How long does chest pain last?
Last updated September 6, 2026.
**It depends on the cause: chest pain can last a few seconds, 5 to 15 minutes, or ache for weeks, and the pattern tells you more than the total time.** Angina linked to heart disease usually lasts about 5 to 15 minutes and settles when you rest or stop exerting yourself. Heart attack pain tends to last longer than a few minutes or to fade and return, and it often comes with sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath. Pain from a strained chest muscle or rib joint can linger for days to weeks and gets worse when you press the spot, twist, or take a deep breath. Heartburn burns for minutes up to a couple of hours, often after eating or when you lie down. Note when your pain starts, what you were doing, how long it lasts, and what makes it better, since that record helps a clinician sort out the cause quickly.
What to do
- Call 911 first: Chest pain lasting more than 5 minutes, or coming with sweating, nausea, fainting, or shortness of breath, needs emergency care rather than a wait and see approach.
- Time the episode: Write down when the pain started, how many minutes it lasted, and whether it returned, since duration and pattern guide the workup.
- Note the trigger: Track whether pain follows exertion, meals, deep breaths, or stress, because each points toward a different cause.
- Test what relieves it: Pain that stops within minutes of resting, and pain that eases with antacids, behave differently and both are worth reporting.
- Do not drive yourself: If you think the pain could be cardiac, call for an ambulance instead of driving to the emergency room.
- Book a clinician visit: Chest pain that keeps returning over days or weeks, even if each episode is short, needs an in person exam and testing.
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