Chances are you’re aware of the classic signs of a heart attack: the crushing chest pain, the shortness of breath. But what about heart disease? This killer doesn’t always strike with a big bang; some indicators of ticker trouble are far less obvious than others. Here are 10 little-known signs that you may have heart problems.
1. You struggle to breathe when lying flat
If breathing is hard when you sleep on your back but often improves when you sit upright, you may have fluid buildup in the lungs, which can indicate heart failure. “When you lie flat, your blood volume gets redistributed,” says Jim Liu, M.D., a cardiologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “The heart can have problems pumping this extra blood volume, and this can lead to increased shortness of breath due to increased fluid in the lungs.” This condition, known as orthopnea, needs a doctor’s immediate attention.
Snoring can also be a red flag. Sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, “is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is associated with heart disease,” says Eleanor Levin, M.D., clinical professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Read more at: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2022/sneaky-signs-heart-disease.html
