4. A Sore, Heavy Sensation on Your Arm and Shoulder

One of the symptoms of heart attack more commonly associated with women is arm pain or soreness, particularly on the left side, that could either appear suddenly, or gradually. The pain can come and go, increasing in intensity until it becomes quite unbearable, painful enough to rouse one from sleep.

Patients have often disregarded this sign, thinking that the soreness only comes from exertion or from lying on the arm for too long. One patient, who at first felt that her arm was asleep, thought that she was working out a little too hard at the gym and shrugged it off. The pain became unbearable which prompted her to see a doctor, only finding out then that she had already suffered 3 heart attacks and was lucky to still be alive.