Reduction of morning blood pressure surge after treatment with nifedipine GITS at bedtime, but not upon awakening, in essential hypertension

Nifedipine efficiently reduces BP for the entire 24 h and to a significantly larger extent after bedtime administration. The significant added efficacy on reducing night-time BP, the decrease in the prevalence of a nondipper BP pattern, and the significant decrease in morning BP surge (all relevant markers of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality) of bedtime as compared with morning administration, consistently indicate that nifedipine should preferably be administered at bedtime in patients with essential hypertension.