Complex Exercise Intervention to Normalize Blood Pressure and Nocturnal Dipping in Patients With Hypertension

Background: Non‐dipping hypertension(HT) (as defined by lack of decrease in systolic blood pressure (BP) by 10% during sleep) predicts cardiovascular events and mortality; however, there is a lack of evidence based treatment for non‐dipping HT. While exercise is recommended to management HT, its effect on dipping status is not known. There is a lack of trials describing the relationship of exercise and blood pressure in Chinese. Method: This will be a two‐arm randomized controlled trial in which Chinese non‐dippers (n= 174) will be randomized to an exercise program plus usual care or to usual care by stratified randomization. The randomization sequence is blinded to the investigators and allocation is disclosed only after valid consent. The exercise program utilizes various motivational techniques to enhance exercise maintenance.