When Is It an Emergency?

Some symptoms should not wait for a routine appointment.

Call emergency medical services if you experience symptoms suggestive of a heart attack or another acute cardiovascular emergency, particularly:

Severe or persistent chest pressure

Severe difficulty breathing

Fainting or near-fainting

Sudden severe weakness

Chest discomfort accompanied by sweating or nausea

Pain spreading to the arm, jaw, shoulder, or back

A rapid or irregular heartbeat accompanied by collapse, severe dizziness, or chest pain

Don't drive yourself if you are experiencing severe symptoms.

The Bottom Line

Nighttime symptoms can sometimes provide important clues about cardiovascular health, particularly when they are new, persistent, or progressively worsening.

Waking up short of breath, needing more pillows to breathe comfortably, experiencing persistent palpitations, developing unexplained chest pressure, or experiencing unusual weakness can all deserve medical attention.

But these symptoms do not automatically mean that your heart is failing.

The key is to look at the entire pattern rather than diagnosing yourself from a single symptom.

If something has changed noticeably in the way you breathe, sleep, or feel at night, don't simply brush it off—especially if you already have cardiovascular risk factors.

And if you develop sudden severe chest discomfort or difficulty breathing, treat it as an emergency.

Your body doesn't need to produce dramatic symptoms to deserve attention. Sometimes a small nighttime change is the first reason to get checked.