Bedtime aspirin may reduce risk of morning heart attacks

Taking aspirin at bedtime instead of in the morning might reduce acute heart events, a new study has found. Low-dose daily aspirin is recommended for people at high risk of heart diseases and for reducing the risk of recurrent heart events. Aspirin thins the blood and makes it less likely to clot. The tendency for higher platelet activity peaks in the morning. Dutch researchers explored the timing of aspirin intake among cardiovascular disease patients among 290 patients who took either 100 mg of aspirin upon waking or at bedtime during two three-month periods. At the end of each period, blood pressure and platelet activity was measured. The researchers found that although the patients' blood pressure remained the same, bedtime aspirin platelet activity was reduced. "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," said Tobias Bonten of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, in a statement.