5 Indications That You are Having a Stress Related Heart Attack
A heart attack happens when an artery is no longer able to supply blood and oxygen to your heart muscle. Arteries are usually blocked by some type of substance which causes your heart to overwork itself. Substances that cause a heart attack include fat, cellular waste, calcium, cholesterol and fibrin. You can also have a stress related heart attack related to your job or other stressful situations. You must read this information to fully understand why stress related heart attacks take place.
Broken Heart Syndrome
Before we discuss the indicators of a stress related heart attack, lets first talk about broken heart syndrome. You might not have heard of the broken heart syndrome, but it is a thing. Broken heart syndrome is also called cardiomyopathy. This condition happens when a person experiences intense emotional or physical stress.
A person will have to experience some type of serious emotional or physical situation to trigger cardiomyopathy. Other stressors such as extreme fear, surprise and anger can also create this problem. If you experience situations involving a stroke, breathing difficulty, seizure or extreme bleeding; they can also cause broken heart syndrome. Now let’s discuss 5 indications of a stress related heart attack.
1. Chest Pain
Chest pain often happens when a person’s heart has to work harder to pump blood to the rest of their body. Chest pain is a symptom of cardiomyopathy. When a person experiences extreme fear or is suddenly jolted, this reaction is caused by adrenaline. This is also happens when a person deals with stress. Adrenaline and cortisol are two stress related hormones. Medicine Net points out that when these two hormones are pumped into your body, they cause your heart to work overtime. This is why stress causes chest pain.
2. Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath is another symptom of a stress related heart attack. When a person experience lots of stress, shortness of breath happens because their breathing muscles tighten up. When this happens, it feels as if they can no longer catch their breath. A person will usually become nervous or anxious once they lose their breath. This will cause the feelings of shortness of breath to feel worse. This in turn often leads to panic. A person’s heart will start to work harder. These factors would mimic the symptoms of a heart attack.
3. Palpitations of the Heart
Johns Hopkins also talks about stress related palpitations. When a person’s heart palpitates, the condition happens because their heart is beating with an abnormal rhythm. Heart palpitations are also known as irregular heartbeat or atrial fibrillation or AFib. People that deal with a lot of anxiety or that have panic attacks can also experience an irregular heartbeat. Tachycardia is a fancy word for rapid heartbeat. When a person experiences a lot of stress this condition can happen, and it resembles a heart attack.
4. Weakness
Weakness can result from stress. Your muscles can go weak due to the lack of oxygen and blood flow to the body. This situation is only temporary when it is stress related. Remember the stress hormones will cause the initial reaction of weakness. A person’s body will respond to the fight or flight mechanism. In this case it creates weakness. Ultimately, weakness helps the body to cope with the conditions of stress or fear.
5. Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting also can happen when a person become too stressed out. The stress hormone gets released due to this perceived threat. A person’s body can sometimes protect itself through the process of nausea and vomiting. This too is another coping mechanism for the body to use to protect extreme times of stress and anxiety.
You need to remember that stress related heart attack symptoms often seem like the real thing, but they are not. However, don’t be deceived. Extreme stress or stress related situations can cause death. Beware of the symptoms and take action if necessary. So, you must beware of stress and how it can ultimately impact your body.