Around 15 million Americans are on medication for high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers have found that it’s not only important to take this medication (it’s also believed that around 15 million people with hypertension are not on blood pressure medication), but to take it at the right time.
Suffolk Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing is sharing the results of a study that found taking blood pressure medication at night could lower your risk of heart disease and death even further than if you took the medicine in the morning.
The long-range study followed nearly 20,000 people for six years, and it found that people taking their medication at bedtime cut their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke nearly in half.
Study Results Follow Typical Blood Pressure Patterns
It’s believed that the medication is more effective when consumed at bedtime because it’s fresher in the system when blood pressure naturally rises as a person wakes up. It remains at more elevated levels during the morning and into the afternoon before starting to go back down again. Simply put, the medicine can keep blood pressure lower at its peak hours when taken at bedtime.
Doctors Encouraged, But Would Like More Research
The study was conducted among mostly white men and women in Spain, but according to the American Heart Association, Black men and women are more susceptible to high blood pressure and it beginning at an earlier age. While doctors would like to see what the results are in other groups, they say there’s no harm in switching your blood pressure medication from a morning to evening dose, but in the case of all changes regarding your health, you should consult your doctor first before doing so. Since you will also be changing up your routine, be sure to set a reminder or have some other system in place so you don’t forget to take your medication at the different time.

To learn more about Suffolk Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit https://suffolk-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org/.