Herbie Murray
Heart rate is a critical marker of your overall health and well-being, especially during sleep. Tracking your heart rate while you sleep can provide invaluable insights into your sleep quality. An irregular heart rate can be a sign of sleep disorders or other underlying health issues. To measure your sleeping heart rate, you can use a smartwatch, a smart ring, or a dedicated sleep tracking device. Some examples of devices that can track your heart rate while you sleep include the Apple Watch, the Oura Ring, the Whoop, and the Galaxy Ring. These devices can help you monitor your heart rate trends and sleep sessions, and even compare your heart rate with other health metrics such as weight, caffeine intake, and sleep duration.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How to track heart rate | Wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart rings, or in-built phone apps |
| Heart rate during sleep | Normally between 40-50 bpm |
| Benefits of tracking heart rate | Detect irregularities, monitor sleep quality, and promote overall health |
| Additional metrics | Weight, caffeine intake, steps, cycling distance, sleep quality, sleep duration, body temperature |
| Examples of trackers | Oura Ring, Whoop, Apple Watch, Pillow |
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What You'll Learn
Using a smartwatch or smart ring
Smartwatches and smart rings are popular options for tracking sleep using heart rate. Here are some tips for using these devices to monitor your sleep:
Smart Rings
The Oura Ring is a popular smart ring option for sleep tracking. It offers accurate heart rate monitoring and sleep staging algorithms that can match the performance of a polysomnography sleep lab test. The Oura Ring provides useful insights and guidance to help improve your sleep. Its comfortable fit and lightweight design also make it ideal for sleeping. Additionally, the Oura Ring Gen 4 offers impressive battery lives of up to 8 days. However, the subscription fee and chunkier design may be considered downsides for some users.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is another smart ring option. It offers similar features to the Oura Ring, including sleep cycle tracking, heart rate monitoring, and blood oxygen sensors. The Galaxy Ring provides up to seven days of battery life and does not require a subscription, making it a more affordable choice.
Smartwatches
The Apple Watch is a well-known option for sleep tracking. It can measure your heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, and sleep duration. The Apple Watch does not provide sleep scores but instead allows you to check if these metrics are within a typical range. You can view your sleep data through the Vitals app on the watch or the Health app on your iPhone. To enable sleep tracking, ensure your Apple Watch is charged to at least 30% before bed and follow the setup instructions in the Health app.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is another affordable smartwatch option for sleep tracking. It measures heart rate, blood oxygen levels, time spent in different sleep stages, and overall sleep quality. The Fitbit app is user-friendly and provides features like a daily stress management score and mindfulness sessions.
The Withings ScanWatch 2 is a unique smartwatch option for those who want a traditional watch look. It has a small screen that displays the time, date, steps, and other health vitals. This watch is ideal for those who want to check their vitals without being distracted by a bright LED screen.
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In-lab or at-home sleep study
If you're experiencing symptoms of conditions that affect your sleep, a healthcare provider may recommend an in-lab or at-home sleep study to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. These studies are particularly useful for conditions that affect or disrupt your brain, nervous system, breathing, and heart function.
In-Lab Sleep Study
An in-lab sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram, is a diagnostic test conducted in a sleep lab during your normal sleeping hours. It involves spending the night in a lab while a physician monitors you. Sensors are placed on your body to track multiple body systems, including your heart, brain, and respiratory system. These sensors capture various signals, such as brain waves, muscle tone, eye movement, and heart electrical activity, to provide a comprehensive view of your sleep quality. This type of study is more thorough and accurate than at-home tests, but it may be more expensive and less comfortable due to the clinical setting.
At-Home Sleep Study
An at-home sleep study is a simplified alternative to an in-lab study, typically used for just one night. It is more cost-effective and allows you to remain in the comfort of your home, potentially providing a more accurate representation of your typical sleep habits. The test usually involves sensors that detect your breathing and the movement of breathing-related muscles in your chest and abdomen. However, it does not capture all the signals of an in-lab study, omitting brain wave activity, eye movement, and detailed heart electrical activity measurements. After the test, a sleep technologist reviews the results, and further in-lab studies may be recommended if symptoms persist or more detailed information is required.
