10 Warnings Signs Of HEART ATTACK A Week BEFORE It Happens

Summary

This video educates viewers on the warning signs of an impending heart attack, emphasizing the importance of recognizing early symptoms like unusual fatigue, edema, and mild angina. It explains how these signs can escalate, leading to severe conditions such as chest pain, nausea, and dizziness. The speaker stresses the significance of addressing these symptoms promptly to prevent a heart attack, linking the degeneration of heart health to lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and stress management. The video encourages viewers to take proactive steps towards a healthier lifestyle and provides resources for further education.

Takeaways

• 😴 Unusual fatigue without a specific reason can be an early warning sign of a heart issue, indicating the heart is not receiving enough resources.
• 🩸 Edema, or swelling, can occur due to a lack of blood flow, which is a common term related to heart problems.
• 😓 Mild angina, characterized by chest pain or discomfort, can be an indicator of the heart struggling due to insufficient oxygen and nutrients.
• 💨 Shortness of breath may arise from the body's need for more oxygen when blood flow is reduced.
• 💧 Sweating at rest can be a response to the heart being under stress and not receiving necessary resources, activating the sympathetic nervous system.
• 🤕 Unexplained weakness, especially in the limbs, can signal a more severe stage of heart distress.
• 🤢 Nausea and vomiting can be linked to heart stress through the activation of the vagus nerve, which also controls the digestive system.
• 😵 Dizziness or lightheadedness can result from reduced blood flow to the brain when the heart's output is compromised.
• 🔥 Severe pain or pressure across the chest, described as an 'elephant sitting' sensation, indicates a significant blockage and heart distress.
• 🌀 Pain radiating to the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulders can be a sign of referred pain due to shared sensory pathways with the heart, signifying intense heart stress.
• 🆘 Severe shortness of breath at rest is a critical sign of a compromised cardiovascular function and requires immediate attention.

Q & A

What is the first warning sign of a potential heart attack mentioned in the script?

The first warning sign is unusual fatigue, where a person feels tired for no specific reason.

What does the term 'edema' refer to in the context of heart problems?

Edema, in the context of heart problems, refers to a condition where there is a lack of blood, which carries nutrients and oxygen to the body's cells, including the heart muscle.

How can edema lead to fatigue?

Edema can lead to fatigue because if the heart isn't receiving the necessary resources, it struggles to perform its function, resulting in less blood being provided to the body and consequently less energy for all the cells.

What is the difference between the fatigue experienced before a heart attack and regular sleepiness?

The fatigue experienced before a heart attack is more of a physical fatigue that is persistent and affects the whole body, especially with exertion, whereas regular sleepiness is a more general feeling of tiredness that is not specifically related to physical exertion.

What is mild angina and how is it related to heart problems?

Mild angina refers to chest pain, pressure, or discomfort that can occur if the heart is not receiving enough oxygen and resources, leading to discomfort and pressure as the heart struggles.

Why does shortness of breath occur as a warning sign of a heart attack?

Shortness of breath occurs because a lack of blood to the body means less oxygen is available. The body then tries to compensate by breathing faster, but this can lead to a feeling of not being able to catch one's breath.

How does the heart's struggle to pump blood properly affect the lungs?

When the heart struggles to pump blood properly, it can lead to a backlog of blood in the pulmonary veins, increasing pressure in the lungs and causing fluid to leak into the lung tissues, which reduces the surface area available for gas exchange.

What is the significance of sweating even when at rest as a warning sign?

Sweating at rest is significant because it can indicate that the heart is under stress due to a lack of resources, activating the sympathetic nervous system and causing a stress response similar to the fight-or-flight reaction.

What does unexplained weakness signify in terms of heart health?

Unexplained weakness, especially when localized and sudden in onset, can signify a more severe heart issue, potentially signaling that a heart attack is imminent.

How does the vagus nerve contribute to nausea and vomiting during heart stress?

The vagus nerve, responsible for the parasympathetic outflow, can cause signals to mix with heart signals during extreme heart stress, leading to the body's reaction of nausea and vomiting as the gut and heart signals are not clearly separated.

