospital immediately.

How Do You Reduce Your Risk?

Whether you’ve had heart problems in the past or not, you can work on reducing your risk for future events.

In fact, you can lower your risk of heart issues by as much as 82% just by leading a healthy lifestyle.⁵ Four of the best things you can do for yourself starting today are:

Eat a heart healthy diet: Eat more fruits and vegetables (5 to 10 servings a day), get plenty of healthy omega 3 fats (salmon, olive oil, avocados, flaxseed, and nuts are good sources). Limit your carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice. Get rid of all the refined sugars and processed foods in your diet as well as excessive alcohol.

Get moving: Exercise helps you control your weight, reduce stress, and reduce your risk of developing conditions that put an unnecessary strain on your heart such as high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and triglycerides.

Studies show that exercise and just small reductions in weight can have a significant impact. All you need is about 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day for 3 or 4 days per week to reduce your risk of heart problems (but of course if you can do more …even better!).

Quit Smoking: I am sure you know smoking is bad for you… but it’s particularly bad you’re your heart. The nicotine makes your heart work too hard by narrowing your blood vessels, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure.⁶

If you smoke… quit!

According to the Mayo Clinic when you quit smoking your risk of heart health issues drops significantly within just one year.

Get Screened Regularly: High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure can be very damaging to your heart and blood vessels.

Talk to your doctor about how often you should get tested… because you probably won’t know you have these problems otherwise!

Remember… knowing the signs of a heart problem and knowing how to react can help save your life…

Because being forwarned is to be forarmed.

In the meantime…try finding ways to add healthy heart habits into your life and you can reap the benefits of a healthier and happier life for years to come.

Stay Healthy!

Shawn Ambrosino
Editor
Best Life Herbals