When you take your daily medications may be key

Blood pressure shows a 24-hour rhythm, higher during the day and lower during nighttime sleep. However, especially after age 55, many people with high blood pressure don't exhibit this

nighttime dip, a condition called non-dipping. WHEN TO TAKE MEDICINE: Take at least one blood pressure-lowering medication at bedtime. Drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs are the most

effective when taken at this time. HERE'S WHY: Non-dipping is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack and kidney disease. Taking one or more of the prescribed medications just

before bedtime normalizes daily blood pressure rhythm and significantly decreases the risk, studies have found. OSTEOARTHRITIS The gradual deterioration of cartilage covering bone ends

within joints causes pain, tenderness and swelling around the joint. People experience pain at different times of the day. WHEN TO TAKE MEDICINE: NSAIDs, such as naproxen and ibuprofen, are

the most widely used medications for osteoarthritis. According to French researchers, it's best to take them four to six hours before the pain is at its worst, so that they'll kick

in at the appropriate time. For afternoon pain, for example, take meds around mid-morning to noon; for evening pain, schedule them for midafternoon; and for nighttime pain, take them with

your evening meal. HERE'S WHY: Timing NSAIDs so that the highest blood levels of the drug coincide with peak pain will offer the most relief. HEARTBURN This distressing condition is

caused by a backup of stomach contents into the esophagus, also called the gullet, where gastric acids produce a burning sensation and discomfort. The stomach produces two to three times

more acid between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. than at any other time of day. WHEN TO TAKE MEDICINE: If you have recurring bouts of nighttime heartburn, you may be using an acid-reducing H-2

medication for relief. These drugs have a chemical name that ends in "tidine" (cimetidine, famotidine, ranitidine, nizatidine). Take them 30 minutes before your evening meal.

HERE'S WHY: Taking an H-2 blocker before the evening meal controls the secretion of stomach acid both after the meal and during the critical overnight period when secretion reaches its

peak, making stomach juices less likely to irritate the esophagus, says Smolensky. ASTHMA