Between 40 to 50 beats per minute (bpm) is considered an average sleeping heart rate for adults, though this can vary depending on multiple factors.
A slow heart rate isn't always a concern. For example, a resting heart rate between 40 and 60 beats a minute is quite common during sleep and in some people, particularly healthy young adults and trained athletes.
A resting heart rate that is too low (less than 50 beats per minute), or one that is 100 or higher, could be a sign of trouble and should prompt a call to your doctor.
While sleeping
For most people, their sleeping heart rate will fall to the lower end of the normal resting heart rate range of 60–100 bpm. In deep sleep, the heart rate may fall below 60 bpm , especially in people who have very low heart rates while awake.
Average Heart Rates While Sleeping
During sleep, it is normal for a person's heart rate to slow down below the range for a typical resting heart rate. Between 40 to 50 beats per minute (bpm) is considered an average sleeping heart rate for adults, though this can vary depending on multiple factors.
During your initial sleep stages, your body relaxes and your blood pressure and heart rate begin to drop. In this scenario, your lowest RHR occurs near the midpoint of your sleep, when the amount of melatonin present reaches a peak.
Doctors consider a low heart rate to be 60 beats per minute (bpm) and below. In fact, if you have bradycardia, you'll have a low resting heart rate below 60, even when you're awake and active. In contrast, a normal range is 60 to 100 bpm while awake.
The normal range is between 50 and 100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is above 100, it's called tachycardia; below 60, and it's called bradycardia. Increasingly, experts pin an ideal resting heart rate at between 50 to 70 beats per minute.
Bradycardia is a heart rate that's too slow. What's considered too slow can depend on your age and physical condition. Elderly people, for example, are more prone to bradycardia. In general, for adults, a resting heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute (BPM) qualifies as bradycardia.
Slow Isn't Always Bad
A slow heartbeat isn't always a concern, though. A resting heart rate between 40 and 60 beats a minute during sleep is common for many people during sleep.
Summary: Bradycardia -- a slower than normal heartbeat -- does not increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a study.
Can Bradycardia Cause Stroke?: A specific type of bradycardia (slow heart rate) called junctional bradycardia, in which the heart rate is below 40 beats per minute, may be associated with ischemic stroke, a type of stroke in which a blood vessel to the brain is obstructed or blocked.
What many may not realize is that anxiety can cause the heartbeat to slow down as well. It's not that common, but it is possible, and in some cases the issue may not be a slow heartbeat at all but your own mind telling you that your heart rate is abnormal even when this isn't necessarily the case.
Magnesium deficiency can cause or worsen arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, which may increase the risk of more serious complications, such as a stroke or heart failure.
The difference is that, when extra heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers are the cause of abnormal rhythm, symptoms may feel like an initial skip or hard thumping beat followed by a racing heart. When anxiety is the trigger, heart rate typically increases steadily rather than suddenly.
Your target heart rate during a stress test depends on your age. For adults, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 minus your age. So, if you're 40 years old, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 – 40 = 180.
Bradycardia in thiamin deficiency and the role of glyoxylate.
A heart block does not mean that the heart stops beating altogether, because other 'back-up' systems can take over. However, it can result in an abnormally slow heartbeat (bradycardia), leading to the body's organs and tissue becoming deprived of oxygen.
Adults and children who have a low pulse and experience symptoms such as chest pain, fainting, or exercise intolerance should also go to the hospital. A person should contact a doctor about bradycardia when they: experience an unexplained change in heart rate that lasts for several days.
If your resting heart rate is consistently above 80 beats per minute, you might want to talk to your doctor about how your heart rate and other personal factors influence your risk for cardiovascular disease.
Magnesium calms the electrical system and helps slow the heart rate. So while it may not treat the atrial fibrillation, there is a correlation between magnesium and maintenance of a normal heart rhythm. Magnesium may have a positive effect on blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Several studies have indicated that low resting heart rate (RHR) is associated with health and longevity, and conversely, a high resting heart to be associated with disease and adverse events. Longitudinal studies have shown a clear association between increase in heart rate over time and adverse events.
If you're sitting down and feeling calm, your heart shouldn't beat more than about 100 times per minute. A heartbeat that's faster than this, also called tachycardia, is a reason to come to the emergency department and get checked out. We often see patients whose hearts are beating 160 beats per minute or more.