Here's how hypertensives can lower diabetes risk whilst asleep

As per a recent study, taking blood pressure drugs at bedtime can help you lower the risk of diabetes.

New research shows that taking blood pressure medications at bedtime, rather than in the morning, reduces blood pressure (BP) whilst asleep and also halves the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The research, published in two separate papers, is by Ramon Hermida and colleagues from the University of Vigo, Spain.

In the first paper, the authors detail their work proving the concept that reducing BP during hours of sleep represents a target for intervention to prevent new cases of diabetes. In the second paper, they investigated whether therapy with the entire daily dose of one or more hypertension (high blood pressure) medications at bedtime exerts greater reduction in the risk of new-onset diabetes than therapy with all medications upon awakening.

The authors conclude that the before bed regimen of taking anti-hypertensive medications is as safe as taking them in the morning, and said that in hypertensive patients without diabetes, ingestion of the entire daily dose of one or more blood pressure-lowering medications at bedtime compared with ingestion of all such medications upon awakening results in significantly improved sleeping blood pressure control and prevention of new-onset diabetes.

The study is published in Diabetologia.