Chest Pain: 5 Things you should ideally do

From time to time, most of us have experienced some degree of chest pain. While it is very common for us to assume that there is something going on with our heart, a lot of times, this type of pain could be quite the contrary. Believe it or not, most chest pain will naturally subside on its own. However, depending on the intensity of the pain, there are many things you can do in order to relieve the pain. Here are five things you should ideally do if you are experiencing chest pain.
Try to relax
Believe it or not, most chest pain is a result of fear and anxiety. Anxiety and panic can cause chest tightness and have most people fearful that they are in the midst of experiencing some sort of cardiac event such as an heart attack. The fear of pain in itself can ironically trigger more anxiety, leading people to experience more chest tightness and pain. In a situation of where you feel overwhelmed or stressed out, try relaxing by doing deep breathing exercises. If the chest pain and or tightness subsides, then you know it was stress and nothing is wrong with your heart.
Stop taking stimulants
Caffeine, along with a host of other stimulants can occasionally cause chest pain and tightness. Caffeine is a known vasoconstrictor that causes the narrowing of blood vessels. While caffeine may give you a necessary jolt of energy to get work done, exercise or brighten your mood, it can also trigger chest tightness. Caffeine and other stimulants can also trigger anxiety which can also trigger chest pain.
Cut out spicy foods
Chest pain can also be triggered by acid reflux. Generally, most people have flares of acid reflux usually have consumed more spice than what their stomach could tolerate. Often times, acid reflux could be overbearing that people often assume something is going on with their heart. Try taking some anti-acid reflux or anti-GERD medication or drink milk to calm your acid reflux.
Get help
If the chest pain lingers and doesn’t seem to go away after ruling out anxiety, stimulants and foods, you should probably consider going to an urgent care clinic. Going to a walk-in clinic will be helpful in a number of ways. For starters, going to a regular emergency room for a non-serious event would not only prove to be a wase of time, but also costly. Urgent care clinics often bill like regular providers and they have on-site diagnostic equipment to rule out heart attacks and other serious heart issues. Secondly, if they are able to rule out heart issues, they would be able to get to the heart of the issue and possibly prescribe the right medication for chest pain.
Call 911
If all else fails and you are experiencing some intense chest pain, do not be afraid to call 911 for immediate emergency help. There is always the possibility you could be experiencing chest pain as a result of a heart attack or cardiac arrhythmia. Calling 911 sooner rather than later can prove to not only save you larger medical issues down the road, but even save your life.