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What time of day is blood pressure highest?

Blood pressure has a daily pattern. Usually, blood pressure starts to rise a few hours before a person wakes up. It continues to rise during the day, peaking in midday. Blood pressure typically drops in the late afternoon and evening.

mayoclinic.org - Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern? - Mayo Clinic

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Does blood pressure have a daily pattern? I've noticed that my blood pressure is always lower in the morning than in the afternoon. Answer From Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D.

Blood pressure has a daily pattern.

Usually, blood pressure starts to rise a few hours before a person wakes up. It continues to rise during the day, peaking in midday. Blood pressure typically drops in the late afternoon and evening. Blood pressure is usually lower at night while sleeping. The blood pressure measurement at night is called nocturnal blood pressure.

Examples of an irregular blood pressure pattern include:

High blood pressure during the night

High blood pressure early in the morning

Less than 10% drop in blood pressure overnight (nondipping blood pressure)

A rise in blood pressure overnight to early morning has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

An irregular blood pressure pattern could also mean that you have:

Poorly controlled high blood pressure

Obstructive sleep apnea

Kidney disease

Diabetes

Thyroid disease

A nervous system disorder

Poor diet, lack of exercise and certain lifestyle factors can affect blood pressure pattern, including:

Night-shift work

Smoking

Overweight or obesity

Stress and anxiety

Not taking medications for blood pressure or sleep apnea as directed, or ineffective treatment Your health care provider can tell you if an irregular daily blood pressure pattern needs treatment. Sometimes, a person's blood pressure rises simply when seeing a care provider. This is called whitecoat hypertension. A 24-hour blood pressure monitoring test can be done to measure blood pressure at regular time periods over 24 hours. The test is called ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. It provides a detailed look at blood pressure changes over an average day and night.

With Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D.

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