I recently noticed that, almost every night, my Apple Watch records heart rate spikes while I'm sleeping. It will show a reading around 50bpm then shoot up to 100bpm then back to 50bpm - a few times each night. I tried using a new Fitbit (that has continuous heart rate tracking) on another wrist and it showed no spikes. I am using an Apple Watch Series 4, so I wonder if there is something wrong with the sensors on my watch since it's an older device or if some kind of software glitch causing these weird spikes? Has anyone else noticed this?
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Random heart rate spikes while sleeping
- Thread starter bgrace
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When you say random are you talking of one hit at 100 then back to 50?
I use the app Heart Analyzer which has a great widget on the phone as well as a superb graphic on the watch.
If you open up the app it then shows all recorded beats…. Here I have been able to notice the watch often releases a random high beat only to return moments later. I put this down to movement during the night…. Everything then settles down for 😴
I use the app Heart Analyzer which has a great widget on the phone as well as a superb graphic on the watch.
If you open up the app it then shows all recorded beats…. Here I have been able to notice the watch often releases a random high beat only to return moments later. I put this down to movement during the night…. Everything then settles down for 😴
By chance do you have any sleep apnea that you are aware of, or are you told you snore much? I'm a sleep tech for a living, and this type of behavior is indicative of obstructive sleep apnea.
Not a concern. It is stated that dreams during REM sleep can cause an increased HR. However my guess is just a random oddity that can be due to wrist position and flexion. I do a regular workout on a rowing machine, Concept2. For some reason that pulling motion and my gripping position of the “oar” frequently causes a high HR reading. I’m very familiar with what different HRs feel like when doing my rapid exercise walks, when climbing 4 flights of stairs to my apartment and other vigorous activities - 110, 120, 125 maybe. On the rower I once saw 216. If my HR was actually 216 I would know it and would call 911 if I were still conscious. I had to go to the ER several years ago due to a sudden onset of A-fib and my HR was 160, I was very aware of what that felt like.
Something about that rowing motion and hand grip confuses the watch occasionally. I would sometimes see 180, 200, and then that 216, that was the highest. This was when I was using my series 5 which just got replaced with my Ultra. After one of the more recent watchOS I wasn’t seeing any of those wild numbers but I think they could still occur when doing that motion.
Not aware of any sleep apnea nor do I snore. I was concerned about sleep apnea or another heart issue when I first noticed those spikes in the Health app, but I have been wearing a Fitbit on my other wrist for the past week and it is not recording any spikes. Fitbit also tracks heart rate continuously minute-by-minute vs. Apple Watch which gets a reading every 5 mins or so. At times when Apple Watch records a high heart rate (100bpm+) the Fitbit shows a stable 50bpm. This makes me think that it's some kind of glitch with the Apple Watch.
Yes, usually just one or two high readings at 100bpm+ then back to the normal sleeping heart rate around 50bpm. I'll have to check out that app.
Glad to hear you don't have the normal symptoms of OSA. It definitely sounds like the watch is mis-reporting your HR at night since your fitbit is showing normal pulse. Are you updated to the latest OS? Not sure if they cut off the 4 or not. Good luck, hopefully something like an update will fix your issue and you can be sure it's just bad data/ artifact.
Thanks! Still a little concerning that AW and Fitbit are not in agreement. Would like to figure out what is going on there. (Yes, on the latest version of watchOS - AW Series 4 is still supported).
I actually see the same now and then. I also tried a different watch (Fitbit or Samsung) and they don't detect anything. Furthermore, I see that the HRV measurement which comes in between some of the high values is actually normal. So you can see something like 50....100, 105, 55, 120...50...And then if I look at the timing of the 55 measurement I can see that it matches the more precise beat to beat measurement of HRV (actually 60 measurements in one minute every 2h). I also used the Cardiogram app on the watch to monitor continously the heart rate during the night and then the problem does not occur (eats up you battery and it will register your night as an exercise, but worth a try). My theory is that this is a problem with the sensors.
I have an Apple Watch 5 by the way.
I think so. I switched to an Series 8 and all of the readings are normal now.