Heartburn and indigestion, are not one of the same, even though many people think they are. The symptoms of heartburn and angina and indigestion can be similar, however, and the conditions often occur simultaneously, which can make the identification somewhat difficult.
Symptoms of Indigestion
Indigestion is often described as a feeling of fullness or discomfort while eating or after a meal. There are similiarities between indigestion and heartburn, in the sense that they both involve a burning sensation. The difference being, is heartburn is behind the breastbone and indigestion is felt more in the upper stomach area. Indigestion can also involve an acidic taste in the mouth, another symptom it shares with heartburn. Bloating, abdominal pain and gas are other symptoms of indigestion.
Heartburn often accompanies indigestion, although heartburn is the leaking of stomach acids into the esophagus. Indigestion and heartburn do share some underlying causes, however, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and a number of lifestyle conditions, including smoking, stress, alcohol consumption and eating certain foods, eating too much, or eating too fast.
Pregnancy is also a cause of both indigestion and heartburn. Contributing factors to heartburn and indigestion especially during pregnancy, is the added pressure on the stomach that the uterus caused by expanding. This is of course, due to the fact that our hormones change.
Symptoms of Heartburn
While the causes of heartburn vary from person to person, the symptoms of heartburn are fairly consistent for most individuals. So, what does heartburn feel like?An identifiable symptom that is common to heartburn is the burning sensation in the chest and throat. Burning sensations shouldn’t be confused with pain. You may be experiencing a heart attack if the pain moves through your chest to your arms and shoulders. If this is the case, seek medical help immediately~{You could be suffering a heart attack if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders; if this is the case seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders as you could be experiencing a heart attack}~A heart attack could be experienced if the chest pain moves through the shoulders and arms. {If this is the situation, then you should seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately, if this is the situation}~{If this is the situation, seek medical help immediately}~Medical help should be sought if this is the situation}~You should seek medical help immediately if the pain moves through your arms and shoulders, as this can be related a heart attack~{You could be suffering a heart attack if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders; if this is the case seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders as you could be experiencing a heart attack}~If the pain in the chest moves to the arms and shoulders then you could be experiencing a heart attack. {If this is the situation, then you should seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately, if this is the situation}~{If this is the situation, seek medical help immediately}~Medical help should be sought if this is the situation}.
Heartburn has other symptoms, other than the obvious, these include; acidic or salty taste in the mouth, a sore throat, a hoarse voice, a regurigation feeling and a feeling that food is stuck in the throat or chest. Heartburn symptoms usually present themselves soon after a meal and can last from a few minutes to a few hours. Symptoms can very often worsen if you lie down. In most cases, antacids will lessen or erradicate your heartburn. Medical help should be sought if the pain does not at least ease with antacid treatment.
If you experience a pain that worsens along with cold sweats, dizziness and lightheadedness, then you should go immediately to your doctors as you could have other heart problems. Learning to identify the symptoms of heartburn and indigestion is important, particularly if you are at risk for developing heart conditions and of course, knowing the difference between angina heartburn symptoms. Learning to recognize heartburn and indigestion can leave you better able to distinguish the symptoms from those of more serious conditions. Medical advice should be sought immeditely, if you experience unusual symptoms; sometimes these can be mistaken for indigestions and heartburn.
