Ever do a resting heart rate test during sleep?

[jojoma]

I'm thinking of putting on my heart rate strap before bed, and seeing what it says in the morning. My Garmin has about 10 hours of battery life, so I'll just put it next to my bed and it will be no different than being out on the road measuring my heart rate.

Anyone ever do this? My concern is that the contact points might dry up in the middle of the night.

 

[swampy1970]

I'm thinking of putting on my heart rate strap before bed, and seeing what it says in the morning. My Garmin has about 10 hours of battery life, so I'll just put it next to my bed and it will be no different than being out on the road measuring my heart rate.

Anyone ever do this? My concern is that the contact points might dry up in the middle of the night.

Back in May I spent a night in the emergency dept of a nearby hospital and was hooked upto all the gizmos and gadgets all night. The damned alarm kept going off every 15 to 20 minutes when the heart rate went in the 40s. After about 5 alarms the nurses just let the damned thing keep beeping at me until apparently it hit somewhere in the 30s and the 'tone' of the alarm changed and the docs came running. Hahaha...

 

[grahamspringett]

My concern is that the contact points might dry up in the middle of the night.

Use liquid soap. Keeps things nice n moist.

 

[john979]

I'm thinking of putting on my heart rate strap before bed, and seeing what it says in the morning.

That is the definition of resting heart rate.

 

[spinner32]

It's kind of fun - definitely give it a go. I can usually get my "sitting" HR (wake resting) to between 48 and 52, but while sleeping it's hit 40 a few times. I had a friend do the same test and end up at 32.

 

[Alex Simmons]

Back in May I spent a night in the emergency dept of a nearby hospital and was hooked upto all the gizmos and gadgets all night. The damned alarm kept going off every 15 to 20 minutes when the heart rate went in the 40s. After about 5 alarms the nurses just let the damned thing keep beeping at me until apparently it hit somewhere in the 30s and the 'tone' of the alarm changed and the docs came running. Hahaha...

same happened to me once, I was admitted as I had broken a bone on my foot from a sprint training accident but some hours later I passed out due to the excruciating pain when I tried to stand on it (I didn't know it was broken at that stage).

When the hospital noted I'd passed out, they admitted me as a cardiac patient!

So I was hooked up to all the machinery, yes there were several rushes of nurses etc when all the alarms would go off. Watching the machine I did dip to ~ 38bpm at times. My blood pressure was very low though but that was a pain response, convincing them of the need to check my foot was the hard part!!

I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

 

[matagi]

Had 24-hour blood pressure monitoring as part of a student prac in university and managed a HR low of 35 overnight.

 

[Hitchy]

I've kept the polar beside the bed...woken up & put it on before getting up....regularly see 35-36 bpm. Sadly the missus won't let me wear it as an experiment to see how HIGH I can get it to go whilst in bed

 

[jojoma]

I've kept the polar beside the bed...woken up & put it on before getting up....regularly see 35-36 bpm. Sadly the missus won't let me wear it as an experiment to see how HIGH I can get it to go whilst in bed

I did a test for a few hours last night. My average was around 50, which needs to get better. The first few spikes are from having to get up and take a leak. Then I fell asleep. It looks like I almost died at one point, then came back to life.

 

[swampy1970]

That is the definition of resting heart rate.

No, resting heart rate is taken when you're awake. When your body is heading towards deep sleep it's not uncommon for your heart rate to go even lower than an early morning heartrate taken after you've just woken up.

 

[swampy1970]

I've kept the polar beside the bed...woken up & put it on before getting up....regularly see 35-36 bpm. Sadly the missus won't let me wear it as an experiment to see how HIGH I can get it to go whilst in bed

Maybe the missus feels left out for not having a strap on too...

... heart rate strap I mean.

 

[AdamW]

I've kept the polar beside the bed...woken up & put it on before getting up....regularly see 35-36 bpm. Sadly the missus won't let me wear it as an experiment to see how HIGH I can get it to go whilst in bed

One of the downhillin' mountain bikers (maybe Marla Streb??) did just that and had it posted in Bicycling mag about a year or two ago I believe. Bicyclying called it the "Sex Issue".

 

[Aussie Steve]

I always believed that resting heart rate was measured just as you woke up...i dont like the idea of wearing the monitor overnite, but how about just checking your pulse the way a nurse does? anyway like a couple of the posts above, I been in hospital twice - and yeah, I told them "dont worry about my low heart rate, its about 45 bpm" and told them why, but I just got a curious look from the nurses/doctors like I was speaking Mandarin... i wonder if they pigeonhole all patients and if we dont fit their preconceptions, they cant cope...
BTW , i read somewhere that Miguel Indurain had a resting HR of about 28 BPM... not sure if thats an urban myth or what, but if you do 40,000 kms a year on two wheels that could happen, eh

 

[Steve_B]

I always believed that resting heart rate was measured just as you woke up...i dont like the idea of wearing the monitor overnite, but how about just checking your pulse the way a nurse does?

