Respiratory rate is the number of breaths you take per minute. Measured while you sleep, it's one of the most stable vital signs you have: most healthy adults land somewhere between about 12 and 20 breaths per minute at rest, and your own nightly number tends to stay within a narrow band. That stability is what makes it useful. When your overnight respiratory rate rises above your usual level, it's often a sign your body is under extra stress.
Normal Respiratory Rate During Sleep
At rest, your breathing is controlled automatically by your brainstem, which adjusts it to keep oxygen and carbon dioxide in balance. During sleep, with fewer outside influences like talking, moving, or caffeine, your rate settles into a consistent pattern.
Rates also vary a little with age, sex, and body weight, which is why comparing against your own baseline is more useful than comparing against a population average.
What can raise your overnight respiratory rate:
- Hard training and accumulated fatigue
- Illness, especially respiratory infections; in the same study, about a third of people with COVID-19 symptoms had at least one night well above their usual rate around when symptoms began
- Stress and heat
- High altitude
How Respiratory Rate Relates to Training
Because your sleeping respiratory rate is so consistent, a sustained rise above your usual level is a useful early-warning sign that your body is working harder to recover. Paired with a lower HRV and a higher resting heart rate, it strengthens the case for an easier day.
A single higher night isn't cause for concern. A rise that lasts several nights, especially alongside other changes or symptoms, is worth paying attention to, and worth discussing with a doctor if you feel unwell.
How FITIV Uses Respiratory Rate
FITIV Pulse reads your respiratory rate from Apple Health, recorded while you sleep by your Apple Watch or another device that writes it to Apple Health.
- Vitals card: your latest overnight respiratory rate appears on the Today screen in breaths per minute (BrPM), labeled Typical, Above, Below, Well Above, or Well Below compared with your own typical range.
- Vitals Summary: see your typical range, a 30-day chart, and your 7-day and 30-day averages, so you can spot a trend rather than react to one night.
- Recovery: respiratory rate is one of the overnight vitals behind your Recovery score, alongside HRV, resting heart rate, and sleep. A lower-than-usual rate supports better recovery, and a higher-than-usual rate holds it back.
You can choose whether FITIV uses your respiratory rate from sleep (the default) or from the whole day in Settings → Today Tab. For best results, wear your Apple Watch to bed with Sleep Focus on.
FITIV's vitals are for fitness tracking and general wellness, not for diagnosing or monitoring medical conditions. If you have health concerns or unusual readings, talk with a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal respiratory rate during sleep?
Most healthy adults breathe about 12 to 20 times per minute at rest. In a large wearable study, 90% of nightly readings from healthy adults fell between about 12 and 19 breaths per minute. Your own usual range matters more than the population average.
What does a higher respiratory rate mean for recovery?
A sustained rise above your usual overnight rate often means your body is under extra stress, from hard training, heat, stress, or illness. In FITIV, a higher-than-usual rate holds your Recovery score back.
How does Apple Watch measure respiratory rate?
Apple Watch measures your breathing rate automatically while you sleep when sleep tracking is turned on. FITIV reads those readings from Apple Health.