Why does dizziness or lightheadedness occur when the heart is stressed?

Dizziness or lightheadedness occurs because a stressed heart with reduced output struggles to pump blood against gravity to the brain, leading to less blood flow, nutrients, and oxygen, and resulting in lightheadedness.

Outlines

00:00

💔 Early Warning Signs of Heart Attack

The paragraph discusses early indicators of a potential heart attack, emphasizing unusual fatigue as a primary symptom. It explains how a poorly functioning heart can lead to edema, a condition characterized by a lack of blood flow, which in turn affects the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells, including the heart muscle. This can result in persistent and generalized fatigue, especially during physical exertion. The paragraph also introduces mild angina, or chest pain, as another early sign, and stresses the importance of recognizing these symptoms as they can progress to a heart attack. It highlights that these mild symptoms may appear years before a heart attack, contrary to the misconception that a heart attack can occur suddenly without prior signs.

05:01

😓 Advanced Symptoms Signaling Heart Stress

This section delves into more severe symptoms that indicate advanced heart stress. It begins with shortness of breath, which is attributed to the body's need for more oxygen due to reduced blood circulation. The paragraph explains the physiological process involving the pulmonary veins and the potential leakage of fluid into the lung tissues, impairing gas exchange. The discussion then moves to unexplained sweating, which is linked to the body's stress response when the heart is under strain. The paragraph also covers unexplained weakness, which is distinct from general fatigue and can be localized, and nausea and vomiting, which are connected to the vagus nerve's response to heart stress. Finally, it addresses dizziness and lightheadedness, which result from decreased blood flow to the brain due to reduced cardiac output.

10:03

🚨 Critical Signs Demanding Immediate Attention

The final paragraph outlines the most severe symptoms that require immediate medical attention, indicating an imminent heart attack. It describes severe chest pain or pressure as a critical sign of significant blockage in blood flow to the heart. The paragraph also discusses referred pain, explaining how pain in the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulders can be a sign of heart distress due to shared sensory pathways with the heart. Lastly, it addresses severe shortness of breath, which can be a result of both fluid buildup in the lungs and a weakened heart, creating a vicious cycle that severely compromises cardiovascular function. The paragraph concludes with a call to action to change one's lifestyle to prevent or mitigate the progression of heart disease, and it encourages viewers to seek more information through the provided resources.

Keywords

💡Fatigue

Fatigue in the context of the video refers to an unusual and persistent tiredness that is not due to a specific cause, such as lack of sleep. It is a general physical feeling of exhaustion that affects the whole body. In the video, fatigue is mentioned as an early warning sign of a potential heart problem because the heart may not be receiving the necessary nutrients and oxygen, leading to less energy production for the body's cells.

💡Edema

Edema is defined as an excess of watery fluid accumulating in the body's tissues, leading to swelling. In the video, it is associated with heart problems, where the lack of blood flow to the heart can result in edema. The video explains that if the heart is struggling due to inadequate blood supply, it cannot effectively pump blood, leading to fluid accumulation in the body's tissues.

💡Angina

Angina is a term used to describe chest pain, pressure, or discomfort that occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood. In the video, mild angina is mentioned as a warning sign of a heart attack. It is linked to the heart's struggle due to a lack of resources, which can lead to discomfort and pressure in the chest area.

💡Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea, is a feeling of being unable to get enough air despite breathing normally. The video explains that this can be a sign of heart problems, particularly when the heart is not effectively circulating blood, leading to a lack of oxygen in the body. It can initially occur during exertion but may progress to even appearing at rest.

💡Sweating

Excessive sweating, even at rest, is mentioned in the video as a sign of heart stress. It is related to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the body's fight-or-flight response. When the heart is under stress due to insufficient resources, it triggers this response, leading to increased sweating as a way for the body to try to cool down and manage the stress.