I tried wearing the strap a couple of times but it would dry out, as you said. I just check it at my wrist as soon as I wake up. I've gotten out of the habit of doing it though. It never seemed to give me any warning of oncoming illness (like it supposed to); My HR wouldn't be elevated until I already had the symptoms anyway.

anyway like a couple of the posts above, I been in hospital twice - and yeah, I told them "dont worry about my low heart rate, its about 45 bpm" and told them why, but I just got a curious look from the nurses/doctors like I was speaking Mandarin... i wonder if they pigeonhole all patients and if we dont fit their preconceptions, they cant cope...

It's my offseason and I gave blood this week. One of the big local hospitals sends this big-ass van around to local sites (including my workplace) and collects blood from people. So, of course, they had a questionnaire, pricked my finger, checked my BP, pulse and iron level. The first thing out of the assistant's mouth was "are you an athlete?" The assistant had to clear with the supervisor the fact that I had a pulse rate of 40. Because of my low pulse rate, they hooked me up to a slightly smaller bag (presuming that I wouldn't be pumping out as much). Pfffft. I started "pumping" long after the other two guys in the room and I was done long before them. Perhaps they forgot about the "greater heart stroke volume" aspect of being an athlete?

 

[grahamspringett]

It's my offseason and I gave blood this week. One of the big local hospitals sends this big-ass van around to local sites (including my workplace) and collects blood from people. So, of course, they had a questionnaire, pricked my finger, checked my BP, pulse and iron level. The first thing out of the assistant's mouth was "are you an athlete?" The assistant had to clear with the supervisor the fact that I had a pulse rate of 40. Because of my low pulse rate, they hooked me up to a slightly smaller bag (presuming that I wouldn't be pumping out as much). Pfffft. I started "pumping" long after the other two guys in the room and I was done long before them. Perhaps they forgot about the "greater heart stroke volume" aspect of being an athlete?[/color]

I thought anybody who gave blood was big-hearted...

 

[Steve_B]

I thought anybody who gave blood was big-hearted...

I haven't needed a blood bag hooked up to me (fortunately) but for those that do, there you go. Yeah, I figure it will be good kharma. Hopefully I won't have to cash in that kharma some day though.

 

[Aussie Steve]

The first thing out of the assistant's mouth was "are you an athlete?" The assistant had to clear with the supervisor the fact that I had a pulse rate of 40. Because of my low pulse rate, they hooked me up to a slightly smaller bag (presuming that I wouldn't be pumping out as much). Pfffft. I started "pumping" long after the other two guys in the room and I was done long before them. Perhaps they forgot about the "greater heart stroke volume" aspect of being an athlete?

Medicos need to get almost perfect scores in Math & Physics type studies- to become medicos. You'd reckon they would understand "low heart rate relates to bigger stroke volume" etc...

btw for the past week I've been trying to change my unfunny and tasteless signature so I hereby apologise to all those offended by it but I cant get into the "User CP" for some reason.

 

[Steve_B]

Medicos need to get almost perfect scores in Math & Physics type studies- to become medicos. You'd reckon they would understand "low heart rate relates to bigger stroke volume" etc...

The people doing this were nursing school students or something like that. Not saying they were dumb or incompetent at all, we all can't be experts in everything. They were doing what they were told and I can respect that. Maybe not everyone with a low heart rate is pumping lots of blood. I dunno.

 

[carbonarm]

I always believed that resting heart rate was measured just as you woke up...i dont like the idea of wearing the monitor overnite, but how about just checking your pulse the way a nurse does? anyway like a couple of the posts above, I been in hospital twice - and yeah, I told them "dont worry about my low heart rate, its about 45 bpm" and told them why, but I just got a curious look from the nurses/doctors like I was speaking Mandarin... i wonder if they pigeonhole all patients and if we dont fit their preconceptions, they cant cope...
BTW , i read somewhere that Miguel Indurain had a resting HR of about 28 BPM... not sure if thats an urban myth or what, but if you do 40,000 kms a year on two wheels that could happen, eh

The Indurain storry should be true. Dont forget it was the happy epo 90's that made the blod thicker and made it pump slower....

You are quit right about the RHR Resting Hear Rate should be measured as you wake up.

At night your pulse will go up and down. Not two nights are the same not even the rhr. Keep the reason for measuring the rhr in mind. You need to measure the rhr at a time that can be compared day to day so you can adjust your training accordingly.

Dont know what I am talking about read this => Read your morning pulse