Taking antihypertensives at bedtime nearly halves cardiovascular deaths when compared with morning dosing, study finds

Taking antihypertensive medicine at bedtime is associated with improved blood pressure control and a near halving of cardiovascular deaths and events when compared with morning dosing, a study of nearly 20 000 hypertensive patients in primary care has shown.1

“Current guidelines on the treatment of hypertension do not mention or recommend any preferred treatment time,” said Ramón Hermida, lead author of the study and director of the bioengineering and chronobiology labs at the University of Vigo in Spain. “Morning ingestion has been the most common recommendation by physicians based on the misleading goal of reducing morning blood pressure levels.”

But he noted, “The results of this study show that patients who routinely take their antihypertensive medication at bedtime, as opposed to when they wake up, have better controlled blood pressure and, most importantly, a …