ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As the holiday season peaks throughout the rest of December, heart doctors also hit their busy season.

“The last week of December, we definitely see an uptick in heart attacks and patients presenting with chest pain to the ER,” said Dr. Scott Feitell, a cardiologist at Rochester General Hospital.

A study published by "Circulation" reports Dec. 25 is the most common day of the year for cardiac deaths to occur, followed by Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. 

“We find a lot of patients ignore their symptoms and sometimes they show up the day after Christmas because they want to be there for their kids and then it’s too late,” Dr. Feitell said.

He says this adds extra strain on medical professionals during an already busy time of the year.

“We’re in the midst of the triple pandemic, if you will, of flu, COVID and RSV, and now throw on top go that the increased uptick in heart attacks. It keeps us all on our toes," Dr. Feitell claims.

According to the American Heart Association, additional stress, poor holiday eating habits, forgetting to make medications and the colder weather restricting blood flow all are factors in poor holiday heart health.

Dr. Feitell says knowing the symptoms of a heart emergency is key. 

“Everyone always associates a heart attack with having chest pains, but not everyone feels that way," Feitell said. "It may just be a weird numbness, tingling down their arm, it may radiate up their jaw. Some people describe it more as a heaviness in their chest, not a pain.” 

Feitell says prevention is the best medicine and it's never too late to start because the new year is often the best time of year to work on a healthy lifestyle by eating healthier and getting at least 150 minutes of exercise per week to improve your heart health. 

“Not only do we have Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and all these great holidays, but we also have a new year," Dr. Feitell said. "And so a new year is a great new beginning for patients. And there's no reason to not start something new if you haven't done it."

Starting now can help you prepare for the next holiday season.

“We know you want to be with your family, but don’t ignore the symptoms," Feitell said. "We want our patients to be around for the next Christmas and the Christmas after that."