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Taking aspirin at night may help cut the risk of heart attack, according to a new study.

Researchers explain that taking aspirin right before bedtime may be the best because the tendency for platelet activity is generally higher in the morning.

Researchers said the study is the first to explore the timing of aspirin intake among cardiovascular disease patients.

The study involved 290 patients who took either 100 mg of aspirin upon waking or at bedtime during two 3-month periods. After each period, participants' blood pressure and platelet activity was measured.

While blood pressure was not reduced bedtime aspirin platelet activity was reduced by 22 units (aspirin reaction units).

"Because higher platelet activity contributes to a higher risk of acute heart events, this simple intervention - switching aspirin intake from morning to bedtime - could be beneficial for the millions of patients with heart disease who take aspirin on a daily basis," Tobias Bonten, M.D., Ph.D student at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands said in a news release.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.