High sleeping heart rate

[shadowstar240]

I've just started monitoring my sleeping heart rate and I'm finding that it is mostly always higher than my resting heart rate. My resting heart rate during the day hovers around 60bpm. I'm sleeping really poorly at the moment and have found that my heart rate seems to increase as I'm falling asleep but then gets lower towards the morning. I can't find anything that says if my sleeping heart rate should be lower than my resting heart rate - I just want to find out if this is unusual. I find that I get really hot in my sleep too when I'm normally always cold while awake. 

[Sailormoon73]

Are you female? I have exactly the same problem and the only theory I am left with after desperately trying to find answers is that it could be a hormonal imbalance. One of the reasons I say this is that I'm also always too hot at night (but not menopausal...!) and my nighttime heart rate fluctuates with my monthly cycle consistently. 

[Drumbob]

Hey @shipo , I'm glad you wrote about you're heartrate, especially rhr. My rhr is 44 too. I'm walking over 5 miles everyday, using a rowing machine, eating better and feeling good so I decided not to worry if it was too low. In fact it's harder for me to get my heartrate into aerobic zone the healthier I get. I know that's a good thing. Thanks for your input.

[Bemmiegirl]

I have the exact same. Some nights heart rate is 50 percent lower than RHR, other times zero! I think it’s supposed to be lower but not everyone’s body is the same.

[Bemmiegirl]

You’re RHR is gréât. Mines about 67-69

[Bemmiegirl]

Try meditation it helped me go from 0 percent below resting and now 50 percent below some nights 

doctor said It’s stress 

[Sailormoon73]

… that’s amazing!
Do you do the meditation directly before sleeping, or is it a general thing?
I find I get more stressed when attempting to mediate 😞 …. My HRV actually went down. It’s weird, because I don’t feel half as stressed as I have been in the past…
Good to know it can work though!

Sent from my iPhone

[Bemmiegirl]

I always wonder what the HRV really means
I do meditation in the morning and before bed

Sincerely,

Bobbie Bemister

[Bemmiegirl]

My HRV is always all over the place, like 18 or 34

so random last night was 29

so I don’t really watch it as closely as my oxygen and my sleeping heart rate. I also notice heading or drinking adult beverages before bed affects all readings 

I think it’s ok if sleeping HR is higher than daytime as long as it’s not like over 100 all night 

[Bemmiegirl]

I spoke to m’y sleep Doctor yesterday about this because I’m being tested for sleep apnea and she said that number changes due to a lot of other factors and not to worry about it because it’s not bad that it is higher, and that if it is below it’s usually just by a couple pulses 

[EMBradley]

I've started tracking my sleep and have come across an interesting correlation between heart rate, skin temp and REM over the last month. 

Every night at bedtime my skin temp is nice and cool, just as it's supposed to be. My Sense tells me that my body temp and heart rate both go up (temp by 3-4 degrees, heart rate around 10bpm) and stay up for 1-2 hours after I fall asleep. My REM sleep is completely lacking during that period too which makes sense as I've read that REM is initiated by coolness. I'm a fit and healthy, post menopausal woman with no hot flashes. I'm going to try different bedding, more breathable than the polyester filled quilt I use now and see if there's an effect of a cooler body temp on my heart rate.

[shipo]

@EMBradley, if I recall correctly, there is another sleeping heart rate thread around here from somewhere between 2013 and 2017 where a number of folks commented about having a lower Sleeping Heart Rate (SHR?) when cool versus warm.  I'm one of those who noticed a correlation as I love sleeping in a cool room and can show throughout the year, during the warmer months both my SHR and RHR rise as much as five points, all else being equal (by that I mean fitness level, health, stress, and so on).  This year will be interesting as I started the year following a 4-year layoff from regular exercise due to a series of broken bones and health issues (all separate events); since January, in spite of having COVID for a second time and waking up in a hospital some 30 hours after being mauled by a 150 pound dog, and the convalescence which followed, I have managed to get back into some semblance of good shape, so not surprisingly, my daily SHR and RHR dropped roughly 15 bpm between the first of the year and now.  I can't wait until the overnight temperatures are cool enough to keep my bedroom down in the low 50° range.

Regarding your bedding, I switched to high quality cotton sheets a few years ago and have been delighted with how much better I sleep.  In addition, I changed out my quilt, not sure what it was made of, but it wasn't expensive, with a thin down filled quilt (I get way too hot to have too much down on top of me), and when I bought a new bed a few years ago, I went with a copper infused foam bed made by Layla; I got suckered in by their advertising which says the copper helps wick heat away from your body, and initially I wasn't impressed.  That said, they recommend putting the mattress on a slated platform which allows air to circulate under the mattress; initially I had it on my old box springs.  I got suckered in again and bought their slatted platform and wow, the difference was night and day, the first night on the slats, I needed an extra blanket to stay warm.  🙂

[johnlsummey04]

I've simply begun checking my sleeping heart price and also I'm finding that it is primarily always more than my resting heart price. My relaxing heart rate during the day hovers around 60bpm. I'm resting truly poorly currently and have actually discovered that my heart rate seems to raise as I'm going to sleep however then obtains lower in the direction of the morning. I can't locate anything that claims if my resting heart price must be lower than my relaxing heart rate - I simply want to figure out if this is uncommon. I locate that I obtain really hot in my sleep as well when I'm generally constantly cool while awake.

