When should you take the blood pressure tablet, so as not to waste its effects? Better in the morning or in the evening? These are frequent questions, given that according to data from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), in Italy, among people aged between 35 and 74 years old circa 49 percent of men and 39 percent of women are considered hypertensive, including those who are under pharmacological treatment.
Until now it was thought, also on the basis of scientific evidence, that it was indifferent to take this precious medicine, which can save your life, in the morning or in the evening: the risks of stroke or heart attack did not vary based on the times of taking the pill.
But Chinese research published in August 2025 in the pages of the journal JAMA Network Open changes the picture, and not insignificantly.
Chinese researchers examined 720 hypertensive patients, dividing them into two groups: half took the pill in the evening and the other half in the morning. The results were surprising: the reduction in the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease was decidedly greater in the case of the pill taken in the evening hours.
And the reason is linked to a precise fact: protection from increases in blood pressure is essential early in the morning, between four in the morning and the time you wake up. If you take the blood pressure tablet in the morning, for example between 8 and 9, its effect will have faded by 4 am.
But why is the blood pressure tablet so important for hypertensives?
Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney failure. When blood pressure remains high over time, it damages the walls of blood vessels, promoting the buildup of plaques and increasing the risk of clots. For this reason, controlling blood pressure with specific drugs is not a question of comfort, but of prevention of potentially fatal events.
The active ingredient in antihypertensive drugs works to reduce blood pressure, lightening the workload of the heart and protecting vital organs. However, as Chinese research highlights, the timing of intake plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of the treatment. The so-called “nocturnal dipping” – or the natural decrease in blood pressure during sleep – is a protective factor that characterizes healthy individuals. In hypertensives, this reduction does not always occur, resulting in blood pressure peaks in the early hours of the morning, the time of day in which our body prepares to wake up.
Taking the drug in the evening guarantees adequate protection during the night and in the early hours of dawn, when the cardiovascular risk is statistically higher. This is the critical moment in which heart attacks and strokes are more frequent in the general population. A study previously published in the journal Hypertension had already suggested this association, but the Chinese results now provide even more solid evidence on the superiority of evening administration.
Naturally, any change in the therapeutic regimen must be discussed with your GP or cardiologist, since the decision on the time of administration depends on the individual characteristics of the patient, the comorbidities present and any other medications possibly taken. But for the majority of hypertensives, the simple act of taking the pill at dusk instead of dawn could represent an effective strategy to further reduce the risk of serious complications and to live longer and healthier.
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