💡Weakness

Weakness, as discussed in the video, refers to a physical state where the body, particularly limbs, lacks strength to perform tasks. It is distinguished from general fatigue and is often localized. The video suggests that unexplained and sudden onset of weakness can be a moderate to severe sign of heart issues, indicating that a heart attack might be imminent.

💡Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are symptoms that can be associated with heart stress, as explained in the video. They occur due to the activation of the vagus nerve, which is responsible for the parasympathetic response in the body. When the heart is under extreme stress, the signals from the vagus nerve can become mixed up with those from the digestive system, leading to nausea and vomiting.

💡Dizziness

Dizziness or lightheadedness is a sensation of feeling faint or unsteady, which can be a sign of reduced blood flow to the brain. In the video, it is linked to heart problems where the heart's reduced output due to stress or blockage leads to less blood being pumped to the head, causing a lack of oxygen and nutrients and resulting in dizziness.

💡Chest Pressure

Chest pressure, as described in the video, is a severe sign of heart distress. It is characterized by a heavy, crushing feeling in the chest, often associated with significant blockages in the heart's blood flow. This pressure is a serious warning sign that requires immediate medical attention, as it can indicate an impending heart attack.

💡Referred Pain

Referred pain is a phenomenon where pain is felt in a part of the body other than its actual source. In the context of the video, pain in the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulders can be referred pain from the heart. This occurs because these body parts share sensory pathways with the heart in the spinal cord, and during a heart crisis, the intense stimulation can cause pain to be felt in these areas.

💡Metabolic Disease

Metabolic disease is a broad term that encompasses disorders of metabolism, which is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in the body's cells. The video emphasizes that the degeneration of the heart is closely linked to metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance, which can lead to heart problems over time. The video suggests that addressing metabolic health is crucial in preventing heart issues.

Highlights

Unusual fatigue can be an early warning sign of heart issues.

Edema, or lack of blood, is a common term related to heart problems.

Heart struggling due to insufficient resources can lead to less blood and oxygen supply, causing fatigue.

Fatigue from heart issues is physical, not just sleepiness, and is persistent across the body.

Mild angina, or chest discomfort, can indicate heart problems.

Heart struggling can lead to discomfort and pressure, which are early warning signs of a heart attack.

Shortness of breath can be a sign of lack of oxygen due to reduced blood flow.

Increased pressure in pulmonary veins can lead to fluid leakage in the lungs, affecting gas exchange.

Sweating at rest can be a sign of heart stress activating the sympathetic nervous system.

Unexplained weakness, different from general fatigue, can signal heart issues.

Nausea and vomiting during heart stress can be caused by the vagus nerve's response.

Dizziness or lightheadedness can result from reduced blood flow to the brain.

Severe pain or pressure across the chest can be a final warning sign before a heart attack.

Pain radiating to the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulders indicates significant heart stress.

Severe shortness of breath at rest is a critical sign of compromised cardiovascular function.

Lifestyle changes are essential in preventing and managing heart disease.

Insulin resistance and metabolic disease are key factors in heart health.

Transcripts

Hello, "Health Champions." Today, we're going  to talk about warning signs that you could  

experience before a heart attack. The first  sign is that you would have unusual fatigue,  

meaning you're tired for no specific reason.  If your heart isn't working all that well,  

then you could have what's called edema—that's  a very common term related to heart problems,  

and it simply means lack of blood. The blood, of  course, carries the nutrients and the oxygen to  

all the cells in the body, including the heart  and the heart muscle. If the heart isn't getting  

the resources that it needs, then, of course,  the heart's going to be struggling because it's  

still asked to perform the same work. But if it's  struggling, then there's going to be less blood  

provided to the body, and if the body doesn't  get the blood and the oxygen, now there's going  

to be less energy produced for all the cells  in the body, and this could lead to fatigue.

But this fatigue is different than just  sleepiness; it's more of a physical fatigue where  

you're just tired, especially with exertion. But  in severe cases and later stages, you could also  

have this fatigue at rest. So at first, it would  be that you're tired when you try to do something,  

but it's not the same thing as being sleepy. Also,  this is general and persistent, so it's not just  

like one body part now and then—it's pretty much  all the time, and it affects the whole body.

