Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To worry that my resting heart rate is over 90bpm at night?

34 replies

Janella · 23/02/2024 08:44

Data from my Fitbit which I've just started wearing overnight as GP is investigating my heart palpitations.

My daytime resting heart rate averages in the 60s which is good for my age (45), and my BP was 127/80 last measure. But these palpitations (daytime) go up into the 110+ range when I'm quietly sitting at my desk etc., I can't not notice them.

I'd complained to the GP that palpitations were waking me up from 4am onwards. Bit surprised to see RHR peaks of 90+ three times over night.

Can anyone shed any light or share their own stats?

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Pelvicpaininthebum · 27/05/2025 14:11

@Janella how are you now?

Original poster
Janella · 02/01/2025 21:36

ByHardyAquaFox · 02/01/2025 21:25

You are a walking bomb waiting to go off. Your life is in danger.
Seek professional help immediately.

A few others have commented on this thread with their health but if this comment is aimed at me, you can see upthread that I've mentioned having had lots of tests. I'm under a cardiologist now and I have another appt coming up. I'm not a walking bomb, I have some challenges sure, but it's unhelpful to react this way.
You might have your reasons for posting this, but you haven't shared them.

OP posts:
MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel · 02/01/2025 21:29

I've just checked mine, and I often peak at over 100 every night. On 31st I was a low of 52 and a high of 120 around 3am. I just presume it happens when I'm dreaming.

RegulatorsMountUp · 02/01/2025 21:27

Icantsleepagain · 23/02/2024 08:51

Definitely get checked out. I went from resting BP 60s to resting 95. Was being investigated for palpitations and chest pain (30s so youngish). They made me feel like a liar. Turned out I had sepsis from an infection. I'm not trying to scare you but it's always best to get checked. They only caught it when my heart rate went up to 130s resting during A+E visit (gp surgery turned me away based on a negative urine sample). My point is if you aren't happy get a second opinion.

Edited

This is exactly what happened to my mum - silent double pneumonia which had turned to sepsis and her heart was almost shutting down with intensly high heart rate and low blood pressure. She had to be ventilated and was in intensive care for 1 week before managing to bounce back. Yes I'd be straight to the GP if I were you.

ByHardyAquaFox · 02/01/2025 21:25

You are a walking bomb waiting to go off. Your life is in danger.
Seek professional help immediately.

Original poster
Janella · 02/01/2025 21:17

Having refreshed my memory about my last cardiology appt, fainting CAN be an issue with rapid heart rate - even though this sounds counter intuitive. The heart rate being so rapid means the chambers of the heart don't have chance to refill properly meaning a sudden drop can happen and hence fainting can be a consequence.

OP posts:
Cookerhood · 02/01/2025 09:18

TheOpalReader · 01/01/2025 19:42

Isn't that just blood pressure and not heart rate?

Show quote history

Yes, sorry, it was the fainting bit that set me off down that path!

Original poster
Janella · 01/01/2025 20:08

@Chroniclesofstress I think when it goes on for a long time it's really disruptive, and like you say, there is a knock on effect to sleep, rest, anxiety... it's a real spiral that would be good to get a handle on.

Mine comes and goes. I often don't notice it's even happened (unless it wakes me). I can see from reviewing my Fitbit data that I may have had a vigorous or peak heart event in the previous days or weeks and haven't noticed it at the time. Fitbit is not super sensitive though so my temp heart monitor might be showing something else and this is what I talk to the cardiologist about.

My only exercise is walking but I aim for 10,000 steps a day. You sound like you hit the gym so perhaps you're already in good habits.

OP posts:
Chroniclesofstress · 01/01/2025 19:46

Thanks for coming back and updating us @Janella

Wow that is a very high HR, - higher than I get when on the treadmill at the gym, so I hope you get to the bottom of it somehow. I wonder how you cope with it when it happens?

I have been having increasing periods of high HR, especially at night - I get randomly woken up with episodes of racing heart / palpitations which has got much worse over the past month or so. Mine is more like 100-120 BPM, which is a lot lower than yours, but feels quite terrifying nonetheless. My resting HR is typically in the late 50's to early 60's dependant on how much exercise I'm getting.

I find it quite debilitating, it triggers anxiety and spikes my blood pressure, which then makes me worry that something is wrong - although I've had multiple ECG's now and am on blood pressure tablets to manage the pressure side of things (which has worked for that) but not stopped these nighttime episodes. Sometimes it will race during the day, when I am just sat there, and can go for hours at a time, then just resolve.

TheOpalReader · 01/01/2025 19:42

Cookerhood · 01/01/2025 19:23

The risk of low blood pressure is fainting. The risk of high blood pressure is strokes & other problems

Show quote history

Isn't that just blood pressure and not heart rate?

