{"id":34,"date":"2010-11-23T22:52:47","date_gmt":"2010-11-23T22:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/11\/the-best-time-to-take-your-blood-pressure-medication.html"},"modified":"2010-11-23T22:52:47","modified_gmt":"2010-11-23T22:52:47","slug":"the-best-time-to-take-your-blood-pressure-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/11\/the-best-time-to-take-your-blood-pressure-medication.html","title":{"rendered":"The Best Time to Take Your Blood Pressure Medication"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that most people have a natural dip in their
\nblood pressure (BP) while they are sleeping? 
\n<\/span>Yeah, it can drop up to 20-30 mm Hg (mm Hg means ‘millimeters of mercury’-
\nnothing really important for you to know). 
\n<\/span>The real benefit is that when your blood pressure drops, your blood
\nvessels and your heart don’t have to work as hard.  <\/span>That means that they get to take a
\nwell-deserved break!  <\/span>Of course, this is appreciated
\nby your entire<\/i> body.  <\/span>But there is some new evidence to show that
\nsome of us don’t get that protective bedtime drop.  <\/span>Actually one study done by the American
\nJournal of Kidney Diseases found that 60 percent of African Americans don’t get
\nthe dip and 40% of those non-dippers actually spike to higher blood pressures
\nat night!  <\/span>This is a major reason for
\nsome to switch the dosing of their BP medications to bedtime dosing.  <\/span>This way they get the protective coverage
\nwhen their risk of having a heart attack or stroke might be the highest.<\/p>\n

Now, I don’t want you to get vigilante and start changing
\nthings on your own.  <\/span>Talk to your
\ndoctor.  <\/span>Sometimes, it might be necessary
\nto spread out your meds to cover the entire day or you might be taking a
\nparticular medication that is better taken during the daytime hours.  <\/span>An example would be a diuretic- otherwise known
\nto most patients as ‘The Water Pill.’ 
\n<\/span>These medications lower your blood pressure by making you urinate out
\nwater.  <\/span>This works by reducing ‘the
\npressure’ of your blood (water) in your blood vessels (pipes).  <\/span>Diuretics are popular amongst women who like
\nthe reduction of swelling in their hands, feet and ankles.  <\/span>However, if you dose this medicine at
\nbedtime, you might be up multiple times throughout the night tinkling… this is
\nnot good for your body in the long run. 
\n<\/span>Remember, good sleep is an integrative medicine biggie goal!  <\/span>This is when your body is trying to reset and
\nrestore itself for the next day’s challenges. 
\n<\/span>Continuous and deep sleep is essential so it might be wiser to take your
\ndiuretics in the morning.<\/p>\n

Whatever the regimen, remember the goal of blood pressure
\nmedications is to lower your blood pressure to a goal of 120\/80 mm Hg or
\nless.  <\/span>If you have been reading some of
\nmy previous posts (and please do for other practical ways to approach your
\nmedical care), you know I can’t leave you without reminding you that good lifestyle
\npractices (nutrition, exercise and mental health) can match even the best BP
\nmedications’ abilities to lower your BP… and they won’t make you sing ‘gotta
\ngo, gotta go’ in the middle of the night! 
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, and by the way, as we head into Thanksgiving festivities and its potential associated gluttony, remember to watch your salt intake… a visit to the emergency room is not what you or your family wants to be thankful for that day!  Less than 2000 mg of sodium per day is the recommend limit!  <\/p>\n

On that note:  My thanks to my family, my patients, my community and you for allowing me the opportunity to’ Pay It Forward.’  I am eternally blessed to gain wisdom through the lives and stories of all those who share their stories with me.  They teach me more than just medicine; they teach me the art of living well and I hope you, too, can benefit from these experiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that most people have a natural dip in their blood pressure (BP) while they are sleeping?  Yeah, it can drop up to 20-30 mm Hg (mm Hg means ‘millimeters of mercury’- nothing really important for you to know).  The real benefit is that when your blood pressure drops, your blood vessels and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":220,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everyday-health-tips","category-medical-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best Time to Take Your Blood Pressure Medication - Medicine to Move You<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/11\/the-best-time-to-take-your-blood-pressure-medication.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Time to Take Your Blood Pressure Medication - Medicine to Move You\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that most people have a natural dip in their blood pressure (BP) while they are sleeping?  Yeah, it can drop up to 20-30 mm Hg (mm Hg means ‘millimeters of mercury’- nothing really important for you to know).  The real benefit is that when your blood pressure drops, your blood vessels and…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/11\/the-best-time-to-take-your-blood-pressure-medication.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medicine to Move You\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-11-23T22:52:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Shilpa P. 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