[Bemmiegirl]

Amazing tips! Thank you for the thorough write up.

Sincerely,

Bobbie Bemister

[AnnaMccoy]

Like you my heart rate is a lot more than my RHR at bedtime and by 4am my SHR begins to dip below my RHR. If I'm lucky my SHR is lower than my RHR 40% of the night yet usually a whole lot less. My heart rate stays really low all morning after I awaken even if I am energetic. Perhaps this has something to do with rest chronotypes, various circadian rhythms?

[EMBradley]

Since my previous comment I've done a bit of research. I found this interesting article https://ouraring.com/blog/heart-rate-during-sleep/

I've also read that a consistently high sleeping heart rate could indicate any of the following:

Chronic Stress.

Dehydration.

Not eating enough for your body to recover sufficiently.

Over training.

Over training syndrome (OTS).

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

I have previously had CFS brought on by chronic overtraining and chronic stress. I thought I was over it, but apparently not. My symptoms are consistently extremely low HRV (despite being reasonably fit) & consistent high sleeping heart rate above resting heart rate. My sleeping heart rate goes up sharply when I fall asleep, sometimes it's raised all night above my resting heart rate, sometimes it's an early extreme peak then long lower phase, sometimes a long early peak with a later smaller lower phase. (see images in the article above, the peak is called a Hill, lower phase is sort of their Hammock.) One thing that does seem to help a little bit for me is drinking more water. But it's only made a small difference for me. I didn't know that CFS is linked with heart issues, plus I'm post menopausal so I'm off to a cardiologist.

[Sailormoon73]

This is going to sound weird… but I’m so glad you told me all that. It’s such a relief to know I’m not making it up, but knowing you had CFS makes me take it more seriously. there’s a reason we have these symptoms (though getting anyone in the medical system to listen to anything to do with Fitbit’s doesn’t get very far… I’ve tried…)
I think maybe I never recovered totally from burn out 15 years ago. Maybe I am more stressed than I realised.
Lots to think about……
Thank you again.

Sent from my iPhone

[Aboabab]

I have been monitoring my heart rate for many years. I’m a personal trainer and have multiple devices, so I view the data relatively. My resting heart rate and changes have been pretty useful indicators even that I’m getting a cold. A couple of years ago I started getting random spikes when sleeping. To shorten a long story, I am now on HRT (I’m only 44). I experienced a significant drop in resting heart rate (in line with my fitness) once the hrt settled. When symptoms started increasing again, it reflected in my heart rate. The new fitbit data shows me at less than 8% below my resting heart rate while sleeping, and my resting heart rate is tracking high again (need to change my dose as per other symptoms ). I am sleeping way better than for years, but I think this is about oestrogen’s (positive) effect on the heart. 

[Sailormoon73]

Hi Aboabab,
Thanks for your reply ..Interesting you’ve come to the conclusion it’s hormones…i wondered about that too. Weirdly I’m supposed to be oestrogen dominant though… (I get fibroids) … so in theory the opposite way around.
So before the HRT, did your nighttime heart rate get below your daytime resting heart rate? What’s worrying me the most is that mine never gets that low at night. I can have 59-60 ish in the day ((if really relaxed), but don’t get below 65-70 when asleep….
It’s just so bizarre:..
I wish Fitbit would share their data and learnings… they’re collecting it all off of us, but not giving back!


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[DTR87]

Of course get yourself checked out by a doc to be certain and put your mind at ease but just my perspective:

Female, 35, 145, rhr mid 60s. I wouldn’t worry too much. 1. The Fitbit has very mixed accuracy and is pretty accurate for men. 2. Women’s menstrual cycles and hormones have a huge impact and cause resting heart rate changes (like even 10bpm) and Fitbit doesn’t they’ve appropriate data on it. For me personally, the Fitbit does show my sleeping HR lower than my RHR but only by a few beats per minute. Also, the temperature and blankets have a HUGE impact. Try a fan or sth that circulates air in your bedroom and maybe turn on your AC. Having my AC on had a massive positive effect on my sleep and RHR. Last but not least - personally - my RHR goes way up after eating so if you eat right before bed, especially a larger meal, or even drink something very hot that could impact it. Try to eat a smidge earlier (like 3 hours before bed) and see if you notice anything. Good luck! 

[ljweez]

I’m so glad to find this topic. It’s been worrying me as well that my sleeping HR % is always much higher than my resting HR %, and rarely below it. I do have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and am a patient at Stanford’s CFS center. Trying to increase my sleep health is a no-brainer when you wake up exhausted every morning. Oddly, my CFS docs don’t address sleep issues. Their focus is more on decreasing inflammation and addressing viral load. CFS is nearly identical to long COVID, in that the virus keeps trying to reactivate, leading to exhaustion and other symptoms. The virus that won’t stay dormant in my system is EBV—the virus responsible for mono.

It’s interesting to see that some of you are athletic and still get this sleeping HR issue. I am now disabled and nearly 100% bedridden from CFS. Exercise makes my symptoms much worse. I log 2000-4000 steps per day just puttering around my house, and that’s all the exercise I get. My resting HR is between 63 and 70. I am 60 and post-menopausal (though I do still get occasionally hot flashes).

I always make sure to sleep cool even keeping a fan on all night in the warmer months. I’m most comfortable at a nighttime temp of 66 or below.

I would love it if Fitbit had a chart that showed a correlation of our sleep stages to our sleeping HR—it just makes sense, right?