Heart Attack Warning Signs In Women

Frequent Insomnia

Insomnia can be a sign of heart failure, which can lead to a heart attack. In fact, nearly seventy-five percent of those with heart failure, including women, report they experience frequent insomnia. As such, it's among the most common heart failure symptoms. Insomnia occurs when an individual has trouble falling or staying asleep. They might also wake up too early. In some cases, patients with insomnia experience all three of these things. This leads to sleep deprivation, which not only causes cognitive impairment during the day, but can also take a toll on the body's overall health. Insomnia has been shown to increase the risk of stroke and heart attack. One study showed patients who have difficulty falling asleep are at 1.27 times more of a risk than the rest of the population. Individuals with difficulty maintaining sleep had 1.11 times the risk, and those with non-restorative sleep had 1.18 the times risk.

Pay Attention When Symptoms Are Unusual Or Sudden

Women should pay attention when symptoms they experience are unusual or sudden. Sometimes women have severe heart valve problems, but they don't recognize their symptoms until after they have significant heart damage. It's important to be aware of symptoms indicating heart disease or other heart attack risk factors, especially if there is a history of heart disease in the family.

When these symptoms have no other discernible cause and women experience more than one of them, it is critical to seek medical attention as quickly as possible and to be a strong advocate while getting medical attention. Remember, women are more likely to experience quieter symptoms of a heart attack than men.