Slow heart rate when sleeping at night

We all know that people need to get at least eight hours of sleep a day, because some of the internal organs of the human body need to work during these eight hours, and they need to relax and rest while working. Just like when our heart is sleeping, its beating frequency will be slower, which means they are resting. So why is the heart rate too slow when we sleep at night?

A normal person's heart beats about 70 to 100 times per minute. If the heart beats less than 60 times per minute, it is

Slow heartbeat. Common causes of slow heartbeat include:

1. Vagus nerve hyperfunction: When the vagus nerve is excited, its endings can release a substance called "acetylcholine", which has an inhibitory effect on the heart and can slow down the heartbeat. The bradycardia caused by vagus nerve hyperfunction is mostly regular, usually 30 to 40 beats per minute. This situation is more common among the elderly. Sick Sinus Syndrome: Because the pacemaker of the heartbeat, the sinoatrial node, cannot send impulses well or delays sending impulses, the heartbeat will slow down. The most common causes are cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease and degenerative lesions of the cardiac conduction system in the elderly. The heart rate of patients with sick sinus syndrome is sometimes only about 30 beats per minute.

2. Severe atrioventricular block: The impulse wave sent by the pacemaker sinus node cannot be transmitted to the atrioventricular node and is blocked. At this time, the ventricles have to compensate by sending impulses themselves, so the heartbeat is very slow. Once complete atrioventricular block occurs, the heart beats only about 20 times per minute. The obvious decrease in cardiac output directly affects the blood supply to the brain, causing dizziness, and even syncope or convulsions.

It is best to do a 24-hour electrocardiogram test. If the heart rate is more than 30 times during the day and more than 20 times at night, it is indeed too slow. In this case, it is necessary to consider the presence of sinoatrial node function lesions. Patients may experience symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and even fainting.

Suggestions: It is recommended to go to the hospital for electrophysiological examination to determine whether there is sinus node dysfunction. In this case, a pacemaker may be required for treatment, otherwise there is a risk of sudden death.