A recent study suggests that taking your blood pressure medications at night, instead of when you wake up, maximizes their effectiveness.
High blood pressure is the most common chronic condition in France, affecting nearly one in three adults. This disease promotes the development of heart attacks and strokes. To treat it, several drugs can be used. Previous work has suggested that these may be more effective when taken at night. A recent study published in the European Heart Journal confirms these results today.
For this research, Ramón Hermida and his team at the University of Vigo in Spain studied the records of 19,000 adults with hypertension. Two groups were formed. The members of the first had to take their treatment in the morning. The others did it in the evening before going to bed.
All these patients were then followed for four to eight years. Their blood pressure was measured over a 48-hour period at the start and at least once a year during the study. In the end, the researchers recorded 1,752 cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes.
Taking into account several factors such as age, smoking status, cardiac history and the expected drop in blood pressure during sleep, the researchers estimated that the participants in the "night" group had a risk of death from cardiovascular disease reduced by 56% compared to others. They were also 49% less likely to suffer from a stroke, and 44% less likely to suffer a heart attack.
It should also be noted that those who took their medication in the evening had better kidney function. And a lower bad cholesterol level.
“ The same drugs, at the same doses, ingested at two different times, have totally different pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and therefore behave like two totally different drugs depending on whether 'they are taken in the morning or in the evening ” , confirm the researchers.
It is difficult to explain these results at the moment. But we do know that our hormonal system, which regulates blood pressure, peaks during sleep. For the researchers, this would explain why drugs – which interact with this system – are more effective when taken before bedtime.
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