Is it normal to get shortness of breath after a heart attack?

Some people find that they experience shortness of breath after they’ve had a heart attack. This can be a normal part of recovery.

A heart attack damages the heart, and as with any other injury, your heart needs time to recover, so you might feel a bit breathless when you move around. But as your recovery progresses and you start to build your exercise tolerance back up, you should notice that this improves and you’re able to do more as time goes on.

Be careful not to push yourself too soon. Increasing your activity just a little each week will help keep you moving forward.

• Get more tips on returning to exercise after a heart attack

The importance of cardiac rehabilitation

The best way to keep your recovery on track is to take part in cardiac rehabilitation, which has been proven to improve long-term survival rates after heart attacks.

So if you’ve recently had a heart attack, ask your doctor or nurse about cardiac rehab, so that you can get the most out of your recovery.

Some services have been affected by the pandemic – if that applies to you, we’ve got an online cardiac rehabilitation programme that might be helpful.

• Visit our cardiac rehab at home hub

What if my breathlessness isn’t improving?

Most people make a full recovery after their heart attack. But in some cases, the heart attack may have caused lasting damage which means the heart can’t pump blood as well as it did before. This can cause heart failure symptoms, which can include breathlessness.

Although heart failure cannot be cured, the symptoms can be treated. If your breathlessness isn’t improving, or is getting worse, let your GP know. There could be a reason for it that isn’t connected to your heart, but your doctor can help find the cause, so you can be offered any treatments you might need.

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