Blood Pressure Monitors
Blood pressure monitors  are an important tool to have at home if you are being treated for hypertension (a.k.a. high blood pressure) especially at the onset of your diagnosis. By monitoring and tracking changes in blood pressure throughout the day and over time at home, you can begin to make more positive alterations in your diet, lifestyle and medication as needed. This simple method of self-diagnosis is often recommended by doctors and can be an accurate method for tracking your progress towards lowering your blood pressure.
Choosing a Monitor- The monitor should be easy to use. The layout and design of the buttons, the display, the arm band adjustment and the readouts should be simple and self-explanatory.
- Get the right arm band size. Standard is usually good for most people, but if you have a very large or very small arm then you might need to get a smaller or bigger size. Consult your doctor if you are unsure about which size to select.
- Consider whether you want a monitor that can print outyour results for fast and easy recording of your numbers for future reference. Only a few models offer this feature, but for the extra cost, they could prove to be useful for many users. Otherwise, if you don't want to have to write down your results, look for monitors that have an onboard memory capacity. Then you can bring your results with you wherever you go without a hassle and they will always be in a safe place that it easy to find.
Digital Monitors Are Best
There are two main types of blood pressure monitors ; aneroid and digital. For home use digital monitors are the most popular because they are simple and convenient and most are reasonably priced.
- Digital monitors are notorious for giving less accurate results when compared to aneroid monitors, the type most often used by health care professionals. Despite that, digital monitors are still the easiest to use and they are accurate enough for casual testing between doctor visits.
- The arm cuff inflates automatically without having to inflate it with a bulb.
- You don't have to listen with a stethoscope to the heart beats, so it's a great choice for those with hearing difficulties.
- Most can record results.
- The majority have an error function that lets you know if you should repeat the test.
- Some machines talk, which is useful for the visually impaired.
- Wrist models, although convenient, are the least accurate and they are not recommended. Manual and automatic arm band models are very similar in design, except that the manual one uses a bulb for inflation. Automatic models are the most accurate of the two and typically outperform manual models, which is why automatic models are the most common for home use.
- Digital monitors run on batteries, which means that they must be replaced frequently to keep the unit functioning properly.
How Can You Tell if It's Good?
The most important thing to consider when buying a blood pressure monitor is its accuracy, precision and consistency. Unfortunately, most blood pressure monitors are neither consistent nor precise, although they are usually fairly accurate. Since blood pressure can rise and lower dramatically from one hour to the next, and even from one minute to the next, even the best blood pressure monitors may seem to be of poor quality. Nonetheless, if you test consecutively three times in a row, you should find that a good monitor is able to give similar results each time. You may also want to bring the monitor to your doctor's office and cross check the results of your monitor versus a professional monitor.
Shopping
There are three major blood pressure monitor manufacturers and some particular models offered be each. Also try ReliOn Automatic HEM-741CREL -- recognized for being the best value of the bunch -- and also models by Healthometer and Mark of Fitness.
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Omron |
Lifesource |
Lumiscope |
Related Buying Guides
External Links- FamilyDoctor.org: An article about how to buy a heart rate monitor.
- AmericanHeart.org: Understanding blood pressure, measurement and testing.
- About.com: The very basics about different types of blood pressure monitors.
- My-Blood-Pressure.com: Information about the Windows based program that helps you keep track of your testing results.
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