The stressful lifestyle and unhealthy food we continue to consume significantly contribute to this disease becoming so widespread and dangerous in recent years.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle and trying to reduce stress in your life can help protect you from heart failure, but another thing that can be extremely helpful, even vital, is knowing the symptoms of heart failure a month before it occurs.

Here are the symptoms that may indicate you might be having a heart attack in a month. Think of them as “red flags”:

1. Swelling of the legs

In congestive heart failure, one or both lower chambers of the heart lose their ability to pump blood efficiently. As a result, blood pools in the legs, ankles, and feet, causing swelling.

2. Fatigue

When your arteries narrow, your heart receives much less blood than usual. It therefore has to work much harder than usual, leaving you feeling extremely tired and sleepy most of the time.

3. Shortness of breath

When your heart receives less blood, your lungs lack oxygen. The two systems depend on each other; one cannot exist without the other. If you have difficulty breathing, seek immediate medical attention: this could indicate an imminent risk of a heart attack.