Is your sleeping heart rate normal? Here’s how to tell
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Your sleeping heart rate can affect rest and recovery, and many factors can affect it. Explore what’s healthy, what can throw it off, and 8 tips to support better sleep.
Your sleep tracker can reveal all kinds of data, including your heart rate overnight. A sleeping heart rate that looks a little higher or lower than usual can spark questions, especially if you’ve woken up in the night with your heart beating faster than expected.
Put simply, your sleeping heart rate refers to how fast the heart beats during sleep, when the body is meant to be at rest. But that number isn’t always consistent. Stress, illness, alcohol, poor sleep, and other everyday factors can all influence it, which can make overnight changes feel confusing when they show up on a tracker or when you feel them in your body.
Ahead, we’ll break down what sleeping heart rate means and when a change might be worth paying closer attention to, plus a few ways to feel more relaxed when your head hits the pillow.
What is a sleeping heart rate?
Your sleeping heart rate is the average number of times the heart beats per minute while you’re asleep. For most adults, it’s lower than their daytime resting heart rate because the body shifts into a state of repair and recovery while catching those Zzzs.
As sleep deepens, the parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) nervous system becomes more active, slowing your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. And during REM sleep, your heart rate will naturally become more variable, which is why you could see brief increases overnight on a sleep tracker. These fluctuations are normal.
For many healthy adults, the heart rate while sleeping hovers around 40–60 beats per minute, though this varies widely with age, physical activity, medications, and overall health.
What can affect your sleeping heart rate?
Your sleeping heart rate can change for many reasons — some physical, some emotional, and some related to your sleep quality. These factors can affect the body even when sleep feels calm or uninterrupted.
Common influences include:
Stress and mental load: Ongoing stress can keep the body in a more alert state at night, which can raise heart rate during sleep.
Alcohol and substances: Alcohol may lower heart rate early in the night, then raise it later as the body metabolizes the alcohol, which can disrupt deeper sleep. Nicotine and late caffeine can also increase heart rate and make deeper sleep harder to reach.
Exercise and recovery: Regular movement often leads to a lower sleeping heart rate over time, but hard workouts, especially late in the day or without enough rest, can raise your heart rate overnight.
Illness or inflammation: Fever, infections, or inflammation can increase your heart rate as the body works to recover, sometimes before other symptoms are noticeable.
Sleep quality and duration: Short sleep, frequent waking, or less deep sleep can prevent heart rate from fully slowing at night.
Medications and health conditions: Some medications can directly affect your heart rate. Conditions such as sleep apnea or thyroid problems can also alter nighttime heart rate patterns.
Because several of these factors often occur at the same time, your sleeping heart rate is usually more helpful when looked at across several nights with all factors taken into account.
What are the risks of an irregular sleeping heart rate?
It’s hard to pinpoint any inherent risks of an irregular sleeping heart rate, as some fluctuations are normal and expected. But if you notice certain changes that don’t fade in time, or if you notice peculiar symptoms that you haven’t experienced before, that could be a signal that something is off. Here are a few signs to watch for.
Consistently high sleeping heart rate: A sleeping heart rate that stays higher than usual is often associated with stress, illness, poor sleep, or heavy training, and may signal that the body isn’t fully recovering at night.
Very low sleeping heart rate with symptoms: Lower heart rates are often normal for physically fit people. When low rates happen along with dizziness, fainting, or unusual tiredness, it may be a good idea to talk with a clinician.
Frequent or large fluctuations: Big changes in heart rate, especially when paired with breathing problems, chest discomfort, or repeated awakenings, should be checked by a healthcare professional.
How to find out your sleeping heart rate
Most people learn about their sleeping heart rate through wearable devices or sleep tracking apps. These tools use optical sensors to estimate heart rate throughout the night and calculate an average based on the time you’re asleep.
Common ways to track sleeping heart rate include:
Smartwatches, rings, and fitness bands, which provide nightly averages and long-term trends
Chest strap monitors, often used by athletes, tend to be more precise but less comfortable for sleep
Clinical sleep studies are typically recommended when symptoms or sleep disorders are suspected
When reviewing your data, trends matter more than any single night. A few restless nights, a late meal, or added stress can all shift your heart rate temporarily. So, looking at weekly or monthly averages can help reveal whether changes are situational or part of a broader pattern that you need to pay attention to.
You’ll also want to take all additional factors into account, such as sleep duration, sleep stages, and how rested you feel during the day. Together, these metrics paint a more complete picture than your heart rate alone.
How to improve your sleeping heart rate naturally: 8 tips
One of the best ways to improve your sleeping heart rate is to improve your overall health, sleep hygiene, and mental health. Here are a few ways to get started.
1. Protect your sleep schedule
Regular sleep and wake times help regulate circadian rhythms, which influence heart rate, blood pressure, and nighttime nervous system activity. Large swings in timing can raise overnight heart rate, even if total sleep time seems adequate.
Try this:
Keep wake-up time within the same 60 minutes daily, including weekends
If bedtime shifts later, still aim to wake up close to your usual time
Create a consistent wind-down time, maybe the same 30 to 60 minutes of low-stimulation activity each night
Related read: What your chronotype says about your sleep patterns, productivity & personality
2. Be mindful of alcohol and late eating
Alcohol can initially lower your heart rate, then raise it later in the night as the body works to metabolize it. This often leads to spikes in heart rate and lighter sleep in the second half of the night.
Try this:
Stop drinking at least three hours before bed
Try alcohol-free weekdays to see how your heart rate responds
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water to reduce total intake
3. Move your body, but time it well
Regular physical activity strengthens the heart and often lowers your sleeping heart rate over time. However, frequent high-intensity workouts without adequate recovery can push overnight heart rate higher. If your heart rate remains elevated for multiple nights, you may need more recovery time after exercise.
