A new study has found a simple way for people with high blood pressure to lower their risk of heart problems and live longer. The secret may be as easy as changing the time they take their medicine.
Instead of taking blood pressure pills in the morning, this research shows it’s better to take them at bedtime.
The study was led by scientists at the University of Vigo in Spain and included more than 19,000 people with high blood pressure. Half of them took their medicine in the morning, while the other half took it at night before going to bed.
Doctors followed these patients for about six years. Each year, they used a special machine to check blood pressure over 48 hours. This helped them see how the timing of the medicine affected people’s health over time.
The results were surprising. People who took their medicine at night had much better results. Their blood pressure stayed under better control, and they were much less likely to have serious heart problems.
In fact, people who took their pills at bedtime were 45% less likely to have or die from a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or a procedure to unblock arteries.
Here are more details from the study:
– They had a 66% lower risk of dying from heart disease.
– A 44% lower risk of having a heart attack.
– A 40% lower risk of needing a procedure to clear blocked arteries.
– A 42% lower risk of developing heart failure.
– A 49% lower risk of having a stroke.
These findings go against the common advice given by many doctors. Usually, patients are told to take blood pressure medicine in the morning, because that’s when most people are active and their blood pressure rises. But this study suggests that what happens to blood pressure while we sleep might matter even more.
The researchers are part of a group called the Hygia Project. They found that blood pressure during sleep is a stronger sign of future heart disease than blood pressure during the day. That means lowering blood pressure at night could be key to preventing heart problems.
Right now, most health guidelines don’t say what time of day is best for taking blood pressure medicine. There has never been strong proof that morning doses are better. This new research, published in the European Heart Journal, is one of the largest and longest studies ever to look at this issue.
The main message is clear: if you have high blood pressure, taking your medicine at bedtime may help protect your heart and could even save your life. It’s a small change that could make a big difference.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease, and coconut sugar could help reduce artery stiffness.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that Vitamin D deficiency can increase heart disease risk, and results showing vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
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