{"id":3979,"date":"2019-02-16T10:45:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T10:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=3979"},"modified":"2021-05-03T20:11:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T20:11:28","slug":"12-symptoms-of-clogged-arteries-you-may-not-recognize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/12-symptoms-of-clogged-arteries-you-may-not-recognize\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Symptoms of Clogged Arteries You May Not Recognize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Clogged arteries <\/a>are a common health condition whereby the arteries become impacted with deposits over time. It can put you at an increased risk of a stroke or heart attack, and you are at more risk of developing the condition if you have an existing family history of diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease or clogged arteries (and not just the family history that you might know about!).
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The condition can be treated, but also has the potential to be deadly if it\u2019s left to progress without treatment: Heart attacks and strokes are some of the most common consequences of clogged arteries that have remained without treatment for too long \u2013 and it\u2019s something you should never risk.
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Here are the 8 essential symptoms of clogged arteries that you should learn to recognize, especially if you are at a higher risk of developing the condition because of your health, lifestyle or family history.
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1. Trouble Breathing<\/strong>
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Chest <\/a>tightness and regular trouble breathing are two very common symptoms that people with clogged arteries will experience. This is because of the fact that clogged arteries will inevitably put added pressure on the circulatory system on the inside of the body, and this puts more pressure than is needed on the organs \u2013 which includes the lungs.
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Sometimes when people experience regular breathing problems like this, it\u2019s attributed to the lungs alone \u2013 or to other causes like allergies, respiratory infections or asthma \u2013 when the actual cause of the trouble breathing and repeated cough could instead be due to clogged arteries.
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Take note if you are experiencing several of the symptoms on this list combined with any of the things that put you at an increased risk of developing clogged arteries, such as diabetes, cholesterol or following an unhealthy diet that contains too much excess fat for the body to process. <\/strong>
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2. Chest Pain<\/strong>
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Chest pain is frequently associated as a symptom of clogged arteries, and it\u2019s often one of the first symptoms that people with potentially clogged arteries will show; these attacks can lead to a larger problem such as a heart attack or stroke if it\u2019s not treated in time, and any type of chest pain or discomfort always means that you should seek medical attention, especially if the problem recurs or persists.
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The chest pain associated with clogged arteries is another consequence of the effect that it has on the circulatory system, and it\u2019s one of the first signs that you might be at an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke<\/a>.
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Sometimes it\u2019s not just a sign of an angina attack, but should be taken as a sign of a heart attack instead. Any and all chest pain or discomfort will almost always warrant getting it checked out by a doctor.
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3. Lethargy<\/strong>
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Lethargy <\/a>is the medical term for feeling far more tired than you should. Many times this happens because you aren\u2019t getting the right amount of sleep, but most often lethargy refers to feeling tired even when you are getting the right amount of sleep for your body \u2013 and it can mean that something else is wrong with your health.
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Sometimes lethargy makes people try increasingly drastic measures to stay awake, including the use of energy drinks and other caffeinated products, but this almost always makes the problem worse \u2013 and it can be deadly if you have existing health problems, especially clogged arteries.
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Lethargy combined with any of the other symptoms on this list means that you should make the according to lifestyle changes and stick closer to a healthy diet, and make an appointment with your doctor to get the overall state and condition of your health assessed by a professional.
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4. General Weakness<\/strong>
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General weakness <\/a>is a symptom that can often accompany clogged arteries, and it can mean that the condition has reached its more advanced stages where it\u2019s affecting the rest of your body to the level where it\u2019s impairing your day-to-day function.
