A blood pressure monitor allows you to monitor regularly your blood pressure while being at home. So you don’t have to go to your doctor for each measurement.
Self-measurement of blood pressure is often a great help to the doctor. Particularly in the diagnosis of arterial hypertension, in the case of suspected blood pressure variability or even for monitoring when taking antihypertensive therapy.
Be careful though, the self-measurement of blood pressure should not replace a medical consultation if necessary.
All you have to do is choose your blood pressure monitor and this is where everything gets complicated because there are dozens of different models.
Not all blood pressure monitors are created equal. Some have more features than others, are easier to use, or are more precise than their competitors. So I present 6 blood pressure monitors which are my favourites.
What is the best Blood Pressure Monitor?
Taking into account all the factors to consider when buying one of these devices it is necessary that you make comparisons with the available models and choose the one that best suits your needs and economic possibilities. We did a test of the features offered by these teams and we leave you this little guide so you can choose the one that best suits you.
1. Omron M7 Intelli IT 360 Degree Accuracy Connected Blood Pressure Monitor
This Omron M7 blood pressure monitor has a special tracking memory. It will then be very easy for you to show your results to your doctor and to have optimal medical monitoring without having to write everything down.
This blood pressure monitor also has Intelliwrap technology. This means that his cuff has a 360 ° sensor for the most reliable measurement. There are no possible errors with this blood pressure monitor, especially since it also has an indicator light that tells you if the cuff is correctly positioned or not.
2. Omron MIT Elite Plus arm blood pressure monitor
Clinically validated
This model has arrhythmic pulse detection memory and has backlighting on the screen to be easily used in those places with low light.
It is a device made with resistant materials, it is clinically validated and it also has an indicator of high blood pressure and body movement detection.
It is a sophisticated and very simple to use a computer that incorporates Omron Health Management Software. The Omron device is available in black and comes with a digital thermometer.
3. Arm blood pressure monitor with Bluetooth Medisana BU-530
The most economical
With a high-quality LCD screen, the Medisana device is the most economical of our selection. It also has the option to classify the results with the colours of the traffic light, according to the standards of the World Health Organization.
It is a lightweight, comfortable and compact device developed with intelligent technology compatible with the VitaDock application and the IOS, iPhone 4S and higher systems, as well as with Android through Bluetooth transfer.
The device is capable of measuring tension, systole, diastole, arrhythmias, pulse and, in addition, shows the date and time with the oscillometric measurement method.
As an additional value, it displays large numbers on the screen for easier reading and is available in a sober white colour.
4. AEG BMG 5677 blood pressure monitor
Comfortable and affordable
The AEG blood pressure monitor is fully automatic and is made with digital technology whose software is compatible with smart devices and the Windows operating system.
It has an irregular heart rate recognition method and displays three measurements, systole, diastole and pulse values on the screen. It is coded with the classification of colours that is accepted by the WHO. It is a comfortable device to use and very manageable.
It is equipped with an LCD screen, a large number, illuminated control buttons, long sleeve and touch sensor XXL format.
Use AA batteries, but the product does not include them. It is an affordable device, it is available in the market in a practical black colour and comes with a storage case.
5. Arm blood pressure monitor Beurer BM 85
With automatic damper
The Beurer brand offers you this next-generation device, easy to use, equipped with an LCD screen that lights up and Bluetooth technology with USB power supply.
It is a portable device capable of indicating the irregular heartbeat and issues an alert when it is misplaced. The screen offers large numbers fully legible following WHO standards and has a low battery indicator
It has no low price, comes with rechargeable lithium batteries and comes with a bag to store and move easily.
6. MOCACuff Bluetooth Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor
Accurate and reliable
By using an automatic measurement technique, the MOCACuff digital blood pressure monitor gives you blood pressure results with accuracy and precision.
The device measures systole, diastole, heart rate and has a memory function to keep the records of 160 measurements with the date and time they were made.
It is a large device, ideal for desktop, made with good quality materials that offer quick results and yields reliable data about the patient’s health.
It has two years of warranty offered by the manufacturer and, in addition, those who already bought it have the opinion that it is the device with the best quality-price – value ratio of the entire selection.
It comes with four AAA batteries and a bag to store, protect and move easily.
7. Omron Evolv arm blood pressure monitor
All in one device, the case of this blood pressure monitor is attached to the cuff. Easy to use, you just have to roll it up on your arm and fix it securely with the Velcro clasp. After pressing the start button, all that remains is to wait for the display of the result. Its high precision is its strong point. Easy to store, it can be carried everywhere with you when travelling. This blood pressure monitor is very comfortable to use since it does not have a cable. This device will have no trouble detecting blood pressure regardless of the position of the arm.
Types of blood pressure monitors
There is a wide variety of tensiometers, however, among the most popular or easiest to use, we can find:
Arm blood pressure monitor
They are similar to those commonly seen in the doctor’s office, have a flexible or semi-rigid handle and a sleeve that is placed around the arm and squeezed to measure blood pressure. It is usually very comfortable and you can sit naturally, with the arm to the side, it is usually less complicated than the wrist blood pressure monitor.
Wrist blood pressure monitor
As its name indicates, it is a device that looks for blood pressure in the wrist. This type of monitor is usually uncomfortable and difficult to use to find the pulse, you must hold the wrist in your chest at the level of the heart, if you move it a few inches from your chest or do not keep it immobile it will throw inaccurate results.
The advantages of a blood pressure monitor
The first advantage of a blood pressure monitor is on its practical side. It saves you from having to go to your doctor for each measurement. But this is not its only advantage.
You will be able to have real medical monitoring by taking your blood pressure at regular times which is not necessarily possible when you have to go to your doctor.
You will also avoid the “white coat” effect which is much more common than you might think. It is very common that tension is high and therefore distorted by the mere fact of being in a medical office or in the presence of a doctor or nurse.
And finally, the blood pressure monitor allows you to control treatment, to monitor its blood pressure to react accordingly if the observed blood pressure is abnormal. It is a real medical device and not a gadget!
How to use a blood pressure monitor
How to choose the best blood pressure monitor?
When looking for a good blood pressure monitor, it is very useful to take into account a series of factors that may facilitate its use:
Easy to use
This is, without a doubt, an important quality, since it gives you the freedom to operate the device without being a great expert. The screen should be large, legible, the buttons long and intuitive and, ultimately, should not have a very complicated operation. Some models offer extra-large screens, illuminated buttons and voice announcements. Others, also have Bluetooth capability that gives you the option to read the results of the screen of your smartphone.
Detects irregular heartbeats
Some tensiometers have this quality that is very useful to know the characteristics of the patient and offer a wider reading of their health conditions.
Check the fit
If the cuff of the blood pressure monitor does not fit properly to your arm, it can not give accurate readings. So if it is adjustable this will allow you to use the tensiometer in people of different sizes and contexts.
The correct amount of pressure
You can not measure the tension with a brief, gentle squeeze of the bracelet, but nowadays, the best models use a relatively soft pressure to avoid turning a simple reading into a painful ordeal.
Memory
The best digital sphygmomanometers for arm store at least 90 readings in memory, a significant figure to record up to three months of daily measurements of blood pressure.
Average function
Experts say that the average of consecutive readings recorded over a period of time can give you a better projection of the patient’s cardiovascular health than that obtained from isolated measurements, so it is very important to consider this quality.
Help with proper positioning
Sometimes, if the device is not positioned correctly, it will not give you realistic or accurate readings and results, so tensiometers that issue alerts or guide lights to fix them when they are misplaced are always very useful.
