Morning Hypertension
Morning hypertension or morning high blood pressure refers to an excessive increase in blood pressure in the morning to early morning hours until about 9:00 or 10:00 AM.
In the early morning, blood pressure rises even before waking up to prepare the body for the change in position from lying down to standing. The steepest increase occurs with getting up until the early morning hours.
This morning blood pressure rise is a normal event that everyone experiences - regardless of whether they have normal or elevated blood pressure values.
For hypertensives (people with high blood pressure), however, this increase can take on a threatening magnitude, as it occurs at a higher level.
This danger is evident from the increase in heart attacks, sudden cardiac death, and strokes in the morning hours, peaking around 9:00 AM. The morning blood pressure rise is attributed a causal role in this.
To avoid such events, an excessive morning blood pressure rise must be prevented, which is now defined as a therapeutic goal.When diagnosing morning high blood pressure, efforts are made to manage it through medication adjustments.
There are several blood pressure monitors on the market specifically designed to detect morning hypertension.
BloodPressureDB offers a PDF analysis with a chart of blood pressure measurements by time. The blood pressure rhythm is also clearly recognizable.
Source:
- Martin Middeke, Blood Pressure Institute Munich, https://www.blutdruckinstitut.de/post/chronopathologie-der-hyperonie-und-antihypertensive-chronotherapie
By Sabine Croci.
This article is medically reviewed. Last updated (12/2023).
Information on the website and within the app cannot replace a consultation with a doctor, but can certainly complement it.
