Sleep

Sleep

Dreams can also affect heart rate and blood pressure.  According to UCLA, most dreams take place during the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage of sleep, which makes up about 20 percent of a normal night's sleep. When REM begins, your heart activity starts to change, ultimately leading to variations, including an overall jump, in both blood pressure and heart rate, per Harvard Medical School.

 

Nightmares can also have a dramatic affect on sleep, heart rate and blood pressure. According to Stanford Health Care.  "Nightmares are more common during the last third of your time asleep, when REM is more likely to take place.

And when nightmares occur, the result can be an elevated sense of distress as your emotions run particularly high, in turn causing your heart rate to go up as well.  If nightmares are interfering with sleep quality and you find yourself waking with a racing heart, you might try meditation, yoga or other forms of exercise to lower stress while awake and get sleep better at night.