Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Heart attacks and heart disease are usually under diagnosed in women, according to studies. The main reason behind this is their symptoms do not match that of men. To prevent a heart attack from sneaking upon you, watch for these seven little-known signs of heart attack:

Fatigue: More than 70 per cent of women reported extreme fatigue in the months prior to their heart attacks. This was an overwhelming fatigue that sidelined them from their usual schedules for a few days at a time.

Insomnia: Despite their fatigue, women who’ve had heart attacks remember experiencing unexplained inability to fall asleep during the month before their heart attack.

Anxiety and stress: Stress has long been known to up the risk of heart attack. But what women report is the emotional experience; before their heart attacks they felt anxious and stressed, more than usual.

Indigestion or nausea: Stomach pain, intestinal cramps, nausea, and digestive disruptions are other signs reported by women heart attack patients.

Jaw, ear, neck, or shoulder pain: Many women say they felt pain and a sensation of tightness running along their jaw and down the neck, and sometimes up to the ear, as well. The pain may extend down to the shoulder and arm, particularly on the left side or it may feel like a backache or pulled muscle in the neck and back.

Nostalgia could help smokers quit: A new study suggests another strategy that might help you to get back on track: conjuring up treasured memories.

Researchers found that, when hown a public service announcement designed to induce nostalgia, people who smoke were more likely to display negative attitudes toward smoking and exhibit a greater intention to quit, compared with smokers shown a non-nostalgic message.

Study authors Ali Hussain and aria Lapinski, of Michigan State University, say that their findings suggest that quit-smoking campaigns should focus on producing nostalgia-evoking messages rather than ones that evoke negative emotions such as fear and guilt.

However, Hussain notes that smokers often don’t buy the messages and instead feel badly about themselves and the person who is trying to scare them.”

For their study, Hussain and apinski sought to determine whether nostalgia-evoking messages — which are often used in advertising campaigns — might be more effective in encouraging people who smoke to quit.

The team enrolled a group of mokers aged between 18 and 39. Some of the smokers were shown a nostalgic public service announcement (PSA), while the remaining participants were shown a non-nostalgic PSA.

The nostalgic PSA consisted of hildhood images combined with narration. The narrator used phrases such as “I remember when I was a boy” and “I miss the simplicity of life, being outside on a warm summer night,” while referring to familiar scents and tastes from childhood. The narrator concludes by talking about the time he was first offered cigarettes.

Compared with smokers who iewed the non-nostalgic PSA, those who viewed the nostalgic PSA reported feeling greater nostalgic emotions.

Importantly, smokers who viewed the nostalgic PSA also reported greater negative attitudes toward smoking and greater intention to quit the habit, compared with those who viewed the non-nostalgic PSA.

The researchers explain that nostalgic PSAs increase viewers’ engagement by arousing images of their own treasured memories, which can impact attitudes and behaviour. They believe that such PSAs may be useful to help people quit smoking.

Maria Lapinski said: “Our study, which to our knowledge is the first of its kind, shows promise for using nostalgic messages to promote pro-social behaviours. We know that policy and environmental changes have an influence on smoking and this study indicates persuasive messages can influence smoking attitudes.”