It important not to wait very long before contacting emergency medical help. This first hour is crucial because your heart may stop suddenly during this period. Also, drugs that can break clots and open arteries work best when they are issued by medical personnel within the first hour that a heart attack begins. These drugs can stop or reverse a heart attack if given quickly enough.

The drugs may also limit the damage that is being done to the heart muscle by restore blood flow as soon as possible. It will help you have a better quality of life after a heart attack if the heart is not damaged too much. If you respond fast to your symptoms of a heart attack, you will increase your chance of survival. And no one will blame you for being worried or taking precautionary measures.

Be sure not to delay calling 9-1-1 in order to take aspirin or contact family members. The most important thing is to get the attention of the medical professionals who can help you, and let them dispense the medication or aspirin.

Contacting emergency medical personnel immediately when you have a heart attack will get them to you quicker, which means they can help you sooner. They can supply you with oxygen and medication in an ambulance on the way to a hospital, and can even restart your heart if necessary. Someone in your family, a friend, or a coworker can't do any of this for you, especially if they are driving you to the hospital. It is best to let the professionals do their job in saving your life.

Heart attacks occur more frequently from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. because the amount of adrenaline that is released from the glands is higher in the morning hours. Increased adrenaline contributes to the formation of blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack. Heart attacks are not common during exercise. Heart-attack-like symptoms during exercise are commonly a form of angina.

Not all heart attacks will come with a warning. About one quarter of all heart attacks are silent without any chest pain. This type of heart attack is higher for diabetics than non-diabetics.
It is possible that you are not actually having a heart attack; you could be experiencing an episode of angina. Others who have angina report that the symptoms between angina and a heart attack are very similar, and they have difficulty telling them apart. Angina is when the heart is temporarily blocked from blood. This is noticeable in quick exertions such as climbing stairs. It is usually relieved by resting for a moment or by taking medication that has been prescribed by a doctor for angina. Those who have been diagnosed with angina, however, do have a greater risk of having a heart attack than others do.
When in doubt, remember not to wait for more than a few minutes before calling 9-1-1. It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to deciding what to do immediately if you have a heart attack.