February is American Heart Month and health experts want to remind the public about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and getting regular check-ups.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States for both men and women. Health officials say it is also impacting more young people, so it is suggested those aged 40 and older get yearly tests.

Experts say the risk is largely tied to genetics and that knowing one’s family history can help doctors know what to look out for.

Other risks include being overweight and high blood pressure.

Warning signs of a heart attack include chest pain or pressure. Pain in the left arm, neck or jaw.

There are also exertional symptoms. This means the more one does, the worse the symptoms get – such as exercise or climbing the stairs. The symptoms then go away when a person rests.

“Some people minimize that because it went away but in reality, you just did less and there’s less workload on the heart to reveal itself,” says Dr. Marie Bernardo, of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton.

Bernardo says bad sleeping habits can also increase risk. She says that a regular, healthy routine is beneficial to good health.