Ideal Range
12-20 breaths per minute during sleep. Lower end is generally better. Watch for deviations from your baseline.
Related Metrics
What is Respiratory Rate?
Your respiratory rate during sleep indicates how many breaths you take per minute while sleeping. It's a vital sign that can detect illness, stress, or respiratory issues.
Why Respiratory Rate Matters
Respiratory rate trends can predict illness 1-2 days before symptoms appear. Elevated breathing rate during sleep may indicate infection, asthma, sleep apnea, or high stress. It's a powerful early warning system for health changes.
How to Improve Respiratory Rate
Common Mistakes
- Ignoring elevated respiratory rate as a warning sign
- Sleeping in stuffy, poor air quality rooms
- Untreated allergies or congestion
- Dismissing snoring as harmless
- Alcohol before bed (disrupts breathing patterns)
The Science
During sleep, respiratory rate naturally decreases as metabolic demand drops. Wearables detect this through movement patterns or optical sensors. A sudden increase often precedes illness - your immune system kicks into gear before you feel symptoms. Chronic elevation might indicate undiagnosed sleep-disordered breathing. COVID-19 research showed respiratory rate changes 3 days before symptom onset on average.
Other Sleep Metrics
Deep Sleep
Deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep (SWS) or N3 sleep, is the most restorati...
Ideal: 1.5-2 hours (15-25% of total sleep) for
REM Sleep
REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements, vivid dreams, and temporary m...
Ideal: 1.5-2 hours (20-25% of total sleep) for
HRV
Heart Rate Variability measures the variation in time between heartbeats. Higher...
Ideal: Highly individual - track your personal
Sleep Efficiency
Sleep efficiency is the percentage of time in bed that you actually spend sleepi...
Ideal: 85-95% for healthy adults. Above 95% mig