Try this:
Schedule intense workouts earlier in the day when possible
Choose gentler evening movement, such as walking or mobility work
Include at least one or two lower-intensity days each week
💙 Try a gentle Mindful Movement session in the evening with Mel Mah on the Calm app.
4. Create a clear wind-down routine
Aim for a wind-down routine that lowers stimulation and helps the nervous system shift into rest. That means moving out of “day mode” before getting into bed. That could be a hot bath, reading a relaxing book, or practicing meditation.
Try this:
Dim lights and step away from screens
Try a gentle stretch or slow movement
Explore a few minutes of slow breathing, or a breathing practice like box breathing
💙 Before you turn out the lights, Wind Down (for Sleep) during this meditation with Chibs Okereke on Calm.
5. Pay attention to caffeine timing
Even if it doesn’t keep you up late, caffeine can raise your sleeping heart rate while you’re asleep. Consider timing your tea and coffee a bit earlier in the day, then track your heart rate while sleeping for a few nights after adjusting your caffeine intake. This can help clarify your personal sensitivity.
Try this:
Set a caffeine cutoff eight hours before bed
Replace afternoon coffee with tea or half-caf
Watch for hidden caffeine in pre-workout supplements or sodas if you work out after lunchtime
Related read: Is there a "best time" to drink coffee? What you need to know
6. Keep your sleep environment cool and calm
Sometimes your sleeping heart rate is impacted by how comfortably you’re sleeping. A room that’s too warm or uncomfortable can raise heart rate during sleep by forcing the body to work harder to regulate temperature.
Try this:
Keep the bedroom slightly cool
Use breathable sheets and lightweight blankets
Shower before bed to help the body cool naturally
Read more: 6 tips you need to create the best sleep environment
7. Address your stress
Stress that goes unaddressed during the day often appears in sleep metrics. Lowering baseline stress tends to improve sleeping heart rate over time. Supporting stress regulation during the day can do more for sleeping heart rate than any single nighttime habit.
Try this:
Take short walking breaks to reset between tasks
Use slow breathing during transitions, such as after work
Write down worries or to-do lists earlier in the evening
💙 Address any underlying stress with Calm’s Stress and Burnout Support series.
8. Use mindfulness and meditation for nervous system support
Mindfulness and meditation can help calm the nervous system and reduce stress, which may support healthier sleeping heart rate patterns over time.
Using mindfulness and meditation as part of a wind-down routine can support steadier heart rate patterns at night and help you relax into sleep.
Try this:
Try a few minutes of slow breathing during the day
Explore a brief body scan to release tension before bed
Try a guided meditation focused on relaxation or stress relief
Read more: 5 ways to improve your sleep with mindfulness practices
💙 If mindfulness is new to you, explore Calm’s Mindfulness for Beginners course.
Sleeping heart rate FAQs
What’s the difference between a resting and sleeping heart rate?
Resting heart rate is measured while you’re awake and calm, often in the morning or while sitting quietly. Sleeping heart rate shows how fast the heart beats during sleep, when the body is focused on rest and repair.
Because sleep has different stages, sleeping heart rate is usually lower and can change more during the night, especially during deeper stages of sleep.
What's a normal sleeping heart rate?
For many healthy adults, sleeping heart rate is lower than daytime resting heart rate and often falls around 40–60 beats per minute, though individual norms vary. Some people are naturally outside this range because of age, fitness, medications, or family history.
What matters most is whether your sleeping heart rate stays fairly steady over time and matches how rested you feel, not whether it hits one exact number.
What is an unsafe heart rate while sleeping?
There’s no single sleeping heart rate that’s unsafe for everyone. Patterns matter more than one number. A heart rate that stays high, drops very low with symptoms like dizziness or fatigue, or swings widely may need medical attention.
Any sudden or lasting change, especially when symptoms are present, is best discussed with a healthcare professional.
How do I read my sleeping heart rate?
Sleeping heart rate makes the most sense when looked at over time rather than on one or two nights. Checking weekly or monthly averages can help show whether changes are linked to stress, illness, travel, or poor sleep.
Looking at heart rate alongside sleep length and how you feel during the day often gives a clearer picture than heart rate alone.
Can anxiety increase your sleeping heart rate?
Yes. Anxiety can keep the nervous system active during sleep, which can raise heart rate and cause more ups and downs overnight. This can happen even if you don’t feel anxious at the time, especially during long periods of stress or worry.
Do sleep trackers show accurate heart rate data?
Most consumer sleep trackers are reasonably accurate for showing heart rate trends and nightly averages, though they are less precise than medical-grade devices and can vary by movement, device type, and individual factors. Most importantly, sleep trackers should not be used to diagnose heart or sleep problems.
What causes heart rate spikes during sleep?
Heart rate spikes during sleep often happen during REM sleep, vivid dreams, brief awakenings, or when the body moves between sleep stages. Alcohol, stress, breathing problems, and getting too warm at night can also play a role. Occasional spikes are normal and usually not a reason to worry.
Can meditation help lower my sleeping heart rate?
Regular meditation and relaxation can help calm the nervous system, which may slowly lower your sleeping heart rate. Practices that use slow breathing, body awareness, or stress relief during the day often help more than meditating only at bedtime.
Why is my heart rate higher when I sleep poorly?
Poor or broken sleep reduces time spent in deeper stages of rest, which keeps the body more active at night. When sleep is short or often interrupted, heart rate may remain elevated because the body is working rather than fully resting.
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