In some cases, heart attacks are just as dramatic as you expect them to be. But just as the signs of heart failure can be chalked up to other, less serious, causes, the symptoms of a “silent heart attack” can seem like a fluke occurrence.
In fact, the signs may be so subtle that you have no idea you had a heart attack at all.
During a silent heart attack, damage occurs to the heart without causing the classic heart attack symptoms that would prompt a trip to the emergency room, explained Robert Greenfield, M.D., a cardiologist. “Often, we only find out [that] happened after they’ve had a second heart attack and that first, silent one shows up in their test results.” These attacks can even happen in your sleep, he added.
You may be jarred awake—but chalk it up to a bad dream or snoring and then go back to sleep.Continue Your, Reading. .
