Research has shown that hypertension patients who take blood pressure medication at a time aligned with their body clock have a reduced risk of having a heart attack. Research conducted at the University of Dundee's School of Medicine, has revealed a person's chronotype - the time where they feel most suited to sleeping and being awake, can impact how they interact with their blood pressure medication. The research was undertaken in conjunction with Helmholtz Munich and a team of scientists from Italy, the UK and the US.
More than 5,000 people from the Treatment in Morning versus Evening (Time) trial completed an online questionnaire that assessed how their body clock is tuned, with about half of respondents stating they take their medication in the morning and the other half in the evening. Scientists observed that so-called "morning larks" (earlier chronotypes) who took their prescribed blood pressure medication in the morning were less likely to experience a heart attack than those who were "misaligned" and took it in the evening. Meanwhile, study participants who were "night owls" (later chronotypes) and took their blood pressure medication in the evening were also less likely to be hospitalised for heart attack when compared to those who took their medication in the morning.
The team concluded that respondents who take their medication during the times to which they feel more attuned could be better protecting their hearts. Dr Filippo Pigazzani, clinical senior lecturer .
