Why the middle of the night?

[jeeps]

My hbp is well controlled, usually 125 - 130 over 70 - 80 in the daytime. Get lots of excercise, walking an hour plus every day, and 5x weekly workouts combining cardio and strength. This with 50mg Atenolol and 20mg Accupril

Often when I wake up at night I get that "whump, whump" in my head telltale sign my pressure is up. A couple of times I have taken it it is in the area of 160/95 give or take. This never happens during the day.

I sleep well, my wife tells me no snoring, therefore I do not suspect apnea. The only sleep I lose is because of our newborn and our 2.5 year old. Liver and kidney function is normal per my annual medical.

What the hell would cause it to be up during the night only?

[tamuprof45]

Drinking alcohol will produce these kinds of spikes. You may also be a "non-dipper hypertensive" whose BP rises during the night. If you haven't already, its probably worth getting a 24 hour monitor to check this.

OR, it may have been a nightmare, which will raise heart rate and BP.

tamuprof45

[joe86]

I agree that alcohol can cause this. As you get older it takes less and less. Only one drink over my limit and my night is ruined.

[bharkins]

I had a stroke eight years ago and it happened in the early morning. I did not know at the time that I had high blood pressure. I have sinced discovered that it is a known fact that blood pressure rises in the middle of the night and platelets become sticky and more likely to form clots.

[tamuprof45]

That would well explain the advice to take an aspirin before going to bed at night...presumably it would help with that.