Active people have lower night time heart rates than sedentary people and night time heart rate is a key indicator of heart health and provides more informative insights than resting heart rate.
In a comprehensive study, French connected health pioneer Withings analyzed the nighttime heart rate (NHR) of more than 160,000 Withings users worldwide between the ages of 18 and 70 over the course of a year, from 2022 to 2023. The result: People who take more than 10,000 steps per day have a nighttime heart rate (NHR) that is, on average, 4.74 beats per minute, lower than those who take less than 5,000 steps. This finding is particularly significant because a higher NHR is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
This is supported by a study by Johansen et al., which found that nighttime heart rate is a better predictor of risk of cardiovascular events and overall mortality. NHR is particularly informative because it measures heart rate in a relaxed state when the body is resting and regenerating. Until now, resting heart rate has been considered an important biomarker for assessing overall cardiovascular health. A normal nighttime heart rate is about 40 to 60 beats per minute, which is about 10 to 15 percent lower than resting heart rate. A higher NHR can be a sign of a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.
“Nighttime heart rate is a good indicator of cardiovascular health because it is a measure of the activity of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the heartbeat,” explains cardiologist and sleep physician Professor Pierre Escourrou, MD. “An increased heart rate at night can be a sign of impaired cardiovascular function and may indicate conditions such as high blood pressure and kidney damage. To improve nighttime heart rate, people should practice healthy sleep hygiene, such as avoiding alcohol in the evening, relaxing before bed, and exercising during the day.”
Average heart rate decreases as daily steps increase
Regular exercise can lower nighttime heart rate and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The Withings’s study confirms that the more steps users take on average during the day, the better their heart rate at night. In fact, the average heart rate falls as the number of daily steps increases. The results of the study are clear: walking has the potential to significantly improve night-time heart rate. Reducing stress and getting enough sleep can also have a positive impact.
Expert perspective: Why resting heart rate matters for heart health
A higher resting heart rate can be due to multiple reasons, such as lower fitness, poor sleep, ongoing stress or alcohol intake. Less commonly, it may also signal an underlying issue such as a thyroid problem, anaemia or heart disease.
Dr Francesco Lo Monaco, heart specialist in London and founder of The National Heart Clinic, says resting heart rate can provide useful insights into a person’s cardiovascular health. A persistently raised resting heart rate can increase the risk of cardiovascular complications, even when blood pressure, cholesterol and fitness levels all seem to be well-managed.
Dr Lo Monaco explains the resting heart rate pattern as:
- Around 60-70 bpm: broadly reassuring for most adults.
- Above 80 bpm at rest: consistently associated with higher long‑term risk.
- Each 10 bpm increase: linked with roughly a 10-15% higher risk of cardiovascular death in pooled analyses.
Improving overall health and fitness can improve resting heart rate too. Regular aerobic exercise, better sleep, reducing alcohol intake and managing long-term stress, as well as treating underlying conditions like high blood pressure or sleep apnoea, can all help bring it down.
Dr Lo Monaco advises watching the trend rather than making assumptions on a single reading. If your resting heart rate stays higher than usual, a private heart checkup with an expert cardiologist can assess your cardiovascular health. An online cardiology consultation is also available if you prefer to speak remotely.
Methodology:
The study analyzed data from 161,239 users aged 18 to 70 who wore a Withings ScanWatch. They were divided into two main groups: a predominantly sedentary group with less than 5,000 steps per day and an active group with more than 10,000 steps per day. Geographically, the study included the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France, each with at least 10,000 users. A number of confounding factors were taken into account to scientifically validate the results. These included recent BMI measurements, gender, and age group. The data was stratified accordingly, and the analysis focused on the 30-70 age group.
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