The Best Time to Take Medicine for High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is an extremely common medical condition. However, even though we have advanced medically to deal with it, the cases have also increased. And so it becomes all the more important for everyone

While in the earlier times it was a condition exclusive to older people, nowadays, hypertension can be found in any person, irrespective of age. For any medical condition to be cured completely, two things are extremely essential: timely diagnosis and timely medication. Time is an important factor here.

Hypertension can be Primary and Secondary. While Primary Hypertension is relatively fatal and can happen due to alcohol consumption, smoking, and bad eating habits, Secondary Hypertension is a common type and is curable.

In most cases, doctors recommend a change in lifestyle, along with certain medications. However, it is up to those living with hypertension to ensure that you make the most of it. And how do you do it?

Well for starters, it’s important to take your hypertension medicines on time, and by “on time” we mean, figuring out the best time for you to take hypertension medicines.

Medicine for High Blood Pressure: What is the best time, then?

It is commonly said that one must consume the maximum part of their daily diet during the morning and the rest of the day. This gives your body enough time for digestion.

Having a lighter meal during the night or finishing off dinner in the evening hours is considered to be good for your health.

However, as far as consuming hypertension medicines is concerned, the case is reversed. As studies suggest, the best time to take your hypertension medicines is actually just before your bedtime.

Why is bedtime the best time for hypertension medicines?

Let’s reiterate why taking your hypertension medicines on time is important. Our blood pressure follows a daily rhythm, which is high during the day when we are going on about our usual routine, and as we lapse into a resting mode at night, it falls. However, for some, their blood pressure may remain high overnight.

Thus, after your tests and a consultation with your physician, you need to figure out a time best suited as per your blood pressure routine, which, in most cases, is just before bedtime. This has been backed up by a 2019 research by the European Heart Journal, which was conducted over nearly 20,000 patients, over a period of 6 years.

Why is it important to take your hypertension medicines on time?

As we mentioned earlier, our heart and blood pressure follows a certain rhythm, which again is dependent on our routine. The research which has been conducted after studying the patterns in patients and after consulting medicos suggest that night time is the best time to take medicine for high blood pressure.

However, why is it important to take your hypertension medicines on time?

Here are a few reasons:

• We are psychologically wired to remember things to do in the morning as that defines our routine. Thus, most of the medication is taken in the morning.
• However, as your body ages, you develop a condition called non-dipping. Non-dipping essentially means that your blood pressure will remain high even overnight. This is a common condition in hypertension patients over the age of 55. These patients are also more susceptible to hypertension issues such as heart attack, kidney disease, and more. So, it is more imperative for them to be taking their hypertension medicines on time.
• Your medication’s effect may wear off by the time it’s time for your next dosage. Overnight blood pressure control is important as it lowers the chances of the patient waking up to an unreasonably high blood pressure. This can be done by taking hypertension medicines at night.

Apart from medications, what measures can be taken to control blood pressure?

Personalizing your hypertension medicine routine is one way to resolve blood pressure issues. However, there are a few other measures that you can observe on a daily basis, only after consulting your physician. Most of these involve minor lifestyle changes like:

• Try and quit smoking. We know it is difficult, especially if you have been smoking for a long time. Nicotine withdrawal can have its effects. However, you can successfully do the same with adequate help. So, seek your doctor’s advice.
• Reduce your alcohol consumption. Like cigarettes, alcohol also serves no other purpose than harming you on the inside. While it is fine in limited proportions, if you are someone suffering from hypertension, you need to quit or at least reduce the consumption. Seek help, if required.
• Start working out and try to reduce that extra weight. As a layman you may have no idea about it. But consult your doctor and you would know exactly how much do you need to shed, and how to do it.
• Reduce the level of sodium. You can do that by cutting down the salt levels in your diet.
• Increase the level of potassium in your diet by adding lots of fresh green and leafy vegetables to your plate.
• Eat a lot of nuts, fruits, vegetables for better immunity.

Following the aforementioned is no sure-shot way to avoid hypertension. However, these will delay the effects and help you live a long and healthy life. As we said, it’s all about making some minor lifestyle changes.

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