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At first, a lot of people will attribute a feeling of general weakness to other symptoms, including the fact that they might not have eaten anything yet, but if that doesn\u2019t fix the problem, it becomes necessary to look at other potential causes for the weakness \u2013 which can often lead you to find a health condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, clogged arteries (or sometimes all three) as the cause behind the symptom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General weakness is a serious symptom, and it could be many things that aren\u2019t<\/em> clogged arteries, but it\u2019s always a serious symptom that warrants an appointment with your doctor, and might just require some lifestyle changes. <\/strong>
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5. Increased Heart Rate<\/strong>
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An increased heart rate<\/a> is one of the common signs that your body (and your heart) is taking more strain than happens to be good for your health. You\u2019ll feel the effects of a persistently increased heart rate immediately, and it can lead to chest pain, lethargy, trouble breathing and eventually cardiac arrest or a heart attack \u2013 or a largely increased risk of heart disease.
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An increased heart rate for an extended period of time that does not follow regular exercise \u2013 and anything that feels outside your normal scope of heart rate \u2013 means that you need to make an appointment with a specialist sooner rather than later to get the condition looked at before it becomes a problem.
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Clogged arteries can put a huge amount of strain on the heart, and this can cause the persistently increased heart rate that\u2019s associated with it. Especially when combining symptoms, see your doctor.
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6. Nausea and Vomiting<\/strong>
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Nausea <\/a>and vomiting are two common symptoms that are usually associated with a stomach upset or digestive issues but can also refer to many other things that could be wrong with your health \u2013 including as a general sign of infection anywhere in the body, and not necessarily related to the stomach at all.
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Nausea can accompany many types of infections and health conditions; it can happen because of food poisoning, flu, general infections, colon problems, and it\u2019s hard to track down the cause of nausea and vomiting is all that you have to go on as a symptom.
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This is why it\u2019s vital to see your doctor for tests instead of guessing about what could be wrong with your health by yourself. When nausea and vomiting are combined with any of the other symptoms mentioned on this list, especially chest pain, get it checked out by your doctor immediately.
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7. Sweating<\/strong>
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It\u2019s completely normal for the human body to sweat, especially when you\u2019re expending a lot of energy and your body tries to cool itself down in the process; sweating is, for example, completely expected and normal on a warm day or after exercising for a few minutes, but it\u2019s not normal when you are just trying to make it down a hill or walk up a flight of stairs.
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Excessive sweating <\/a>can sometimes point to glandular issues, or it can point to the fact that your heart is under far more strain than it should be taking \u2013 and sweating might just be a manifestation of a greater issue, especially if it occurs frequently or if it\u2019s combined with any of the other symptoms on this list.
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In most cases, excessive sweating even as a persistent problem is easy to manage, and doesn\u2019t take a lot of lifestyle changes to fix.
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8. An Increased Diabetes Risk<\/strong>
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Many people who have diabetes <\/a>are at an increased risk of developing clogged arteries as a symptom. But just the same way, anyone who has clogged arteries and might not know about it could be presenting with diabetes \u2013 and the two can thus be considered to go hand-in-hand.
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If you\u2019re at an increased risk of diabetes due to your lifestyle or a family history of it, you should consider yourself at an automatically higher risk of developing the condition \u2013 and the other way around if you suspect that you might have undiagnosed clogged arteries.
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Either is easy conditions to manage with the right medication, treatment and lifestyle changes \u2013 but this can only take place once you\u2019ve seen your doctor. If you suspect that anything might be wrong with your health or you\u2019re showing several of these symptoms, you should seek medical attention and request the proper tests from your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Increased Stroke Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most worrying issues surrounding clogged arteries is that they significantly raise your risk of suffering stroke. Blood vessels<\/a> carry blood all around the body, containing oxygen which is crucial for numerous energy-related tasks around the body, as well as nutrients for healing and tissue repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these processes are crucial for your normal health and wellbeing, and if the flow of blood should be stopped, this can then completely stop the normal function of the organs. In the case of a stroke, the blood flow is blocked to the brain, causing the brain cells to become starved of oxygen and potentially to die off as a result. This can cause short-term loss of consciousness, as well as numerous, serious long-term complications such as affected speech, loss of coordination, personality changes, paralysis, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look out for the signs of stroke by remembering the \u2018FAST\u2019 acronym: Face, Arm, Speech, Take action. So look for drooping in the face, pain in the arm, and slurred speech.
