LOW Heart rate when sleeping

[AnxiousLife]

Hi all,
I typically have a very fast heart rate, but lately it has been so slow. Especially at night- before bed it will go down to the upper 50s and when I’m sleeping it will go into the 40s. Is it normal to be so Low while asleep? I just had a baby recently, but not sure what that would have to do with it. Just concerned because it’s usually so fast. Thanks for your help.

[tan235]

It's meant to be slow - that's a good sign ... I wake up and my heartbeat is so slow till I start freaking out and then it speeds up and then i feel better but then I freak out as suddenly it's fast again ..... ;)

[Fishmanpa]

Curious as to how you know your heart rate while sleeping :huh:

Positive thoughts

[nomorepanic]

Are you wearing one of these fit-bit monitor things?

[budgie1979]

That's pretty normal, especially if you exercise regularly. My resting HR is around 65, and in the evening it can dip down into the 50s and high 40s when I sleep. When I first got a watch with HR monitor, it freaked me out and I asked my doctor. He said that just means I'm in good shape. Unless you are feeling like you are dizzy or going to pass out when you are up and about, your heart is working just fine.

Honestly, the best thing to do is stop checking your HR. I had to force myself not to look at the HR data for a few weeks to get over the anxiety about it. Keeping up my regular exercise also helped reassure me that my heart was fine.

Edit: Just reread your post and noticed you've just had a baby. Hormone fluctuations definitely affect heart rate, so I would think being a little off your "normal" is par for the course right now. Resting HR isn't really a constant--it will raise and lower depending on many factors, and sometimes it doesn't really make sense. During my highest periods of stress I've had some of my lowest resting HRs, and vice versa.