We’re all well-versed on the snacks to avoid for high blood pressure – but what if you were told that the timing becomes particularly important? A nutritionist has cautioned that anyone who habitually reaches for takeaways or salty snacks before bed could be doing far more than disrupting their sleep. TRENDING Stories Videos Your SayThe heart and blood vessels get a period of respite at night | GETTY Timing matters for blood pressure because it naturally dips overnight - one of the few times the heart and blood vessels get a period of reduced strain. “Eating a substantial salty meal late means the body is handling a sodium and fluid load at exactly the point it’s trying to wind down, which may not be conducive to the normal overnight fall in blood pressure.” “Evening habits sit immediately upstream of the window in which blood pressure is meant to fall, so anything that interferes has the whole night to exert its effects.