What causes a heavy feeling in the chest? Heaviness or tightness in the chest can result from various mental and physical health conditions including stress, anxiety, and lung complications. It can also be a sign of a heart attack.
Call 911 or have someone take you to the closest emergency room right away if you have chest pain that lasts longer than five minutes and doesn't go away when you rest or take medication. Cardiac chest pain can be life-threatening. Chest pain can be a sign of a heart attack.
Muscle strain: Pain-relieving medication, rest, and compresses can heal the strain over time. GERD: Lifestyle and dietary changes can often prevent symptoms. Pericarditis: A doctor may prescribe medication to reduce inflammation. Angina: Medication and lifestyle changes can often reduce symptoms.
If you experience chest pressure, you should call your healthcare provider and get their advice on what to do. If there's a chance it could be a heart attack or other life-threatening problem, you should act as if it is and get immediate medical attention right away.
If you sense something is seriously wrong, visit an ER immediately. You should also visit the ER if your chest pain is prolonged, severe or accompanied by any of the following symptoms: Confusion/disorientation. Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath—especially after a long period of inactivity.
Chest tightness is more likely to occur when anxiety or stress comes on suddenly rather than building gradually. If you are experiencing any chest pain for the first time, you should immediately seek professional medical help to ensure an accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Usually, chest pain is less likely due to a heart problem if it happens with: A sour taste or a sensation of food reentering the mouth. Trouble swallowing. Pain that gets better or worse when you change body position.
You want to call 911 if you are having sudden, crushing chest pain or if your chest pain radiates into the jaw or the left arm. You want to call 911 if your chest pain also causes shortness of breath, or dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.
Chest pain is frightening and must be taken seriously. So know this: If you are having severe discomfort in the chest—especially if the chest pain is radiating to your neck, jaw or arms—and it's accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness and sweating, call 911 immediately.
Although chest pain is common to both a panic attack and a heart attack, the characteristics of the pain often differ. During a panic attack, chest pain is usually sharp or stabbing and localized in the middle of the chest. Chest pain from a heart attack may resemble pressure or a squeezing sensation.
Chest tightness most often occurs right before or during an anxiety attack. It may also present spontaneously with no anxiety at all in what is known as a limited-symptom panic attack. Rest assured that chest discomfort caused by anxiety is usually harmless.
In general, though, anxiety chest pain may feel like: Tension, tightness, and pressure: You might experience a mild, constant tightness or a sudden, intense tightness in your chest. You may also feel like it's difficult to breathe or that your heart is beating out of your chest.
You may experience chest pain.
When people with high blood pressure perform activities such as walking uphill, going up steps, or exercising, angina can cause pressure, squeezing, pain, or a feeling of fullness in the chest.
Constant pain or pressure in your chest. Bluish lips or face. Sudden confusion. Having a hard time staying awake.
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint.
Angina tends to radiate, causing referred pain all around the shoulder and neck. Anxiety chest pains/hyperventilation tend to be more localized near the heart. Anxiety chest pains are usually sharper, although not always.
Many people find that anxiety-related chest pain goes away in about 10 minutes. However, other anxiety-related symptoms can last up to an hour after the pain improves.
Stress cardiomyopathy symptoms include sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, fast heart beats, and dizziness. Up to 30% of people who experience this condition are unaware of what triggered their symptoms.
Heart Palpitations and Anxiety. Heart palpitations due to anxiety feel like your heart is racing, fluttering, pounding or skipping a beat. Your heartbeat can increase in response to specific stressful situations. You may also have palpitations due to an anxiety disorder (excessive or persistent worry).
Wearable ECGs, such as those found in smartwatches and mobile apps, have recently become popular among patients. These ECGs can be applied to manage patients with anxiety, as they have been used to detect, monitor, and reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Immediate action required: Phone 999 immediately if: You or someone else has symptoms like: central chest pain or discomfort in the chest that doesn't go away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing. pain that radiates down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach.
When you're experiencing any chest pain, don't delay in seeking medical care. Trying to diagnose yourself and delaying a visit to the emergency room can result in serious heart damage or even death, risks that can be avoided or limited when you seek immediate medical care. Always play it safe and call 911.