9 subtle signs you could have a heart problem

If this is your only symptom, you can talk to your doctor, but don't conclude you have heart trouble based on this alone.

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You get migraines

Sometimes a headache is just a headache. It could be a sign of peripheral arterial disease, also known as PAD. That said, clogged heart arteries are still the number-one cause of death in the United States. The following is a list of symptoms that might be worth a chat with your doctor. "The heart is struggling and straining to deliver the oxygen to your body." That said, plenty of people feel tired for lots of reasons. PAD is a buildup of fatty plaque in leg arteries that is linked to a higher risk of heart disease. Michael Miller, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

"Pe ople who have multiple risk factors for heart disease or who do have heart disease have a tendency to be depressed," Steinbaum said.

You have extreme pain when you walk

If your hip and leg muscles cramp when you climb, walk, or move, then feel better when you rest, don't shrug it off as due to old age or a lack of exercise (though those things certainly could be the culprits). What gives? It could be asthma, anemia, an infection, or rarely a problem with the heart's valves or its ability to pump blood.

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You can hear your heart beat when you fall asleep at night

"Some patients with a loud faulty valve can even hear the sound of their valve at night when they are trying to fall asleep," Miller said.

"Fluid buildup affecting the left side of the heart can produce wheezing that simulates bronchial asthma," Miller said. Migraines occur i n 12 percent of the general population, but that stat rises to around 40 percent in patients with cardiovascular disease. In fact, those who arrive at the hospital within an hour of heart attack symptoms starting have better survival rate than those who wait.

"Swelling can also occur when the heart valve doesn't close normally," said Dr. A pounding heartbeat can also be a sign of low blood pressure, low blood sugar, anemia, medication, dehydration, and other causes.

"A lot of women kind of blow this off assuming it's nothing and that they will feel better, but in reality it could be a sign of your heart," said Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, Director of Women's Heart Health at the Heart and Vascular Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

If you recently developed foot swelling, see your doctor to determine the cause and how best to treat it.

Anxiety, sweating, and nausea attack you all at once

You're suddenly anxious, sweating, and nauseous. It can also be a sign of heart failure, a chronic condition in which the heart pumps blood inefficiently.

You're extremely tried

This isn't just lack of sleep tired; it is extreme fatigue. Google--can really tell you if these symptoms mean anything at all.

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You get short of breath, even though you're fit

Despite your thrice-weekly cycling classes, you get winded walking up a flight of stairs or you're coughing a lot. This symptom could be caused by dehydration or because you "got up too quick," but if it occurs on a regular basis then talk to your doctor to see if medication side effects, inner ear problems, anemia, or, less commonly, heart issues are to blame. "Once the valve is fixed, fluid no longer builds up in the lungs and the patient breathes easier."

The reason why you feel that way: It comes down to a lack of oxygen. This spinning state could be caused by blockages in arteries that lessen blood pressure or by faulty valves that cannot maintain blood pressure, Miller said.

Thanks to more education about healthy eating and advancements in treatment, fewer people die of heart disease than in the past. If you have PAD there's a 50 percent chance you also have a blockage in one of the heart arteries, Miller said. Think of how you feel when you get the flu, except this doesn't go away.

Some medications for blood pressure and diabetes could also cause swelling, Miller said.

"Heart-related foot swelling is usually accompanied by other symptoms that include shortness of breath and/or fatigue," he said.

You're depressed

Depression is one of the most common problems in the world, and it affects 19 million Americans each year. If you have ever been to a gym, you may have seen warning signs to stop walking, running, cycling or elliptical stepping if you feel dizzy or light-headed. But they may also be caused by a bunch of other things, so don't freak out. These are classic symptoms of a panic attack, but they are also heart attack symptoms. Although heart attack symptoms can be a scary first sign of trouble (and keep in mind women have different symptoms than men), sometimes the body offers up more subtle clues that something is amiss with your ticker. If you're being lulled to sleep by the thump-thump of your heart, tell your doctor so he or she can find out why. If these early heart symptoms are followed up with shortness of breath (though you haven't moved a muscle), extreme fatigue, or accompanied by pain, fullness, or aching in the your chest that may (or may not) radiate to the back, shoulders, arm, neck, or throat, then get to an emergency room immediately. Depression is probably not a sign that you have heart trouble (as if you need something else to worry about.) But mental wellbeing is linked to physical wellbeing; many studies suggest that people who are depressed are at greater risk of heart trouble.

And while some patients adjust to the sound and often just change their sleeping position so as not to hear it, doesn't mean you should ignore it. The good news? PAD (and heart disease for that matter) is a very treatable condition.

This article originally appeared on Health.com.

. And while there isn't a clear-cut connection, the occurrence of migraines with auras has been related to some heart abnormalities, so it is possible that these attacks might have a connection to dysfunction of the heart. Waiting more than five minutes to take action could change your chances of survival. Only your real doctor--not Dr.

Since exercise can strengthen the heart, get this symptom checked out so it doesn't interfere with your ability to get a good workout.

Either way you look at it, it's another reason to seek help if you are depressed.

You get dizzy or light-headed

Again, this is one of those symptoms that can have many non-heart relat ed causes. One theory is that they could both are the result of autonomic nervous system imbalances.

Your feet swell

Feet swelling can occur for a bunch of garden-variety reasons, such as pregnancy, varicose veins (which are unsightly but not dangerous), or when you travel and have limited ability to move around. But in some cases, regular migraines suggest that something is amiss with your ticker