Original poster
Janella · 01/01/2025 19:35

Interesting about the thyroid. I totally crash out after sugar and I'm following the glucose goddess principles now to try and "clothe my carbs" to try to manage this.

I'm always tired and nap 2-3 times a week after work for about 20 mins just to get through the evening. Already on HRT for a year but can't say I think it's made any difference - I'd probably just be even worse without it.

The strokes comment worries me. Think I need a good conversation with the cardiologist.

OP posts:
Cookerhood · 01/01/2025 19:23

Janella · 01/01/2025 19:01

Hi @Chroniclesofstress
I had a number of tests and have had extended periods of monitoring as my HR has been up above 150-170 during rest times (eg at the desk at work). It remains a bit of a mystery but there's no underlying heart defect so I'm relived about that.

I'm seeing my cardiologist in a few weeks and I think that will be to discuss medication. The risk with the high HR is fainting I believe, which could affect my driving licence so if I have to go down the meds route I will. Feels young to be starting on pills for life though.

Are you struggling with something similar?

The risk of low blood pressure is fainting. The risk of high blood pressure is strokes & other problems

Willyoujustbequiet · 01/01/2025 19:03

Thyroid bloods.

It's a textbook sympton for a overactive thyroid.

Original poster
Janella · 01/01/2025 19:01

Hi @Chroniclesofstress
I had a number of tests and have had extended periods of monitoring as my HR has been up above 150-170 during rest times (eg at the desk at work). It remains a bit of a mystery but there's no underlying heart defect so I'm relived about that.

I'm seeing my cardiologist in a few weeks and I think that will be to discuss medication. The risk with the high HR is fainting I believe, which could affect my driving licence so if I have to go down the meds route I will. Feels young to be starting on pills for life though.

Are you struggling with something similar?

OP posts:
Chroniclesofstress · 01/01/2025 14:28

Sorry for raising a Zombie thread, but I wondered how you got on with your heart racing issues OP @Janella

Prettylol · 06/07/2024 16:40

@Ticktockk good to know that your resting heart rate is back to normal, but just in case if you want to consider a natural approach versus progesterone. May be try cinnamon tea or Shetavari (you get this in India though- it’s an auyrvedic herb). Long time use of progesterone (synthetic progesterone) poses breast cancer risk.

Ticktockk · 24/02/2024 20:16

I had this. I kept saying I thought it was hormonal. No one believed me! I finally convinced a lovely GP who put me on progesterone and now the palpitations have stopped and my heart rate is more normal.
I had to go through a couple of years of beta blockers before this point, and now I’m on the progesterone, I never need the beta blockers anymore.

Ginandjuice57884 · 24/02/2024 14:26

You often get peaks during REM sleep. It's normal.

If it's more consistently raised through the night I'd be more curious. That has only happened for me after major surgery, after I have drunk too much, when I have had an infection, and after my first iron infusion.

Landlubber2019 · 24/02/2024 14:22

Does your Fitbit monitor your oxygen levels? My smart watch alerted me to low oxygen levels at night, which lead to a sleep apnea diagnosis.

Original poster
Janella · 23/02/2024 09:29

@Icantsleepagain sorry, I missed your reply. That's shocking! I hope you're doing better now. I thought sepsis was really sudden but your case sounds like a slow (ish?) creep, how scary for you.

I'm trying to not over worry but I will heed your thoughts about second opinions if it comes to that. My GP was very nice about it all.

OP posts:
NotTerfNorCis · 23/02/2024 09:24

Waking up coughing has been part of sleep apnea for me. But on its own it wouldn't necessarily mean sleep apnea.

Original poster
Janella · 23/02/2024 09:12

About two weeks ago I woke up in a full coughing fit from a very deep sleep. Woke up the house! I wondered if this was a sign of sleep apnea - it's happened maybe two other times over the past two years. I forgot to mention it to the GP though!

OP posts:
Original poster
Janella · 23/02/2024 09:10

It's still says 65bpm resting heart rate currently. The range for the past 24 hours is 56-105.

Perhaps the peaks are just some movement etc as some of you have pointed out. I slept well last night though, don't recall being disturbed (sometimes I am disturbed, I wake or DH snores/moves) but last last was peaceful until 6am palpitations of 80ish woke me up.

OP posts:
NotTerfNorCis · 23/02/2024 09:08

Might you have sleep apnea?

I have that. It seems to be under control currently, but I did have a weird night recently when I woke up with my heart racing, chest pains, numbness and tingling on one side of my body. Checking the Fitbit I saw my heart rate had suddenly leapt from 65 to 117 (at least) while I was asleep. I think I stopped breathing and my heart rate soared as my body tried to wake me up.

Cookerhood · 23/02/2024 09:08

I just had a look at mine, it said my sleeping average HR was 59 with 89% below RHR. It bobbed up to about 75 a few times.