Morning Hypertension

The early morning hypertension surge

Morning hypertension is a condition characterized by high blood pressure in the morning and controlled levels throughout the day. Heart attacks and stroke usually occur in the morning because of morning hypertension. Treatment for morning hypertension differs from treatments for other types of high blood pressure.

Morning hypertension is a condition characterized by high blood pressure in the morning and controlled levels throughout the rest of the day. Blood pressure is at its lowest during sleeping hours. Between 4:00AM and noon, the body releases certain hormones that boost energy and increase morning alertness, but this also results in a sharp increase in blood pressure.

According to a study published by America’s National Institutes of Health, if one’s blood pressure is average throughout most of the day but there is a 20 mmHg difference in blood pressure between the morning and evening, morning hypertension is present. People most at risk of developing morning hypertension are those who already have hypertension, diabetes, smokers and heavy drinkers.

The risks for morning hypertension are the same as any other variation of high blood pressure. It could result in stroke, heart attack, and kidney damage. Heart attacks and stroke are most likely to occur in the morning partly because of the risk posed by morning hypertension.

Treatment for morning hypertension should differ than the treatment used for high blood pressure throughout the day. A study presented at the 14th European Society of Hypertension showed that some anti-hypertensive drugs that target regular high blood pressure do not protect people from early morning hypertension conditions like heart attacks.

Though some drugs were shown to be ineffective, the drug Micardis was demonstrated to provide long lasting protection against cardiovascular diseases. Micardis has a half-life of 24 hours, and treated morning hypertension far more effectively than some other antihypertensives who have a shorter half-life. This means that taking Micardis controls blood pressure in the high-risk early morning period. Talk to your doctor if you think you have morning hypertension; it’s a dangerous condition, but fully treatable.