Another thing that can happen is mild angina,  which is chest pain, chest pressure, or chest  

discomfort. If you have edema, if there's not  oxygen and resources delivered to the heart  

and it's struggling, then you can also get this  discomfort and this pressure. And, of course,  

both of these are now problems that can progress  to a heart attack. These first few symptoms I'm  

marking in yellow because they are mild, and  that means that they would probably happen a  

lot longer before a heart attack. That's key that  we need to understand because a lot of times,  

we hear people say something like, "He was  healthy as a horse; he was doing just fine,"  

and then he had a heart attack. And that's not  true. He wasn't fine. If you have a heart attack,  

you were not healthy the day before the  heart attack because that's a disease  

process that takes decades. And some of these  signs are going to show up years and years before,  

whereas some of the more severe ones could  be happening maybe just a week before.

Sign number three is shortness of breath. So  again, we have a lack of blood to the body,  

and if the body doesn't get oxygen, now  it's going to be looking for more oxygen,  

so of course, you're going to be trying to  breathe faster, but you're going to feel like  

you can't catch a breath. But there's one more  thing that happens. If the heart is struggling,  

if it's not pumping and circulating that blood  properly, now there's going to be a backlog,  

and that backlog is going to create an increase in  pressure to the lungs in the pulmonary veins—the  

veins, the blood vessels that take the blood from  the heart to the lungs. And if that is backing up,  

now there's going to be increased pressure in this  vein, and we're going to have fluid seeping out;  

it's going to leak out into the  lungs into the tissues there.

And the lungs, of course, have the purpose of  absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.  

And we need these little compartments, the  alveoli of the lungs, to be humid, to be moist,  

but not wet. And by the way, if you spread  out the total surface of these little alveoli,  

it's about the size of a tennis court,  so it's a huge surface. But if we have  

leakage, now there's going to be less of a gas  exchange; the surface area is going to be reduced,  

and we're not going to have the same capacity to  absorb oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. And  

again, with these mild signs, they may only  show up in the beginning during exertion,  

when you climb stairs or when you do a workout  or something strenuous. But as this progresses,  

then these signs could show up even at rest.

Sign number four is that you could be sweating  even though you're at rest—you’re not exerting  

yourself, you're not exercising, and yet you're  sweating. And the reason is that when your heart  

has stress because it's not getting the resources,  now we have a stress response because when the  

heart is stressed, that's a significant stress on  the body. And we activate the sympathetic nervous  

system, and part of that sympathetic nervous  system is increased sweating, just like during a  

fight-or-flight response. So if you have a bear  chasing you, or if you're running, then it's  

normal for that sympathetic activation to happen,  but it can also happen if the heart is stressed.

Number five is unexplained weakness,  and now we have shifted to orange,  

meaning that these are more severe. These are  like moderate severity of signs and symptoms,  

and this is different than the general  fatigue. This is more of a physical weakness,  

and this often can be more localized, so it's  almost like your legs don't carry you or your  

arms won't perform the work. And it could also  be a sudden onset, and if you get any of these  

signs more suddenly and more severely, then this  could signal that a heart attack is on its way.

Sign number six is nausea and vomiting. And  why could that happen with heart stress? Well,  

it's due to the vagus nerve. Vagus means wanderer  because that nerve is wandering all the way from  

the cranium—it's a cranial nerve—and it goes  all the way down into your belly. And it is the  

parasympathetic outflow, meaning the opposite  of the fight-flight. And that means it's the  

feed-and-breed or the parasympathetic nerve, so  it slows things down. So the vagus nerve is the  

nerve supply that slows down the heart—the  fight-flight speeds it up, and the vagus  

slows it down. But when it is slowing down,  when we don't have a fight-flight response,  

that's also when we're trying to get resources to  the gut to digest food. That's when we're getting  

the blood flow to the digestive tract. But if we  have a lot of stress—extreme stress on the heart,  

for example—now we're firing off these nerves  with very high signals, high frequencies,  

and there can be a little bit of an overflow  on these nerves, so the signals get mixed up,  

and the heart signals and the gut signals aren't  separated as clearly, so they start affecting  

each other. And now, if we have heart stress,  the body is reacting with nausea and vomiting.

