Taking medications for high blood pressure at night instead of in the morning may control hypertension better and significantly lower the risk of heart attack and stroke, says a new study.

The five-year study, reported by HealthDay, found that blood pressure during sleep was the most important predictor of cardiovascular risk. During the night, blood pressure drops 10 to 20 percent in healthy people. But those whose blood pressure doesn’t fall as much as it should at night — “nondippers” — are more susceptible to heart attack and stroke.

After following more than 2,100 men and women with high blood pressure for more than five years, researchers found that those who took at least part of their high blood pressure medication at night had better control of their blood pressure and also had only one-third of the cardiovascular events, including stroke and heart attack, suffered by patients who took all of their pills in the morning.

In addition, only 34 percent of the nighttime group were nondippers compared to 62 percent of the group who took their medications in the morning.

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