Your heart rate changes frequently depending on your activity level, even during sleep. The most accurate reading of how your heart rate varies should be obtained directly from a professional. However, a relatively accurate figure can also be obtained on your own simply by monitoring your heart rate at rest.
Significance
The restful state attained during sleep is responsible for a large variety of complex physiological changes. One of them is a decrease in the body’s need for oxygen. The result is that the heart rate adapts by slowing down slightly because there is less oxygen to pump through the blood. This phenomenon is known as the nocturnal dip.
Heart Rate Study
According to Dr. Robert Griffith, a study by Israeli physicians, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that in normal subjects, the heart rate is likely to dip at night by at least 10 percent. The study was conducted on a group of 4,000 patients with an average age of 55. Their 24-hour heart rate was obtained during daily activities and nighttime sleep by an ambulatory blood pressure monitor.
Resting Heart Rate
The American Heart Association says the average heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute when you’re at rest. This number is influenced the most by age, but fitness level and body size can also play a role. In general, according to Dr. Edward Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic, a lower heart rate indicates an efficient, healthy heart.
Sleeping Heart Rate
On average, your heartbeat should be at least 6 to 8 beats slower per minute during sleep. However, these are only preliminary figures that are at best guesswork. A more effective figure should be tailored to your specific resting heart rate taken from your pulse or a diagnostic tool such as an ECG.
Considerations
It is also important to keep in mind that your heart rate is contingent on what stage of sleep is involved. Heart rate speeds up during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when physiological activity increases, and slows down during deep sleep.
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