Did you know that roughly every 40 seconds, someone in the US has a heart attack? If that statistic surprises you, you’re not alone. Many people don’t realize how common heart attacks are. Unfortunately, this also means that many people don’t know how to recognize when one is happening, and this lack of awareness can have life-threatening consequences.
This is a situation that the American Heart Association (AHA) is trying hard to change. For nearly 100 years, the AHA has been working to save and improve lives by fighting heart disease and stroke. When it comes to heart attacks, every minute matters, and the AHA wants to ensure that everyone knows the warning signs of an attack so that life-saving help can be on the scene as quickly as possible.
Do you know how to recognize the signs of a heart attack? Read on for a look at the most common indicators, as well as some other important details that can help you identify an attack.
What are the warning signs of a heart attack?
As outlined on the AHA website, heart.org, common heart attack warning signs include:
Chest discomfort—A feeling of discomfort in the center of the chest is perhaps the most common and best-known warning sign of a heart attack. This discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure (it has been famously described as “an elephant sitting on your chest”), squeezing, a sense of fullness, or sharp or dull pain. Note that during a heart attack, this discomfort may come and go, or it may persist for a few minutes or longer.
Discomfort in other upper body areas—The same sense of discomfort, pain, or pressure felt in the chest can also affect other areas of the upper body during a heart attack. For example, someone having a heart attack may feel discomfort in one or both arms, in the back or stomach, or even in the neck or jaw.
Shortness of breath—Feeling winded or short of breath, as if you’ve just been exercising hard and can’t get enough air into your lungs, is another key warning sign of a heart attack. It’s especially important to be aware that shortness of breath can occur with or without chest discomfort; in other words, if you’re feeling winded but don’t have any chest pain, you could still be having a heart attack.
Other signs—Some of the other warning signs of a heart attack that don’t necessarily have an obvious connection with the chest area include feeling lightheaded, experiencing nausea or vomiting, and breaking out in a cold sweat.
What other information can help me recognize a heart attack?
In addition to knowing the warning signs, understanding the following points can help increase your ability to recognize a heart attack:
Heart attacks can present differently in men and women—Did you know that men and women don’t always experience heart attacks in the same way? While chest pain or discomfort is the most common heart attack symptom for both, it’s more likely that women having a heart attack will experience subtler symptoms without necessarily having chest pain. In these cases, women may be more likely to put their symptoms down to other conditions, such as acid reflux or the flu, and therefore miss out on getting help.
Heart attack symptoms may last for weeks—If you imagine someone having a heart attack, you probably think of a person suddenly clutching at their chest and collapsing. While some heart attacks certainly do look like this, many others begin slowly, with symptoms persisting and increasing for hours, days, or even weeks before an attack occurs.
People can still function normally during a heart attack—Again, don’t let the stereotypical portrayal of a heart attack fool you. A heart attack doesn’t necessarily—or even usually—mean that a person will stop functioning or that their heart stops beating. On the contrary, many people can still go about their daily lives while experiencing heart attack symptoms, so don’t assume that the ability to keep functioning means that it can’t be a heart attack.
Heart attacks can happen at any age—Heart attacks certainly become more common as people age, but unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that you’re ever too young to have a heart attack. Heart attacks can and do strike people of any age, so if you do experience or spot any warning signs, don’t dismiss them simply because you or your loved one “aren’t old enough.”
What should I do if I see signs of a heart attack?
As recommended by the AHA, don’t hesitate to call 911 if you experience or see someone else experiencing the warning signs of a heart attack. Don’t wait to be sure of what’s happening—have it checked out no matter what, as a heart attack is a situation in which every minute counts.
2. Blog Post for [previtefamilyfoundation.org]
[Meta Description: Here’s what you need to know about participating in the Pan-Mass Challenge, the country’s top athletic fundraising event.]
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Title: 5 Things to Do before You Ride the Pan-Mass Challenge
Every August, thousands of riders, volunteers, and supporters gather for the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a fully supported bike-a-thon across Massachusetts. But this eagerly anticipated event is more than just a bike ride—it’s a hugely important fundraiser in which every single raised dollar goes directly to support groundbreaking cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since it was first launched in 1980, the PMC has donated a whopping $831 million to Dana-Farber, raising more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the US.
In 2022 the PMC will take place on August 6 and 7, and cyclists and supporters from across and beyond Massachusetts are gearing up for the ride. If you’re thinking about participating in the PMC, here are five things you need to do to get ready:
1. Register for the ride.
Rider registration for the PMC opens in tiers each January. Heavy Hitters are invited to register first (these are riders who meet or exceed an annually determined fundraising level), followed by previous PMC riders, then registration opens up to the general public. In 2022 interested participants once again have the option to join the event as a PMC weekend rider or participate as a “reimagined rider” or a “virtual rider.”
Reimagined riders do not ride any of the PMC routes on the PMC weekend. Instead, they create their own fundraising ride of any length that takes place wherever and whenever they choose. Virtual riders do not ride at all but use their fundraising efforts to support the PMC’s mission. Both the reimagined rider and the virtual rider options offer greater flexibility to riders and non-riders alike who want to support the PMC but are not able or prefer not to take part in the weekend ride.
2. Choose your route.
If you do want to participate in the PMC as a weekend rider, you’ll need to choose a route when you register. The PMC offers 16 fully supported routes, ranging from 25 to 211 miles, that cater to cyclists of different experience levels and abilities. Some of the 2022 routes to choose from include Sturbridge to Provincetown Monument, a two-day, 186-mile ride from the hills of Central Massachusetts to the tip of Cape Cod; the Wellesley Century, a one-day, 100-mile scenic loop starting and finishing in Wellesley; and the Wellesley to Patriot Place ride, a one-day, 25-mile ride beginning just outside Boston that allows riders to enjoy a champion’s finish in Foxboro.
Note that registration for the most popular routes fills up quickly, so be sure to register as early as you can.
3. Plan your fundraising.
If you’re interested in the PMC, the most important thing you need to know is that it’s a fundraising mission first and a bike ride second. When you register as a PMC rider, you commit to a fundraising minimum, which is determined by your choice of route (for example, there is a $6,000 fundraising minimum for the Sturbridge to Provincetown Monument ride and a $3,000 fundraising minimum for the Wellesley Century).
To help you in your fundraising efforts, the PMC provides riders with plenty of support, including a powerful, personalized PMC Dashboard, e-mail templates, fundraising guides, donation tracking, and support from PMC office staff. Riders have until October 1 to meet (or exceed) fundraising goals.
4. Start or join a team.
While you can certainly participate in the PMC as an individual rider, nearly three-quarters of PMC riders join the event as part of a PMC team. Made up of family members, friends, and colleagues, teams come together for many different reasons: in support or memory of a loved one with cancer, to contribute to a specific type of cancer treatment or research, or to bring colleagues together around a meaningful mission.
Teams can be as small as two riders or as large as you want, but each team member must register individually and be responsible for their own fundraising minimum. However, team members don’t have to ride the same route to be on the same team; teams can consist of participants riding different PMC routes, as well as virtual riders and reimagined riders.
5. Train.
Spring is a great time to begin training for the PMC, especially if you’ve chosen one of the longer routes or are planning your own reimagined route. The PMC website offers plenty of training tools and resources that can help you get ready for your ride. For example, if you use the Strava fitness tracking service, you can integrate it into your PMC profile to track your miles and connect with other PMC riders, and you can follow the PMC routes that are available on the Strava app. You can also join inclusive, 60-minute PMC rides that take place weekly on the indoor cycling app Zwift.