Does aspirin lower blood pressure?

Recent studies indicate that aspirin does indeed lower blood pressure if taken at night. US News reports that aspirin can inhibit hormonal changes that are involved in blood clotting. Scientists speculate that aspirin is more fully absorbed during sleep cycles.

The 3-month study concluded that a nightly aspirin regimen helped to drop systolic pressure by 6.8 points and diastolic pressure by 1.6 points. Participants taking aspirin in the morning had slightly elevated blood pressure levels, whereas those who took no aspirin showed a slight drop in pressure. WebMD reports that the reasons for these significant reductions are unclear and should be investigated further.