One in every three people mistakes heart failure for something else or mostly dismisses the symptoms as those of aging. Here are 10 signs through which your body is actually telling you about your heart condition, and you should listen to it.
1. Difficulty Sleeping at Night
If you lie flat on your back, you might find it difficult to sleep. Gravity pulls the fluids in your lungs and more greatly disperses them across your lungs once you lie down. Taking pills may increase your discomfort.1
2. Rapid Weight Gain
You’ve noticed that you gained around 3 pounds in just a few days. You cannot, normally, gain so much weight in such a short time. This weight is due to fluid accumulation or congestion.2
This buildup of fluids within blood vessels will eventually lead to fluid escaping to your surrounding tissues.
3. Swollen Feet And Lungs
Fluid will accumulate in your legs and feet. Swelling of these parts of the body may mean poor circulation and gravity’s effect on the fluid. It could be that the small valves in your veins are not working as you age.3
4. Abdominal Swelling
Another place where you will find fluid accumulation is in the abdomen. You might feel some pain and discomfort due to congestion in the liver and digestive tract. Your salt intake could be a reason for this too.4
5. Cough And Wheezing
Lung congestion could also lead to persistent cough and wheezing. If the coughing worsens, you should check with your doctor for further diagnosis.5
6. Pink And Foamy Mucus
Accumulation of fluid in the lungs will lead up to a pink and frothy mucus. It might affect your breathing. In such cases, check with your doctor immediately.6
7. Decreased Energy
Those who are suffering from heart failure or heart-related disease may feel tired and fatigued. With reduced efficiency of the heart, blood doesn’t get appropriately pumped to the entire body. Lack of proper blood pumping could lead to fatigue and tiredness.7
8. Nausea Or Loss Of Appetite
Congestion plays an important role in nausea and loss of appetite. The fluid accumulation around the liver and the intestines stress out the digestive system.8
9. Dizziness Or Loss Of Consciousness
People with heart failure are unable to pump blood into their entire body. If the brain is missing out on the required amount of blood in a given period, you might experience light-headedness, and possibly lose consciousness.9
10. Shortness Of Breath
It’s a very common sign for people with heart conditions. It happens due to the heart’s inability to pump blood effectively. You should contact your doctor if you find it difficult to breath after climbing down just two flights of stairs.
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