Taking blood pressure meds before bed 'cuts cardiovascular risk'
Tuesday 25th October 2011
Patients should take their blood pressure-lowering medication at night before bed, according to one expert.
Research published in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology revealed that it is more beneficial to take blood pressure-lowering medication at bedtime than first thing in the morning.
This indicated that heart conditions such as heart attacks and strokes can be significantly reduced in hypertensive patients through no extra cost or effort.
After an average follow up period of 5.4 years, scientists found that patients who took at least one blood pressure-lowering medication at bedtime had better control of their blood pressure.
These patients were around one-third as likely to experience heart-related events such as heart attacks, stroke or heart failure compared to those who took their medications in the morning.
Dr Ramon Hermida, of the University of Vigo, noted: "Our results indicate that cardiovascular event rates in patients with hypertension can be reduced by more than 50 per cent with a zero-cost strategy of administering blood pressure-
lowering medications at bedtime rather than in the morning."
Written by Mathew Horton
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