TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Taking aspirin at bedtime rather than in the morning is associated with a reduction in platelet reactivity, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 2013 Scientific Sessions, held from Nov. 16 to 19 in Dallas.
Tobias Bonten, M.D., from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a randomized cross-over trial between September 2011 and April 2013 involving 290 patients using aspirin for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomized to take 100 mg aspirin on awakening or at bedtime during two three-month periods. Blood pressure and platelet activity were measured at the end of each period.
One hundred seventy patients had complete measurements available at both time points. The researchers found that there was no reduction in blood pressure in the groups. In the bedtime aspirin group, there was a reduction in aspirin platelet activity (22 aspirin reaction units).
"Because higher platelet activity contributes to a higher risk of acute heart events, this simple intervention -- switching aspirin intake from morning to bedtime -- could be beneficial for the millions of patients with heart disease who take aspirin on a daily basis," Bonten said in a statement.
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