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10. Heart Palpitations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just as clogged arteries can cause the heart <\/a>rate to speed up, they can also cause it to become less regular. Clogged arteries are caused by a build-up of plaque on the inner walls, which can restrict blood flow. This plaque can move and change position, and as the heart works to push the blood through, it may ebb and flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, you might notice that your heart rate appears to flutter, that it speeds up, or that it slows down without behavioral causes obviously being related.
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11. Anxiety<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another symptom of clogged arteries that may seem less obvious, is that it can cause bouts of anxiety<\/a>. You know that feeling of uncertainty you might get when you are very hungry, or when you have consumed too much caffeine? This is similar: you may feel as though something is wrong or feel \u2018on edge\u2019, even if you can\u2019t pinpoint an exact cause for your anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason for this is that changes to your heart rate can impact the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that then affect mood. Just as being very stressed can cause your heart rate to race, so too can a racing heart rate cause you to feel stressed \u2013 it is a two-way street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsible for this is the vagus nerve. This is a nerve running through the body that controls the autonomic nervous system: controlling physiological responses to stress and danger and vice versa. This is also why many people describe a sense of \u2018impending doom\u2019 prior to a heart attack.
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12. Brain Fog<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brain fog<\/a> is another unpleasant symptom of clogged arteries. We\u2019ve talked already about how clogged arteries can make you feel very tired as a result of a lack of oxygen making its way around your body. This might also lead to you becoming short of breath when trying to climb the stairs for instance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time though, you might also feel tired due to lower blood supply to the brain, and this can also cause an impaired cognitive performance as your brain is starved of oxygen. This is particularly common in carotid artery disease, where the carotid arteries running up either side of the neck become blocked and thereby are less able to supply oxygen to the brain. This is what may eventually lead to a stroke, but it can also in the short term cause brain fog, confusion, tiredness, and even dizziness.
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13. Slow Healing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might notice if you cut yourself that your wound heals more slowly than usual. This is due to slower delivery of nutrients and white blood cells to the affected area, which in turn is of course caused by the blockage in the arteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we injure ourselves, normally blood and white blood vessels<\/a> will rush to the area with the jobs of the closing wound, preventing bacterial infection, and providing the nutrients to act as the raw building blocks to repair the damage. When you have blocked blood flow, this process occurs more slowly and you might, therefore, notice that it takes longer for injuries to heal. This can also be a sign of numerous other conditions though, so it is a good idea to get it checked whatever the case may be.
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14. High Blood Pressure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You will find that if you have a clogged artery, your blood pressure increases. This is of course in response to your blood vessels being blocked by the presence of plaque. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a sense, your circulatory system works in a similar manner to the plumbing in your home. Just like your boiler, your heart has the job of applying pressure, which in turn should force the blood around the system \u2013 potentially against gravity at points. If the veins are small and you have very thick blood, then you will require more force in order to push that blood around. Thus, the heart rate increases and the blood pressure increases as well. If the veins should widen (vasodilation<\/a>) then this can reduce the blood pressure, even if the heart rate remains the same.
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15. Risk Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While risk factors are not symptoms, they are useful to consider alongside the symptoms. Risk factors tell us of the likelihood that will contract an illness or disease, and thereby let us view potential signs through that lens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk factors include having high bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol<\/a>), as well as smoking cigarettes (which are known to increase the rate of atherosclerosis), suffering from diabetes, or being physically overweight. There is also a familiar element, with those who have clogged arteries being more likely to also have parents that suffered from the same condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you suspect you are at risk, then the best thing you can do is to try and practice a healthy lifestyle: eat as cleanly as possible, avoid smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol, and try to keep your weight down. At the same time, try to manage stress and keep yourself calm, so as not to place extra strain on your cardiovascular system.
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