Sign number seven is that you could get dizzy  or lightheaded. And why is that? Because we said  

that when the heart doesn't get the resources, it  decreases the output. And the hardest place to get  

the blood to flow is, of course, against gravity,  and the head is the furthest away from the heart  

in terms of gravity. So if we reduce the cardiac  output, now the brain can suffer because there's  

less blood flow to the brain. If there's less  blood flow, there's less nutrients, less oxygen,  

and we could experience some lightheadedness.  So some of these signs are early signs, and  

some are medium or moderate signs, and we really  want to do something as soon as possible because  

once we get into the severe signs that we're  going to talk about, very often it can be too  

late. It may just be the time that we're having  that heart attack the same day or the next day.

And if we understand that the degeneration  of the heart is closely linked to metabolic  

disease, to the foods we eat, how we exercise,  to the stress we have—all the different things  

that I talk about on this channel—we talk about  chemical stress, which is environmental toxins and  

good food or bad food. We talk about exercise,  which is sedentary living versus movement,  

and we talk about stress, which is where you  have peace of mind versus feeling overwhelmed.  

So if we do something about this early,  if we understand how it affects the body,  

then we can prevent this, or we can restore health  to a degree. And while it's not the only factor,  

the number one cause is insulin resistance and  metabolic disease, and that's why I talk so  

much about it on this channel. And there are also  5,600 other videos that talk about these concepts  

so that you can understand them properly. And  if you really want to dig into the details,  

I've also done a blood work course where we  analyze this stuff in a little bit more detail,  

and I put a link down below for  you if you want to check that out.

Sign number eight is severe pain  or pressure across the chest,  

and some people have described this as if an  elephant is sitting on them—a crushing chest  

pressure. And this is because of significant  blockage; there's a significant reduction in  

blood flow to the heart, and now the heart is  really suffering. And when it gets this severe,  

that could be that final warning. So if  you have experienced something like that,  

don't ignore it. Make sure that you get  checked out and you do something about it.

Sign number nine is also very severe. It  is when you have pain, and it's radiating  

out into the left arm, and you could also  have this pain in the jaw, in the neck,  

or in the shoulders. And the reason that  we get this is called referred pain,  

and it's kind of like the vagus—that nerve  signals can get mixed up if they're close to  

each other and where they're coming off the  spine. And if there is intense stimulation,  

such as during a heart crisis, the reason  is that these body parts we talked about,  

they have shared sensory pathways with the heart.  They all come off the spinal cord somewhere in the  

upper thoracic and the lower cervical area. And  this represents significant heart stress. We are  

probably going to have some tissue damage because  we're depriving the heart severely of blood flow  

and oxygen, and again, this is a very serious  sign that you absolutely do not want to ignore.

Sign number ten is severe shortness of breath.  We mentioned before that you could have some  

mild shortness of breath with exercise. Well, when  it gets severe, you're probably going to have it  

all the time, even at rest. And now we have  two big problems compounding. We have this  

fluid buildup in the lungs that we talked  about, but now it's getting more severe,  

so we have less gas exchange, less oxygen in  the blood. But at the same time, we have a  

heart that is weaker and weaker, so we reduce that  cardiac output, so it's pumping even less blood,  

and there is less oxygen in the blood that is  being pumped. So it's like this vicious cycle now,  

and we have a severe compromise of our  cardiovascular function, and that heart is  

in severe distress. And if we haven't already,  we really need to get some help right away.

And the solution, of course, is to change your  lifestyle on many different levels as soon as  

possible, as early as possible in this disease  process. And I have hundreds of videos that talk  

about just how to do that. If you enjoyed this  video, you're going to love that one, and if you  

truly want to master health by understanding how  the body really works, make sure you subscribe,  

hit that bell, and turn on all the notifications  so you never miss a lifesaving video.