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Heart rate variability
HRV can be measured using an electrocardiogram machine (EKG) in a medical setting, or with wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These devices can provide insights into your health, resilience, and behavioural flexibility. For example, a lower HRV may indicate that your body is in a fight-or-flight mode, which could be due to sleep deprivation, stress, or other factors. On the other hand, a higher HRV may suggest greater cardiovascular fitness and resilience to stress.
HRV changes throughout sleep cycles, with lower HRV during non-REM sleep and higher HRV during REM sleep. A low HRV score during sleep can indicate sleep disorders or health issues. To accurately track your HRV, it is recommended to measure it at the same time every morning after waking up. By tracking your HRV over time, you can identify long-term trends and see how your nervous system reacts to your environment, emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
Sleep tracking devices, such as the Oura Ring, can measure HRV in addition to sleep latency, time spent in each sleep cycle stage, and overall sleep quality. By monitoring your sleeping heart rate with these devices, you can detect irregularities and improve your overall health and sleep quality.
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Sleep quality and duration
Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, smart rings, and fitness trackers, can monitor your heart rate during sleep. These devices can detect fluctuations in your heart rate, which can indicate stress, sleep apnea, or other medical conditions. By comparing your heart rate data with other health metrics such as weight, caffeine intake, physical activity, and body temperature, you can discover correlations and identify lifestyle choices that may impact your sleep quality.
For example, the Oura Ring is a popular sleep tracker that measures heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep), and the amount of time spent in each sleep cycle stage. It provides objective sleep and readiness scores, taking into account the varying lifestyles of its users. Similarly, the Whoop tracker offers sleep, strain, and recovery tracking, along with heart rate zone monitoring. It also provides a daily outlook with exercises tailored to your goals.
If you own an Apple Watch, you can utilize the Sleep app to track your sleep. By enabling sleep tracking and ensuring your watch is charged before bedtime, you can wear it to bed to monitor your sleep duration and quality. Additionally, the Pillow app is another option for Apple Watch and iPhone users, offering a feature dedicated to monitoring heart rate trends during sleep.
By leveraging these tools and tracking your heart rate while asleep, you can gain valuable insights into your sleep quality and duration, empowering you to make informed decisions for improved overall health.
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Heart rate anomalies
Any sleeping heart rate outside the range of 40 to 100 bpm is considered abnormal. A resting heart rate that is too low (less than 40 bpm) or too high (above 100 bpm) may be a cause for concern and should be discussed with a doctor. However, it's important to consider individual factors and how a person feels, as well as any other medical conditions they may have.
During sleep, the heart rate fluctuates depending on the phase of sleep. In the first stages of light sleep, the heart rate begins to slow down. During deep sleep, the heart rate reaches its lowest levels, about 20% to 30% below the resting heart rate. When dreaming, or in REM sleep, the heart rate can vary significantly. Scary or active dreams can cause the heart rate to rise as if the person were awake.
Certain conditions can also affect sleeping heart rates. For example, individuals with sleep apnea may never reach deep sleep due to breathing interruptions, resulting in higher heart rates. On the other hand, well-trained athletes may have extremely low heart rates during sleep, sometimes dipping into the 30s or even lower, due to their high vagal nerve tone.
Monitoring your sleeping heart rate using wearable devices or smart sensors integrated into your bed can help detect irregularities. Early detection of heart rate anomalies through sleep tracking technologies can contribute to improved overall health and sleep quality.
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Frequently asked questions
A normal heart rate during sleep is typically between 40 and 50 beats per minute (bpm).
You can track your heart rate during sleep using wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart rings, or dedicated sleep trackers like the Apple Watch. Some apps, like Pillow, can also track your heart rate during sleep.
Tracking your heart rate during sleep can help detect irregularities, which may indicate underlying health issues or sleep disorders. It can also provide insights into your overall health and sleep quality, allowing you to make informed lifestyle choices.
To enable heart rate tracking on your Apple Watch, make sure it is paired with your iPhone and that Sleep Tracking is enabled. Ensure your watch is charged to at least 30% before bed and wear it to bed for at least one hour.
Yes, there are several alternatives to the Apple Watch for tracking heart rate during sleep. Some popular options include the Oura Ring, Whoop, and Galaxy Ring. These devices offer features such as heart rate monitoring, sleep cycle tracking, and health insights.
