A healthy heart is essential for the optimal functioning of all organs. It pumps and delivers blood and oxygen throughout the body, ensuring overall vitality. But factors like aging, poor lifestyle, and underlying health conditions like high cholesterol may weaken one’s heart and lead to long-term problems. Individuals can take proactive steps toward improving their cardiovascular health by recognizing the early signs of an unhealthy heart. Therefore, here are some early signs one shouldn’t ignore.

Early signs of an unhealthy heart

Chest discomfort
One of the earliest signs of heart problems is chest discomfort, which one may experience in tightness, pressure, or heaviness. The discomfort may be mild or severe and may hit suddenly for a few seconds, lasting up to several minutes. It may come and go or persist for an extended period. However, physical exertion, emotional stress, or exposure to cold temperatures can trigger or worsen chest discomfort.

Fatigue and weakness
Feeling excessively tired or experiencing unexplained weakness can be warning signs of a compromised heart. Reduced blood flow to the body’s tissues and organs affects energy levels, resulting in persistent exhaustion. If this does not improve with rest, one should immediately seek medical attention and assess potential heart-related causes. Apart from this, one may also experience reduced exercise tolerance, which indicates that the heart struggles to meet the increasing demands of the body during physical activity.

Digestion concerns
Some people may experience stomach-related issues like indigestion, stomach ache, or heartburn. Nauseous feelings leading to vomiting may also be associated with heart conditions. These symptoms, however, are common with other problems like food poisoning or upset stomach. But if one experiences them without any lifestyle changes, one should be mindful of other factors causing them.

Pain or tingling sensation up the arm
One of the telltale signs of a heart attack includes pain that shoots up from the left side of one’s body, where the heart is located, and travels forward to one’s arm. This symptom should prompt one to immediately seek medical help as it might even be life-threatening.

Dizziness
If one feels lightheaded or dizzy, indicating reduced blood flow to the brain, it may be a sign of a heart problem, which may lead to fainting if not attended to on time.

Breathlessness
Feeling breathless may indicate a drop in one’s blood pressure, where the heart struggles to pump blood effortlessly to meet the body’s demands.

Sleep issues
Snoring is one of the lesser-known signs of an unhealthy heart. It usually indicates sleep apnea, a condition where one stops breathing for some time, putting undue stress on the heart. Heart-related issues can also interfere with a restful night’s sleep, leading to an individual waking up often during the night.

Inflammation
An unhealthy heart may also lead to fluids getting built up in one’s tissues of one’s lungs, legs, fingers, ankles, or abdomen. The swelling may be such that if one presses it, the pressure leaves a dent. This type of inflammation may even be a sign of heart failure and should prompt one to seek medical help immediately.