Taking your blood pressure pills right before you go to sleep can help you to get the most out of it, says a recent study. The researchers believe this simple change can save the lives of many individuals.
Blood pressure medication provides increased protection against strokes and heart attacks when you take it at night instead of in the morning, as your biological clock has the ability to alter your reaction towards the medication.
Synchronizing Medication to the Internal Body Clock More Effective
There has been an increasing amount of evidence indicating that numerous drugs are more effective when taken at a certain time during the day. A recent Spanish study, one of the largest trials conducted so far, has concluded that taking medication before sleeping works better.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, focused on blood pressure medication and assessed more than 19,000 individuals taking these pills. The researchers divided the participants into two groups – one group took the medication in the morning, and the other group took the medication at bedtime.
Both groups were monitored for more than five years. The results show that the group that took the blood pressure pills at night had a reduced risk of dying or experiencing heart failure, stroke, or heart attack.
The Reason
Typically, most physicians recommend taking blood pressure pills in the morning to reduce the levels of blood pressure. However, the results of this research study came to a different conclusion.
According to the study researchers, your blood pressure drops naturally as you sleep. If it stays high consistently, your risk of experiencing strokes and heart attacks drastically increases. Taking blood pressure medication at night helps keep in check the blood pressure of hypertension patients during their sleep.
The research showed a drastically low blood pressure of the group that took their pills in the evening, not just during their sleep but also throughout the day in comparison with the group that took their pills every morning.
This is a simple change that people can make to their lifestyles to maintain their blood pressure without any additional costs. The researchers also highlighted that there isn’t any recommended guideline for hypertension treatment regarding the specific time for taking medication.
The results of this study have indicated that individuals routinely taking blood pressure medication at night instead of in the morning have controlled blood pressure levels throughout the day. However, the researchers also believe that more such trials must be conducted among different populations to confirm if this is true for different brands of hypertension medications, as well as among other ethnic groups.
Making Healthy Changes
Experts recommend consulting your physician before changing the time of your medication intake since there could be other reasons your doctor might have prescribed a specific time for you to take the pills. Your blood pressure is affected by the lifestyle choices you make. Therefore, you must restrict your alcohol intake, avoid smoking, maintain healthy body weight, and stay active to maintain normal blood pressure levels. Leading a healthy lifestyle will also reduce your risk of developing other health issues.
