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In choosing the best blood pressure monitors, you need to choose the lighter version. The lighter kind would make it more portable for traveling. However, these monitors are prone to inaccurate readings because our wrists are not naturally at heart height. To know the best blood pressure monitor, you should choose the one that has the wrist carefully positioned while you are taking a reading. In this article, we will help you choose the best monitor for you.
You do not really need to spend money to get a great value for the best blood pressure monitor. However, buying a pricier brand would often tell us that it has a lot of features such a date and time stamping the readings as well as the ability to memorize the readings for your future reference.
Time taken to get a blood pressure reading
The best blood pressure monitor could give quicker readings than ordinary monitors that would go over 20 seconds or more than a minute. The time taken the monitor takes is an important feature especially if you dislike the process of waiting and you would want to get the results immediately, this holds true if you do not have a lot of time taking your blood pressure.
Storing and collecting the reading for one user is a job of a blood pressure monitor, however, some best blood pressure monitor could it this for as many as 6 people. The storage ability of the monitor is very useful especially if you have a household full of hypertensive person, or just want to have a monitor with better features rather than having a simpler one. Of all the models that could store readings, the reading amount of these monitor will greatly vary but could be up to 69 recordings. However, you should pick the one that adjusts to your need and might want to share these things to your health professional.
Blood pressure data averaging
The best blood pressure monitors in the market would have a data averaging function, this would average the last 3 or so readings for you. Some monitors have this function. Some might show data in a graph or some have a numerical or even an average data over time.
The aforementioned function is very useful if you want to track your blood pressure for a long period of time. This, also, could be useful in sharing with a health professional or if you feel you have risk factors such as diabetes. You can also summarize the findings using an Excel spreadsheet or even a pen and paper.
Date/time stamp for blood pressure readings
The best blood pressure monitor would record the time and date of each reading. It would help you track the blood pressure for a period of time. You could see patterns and also share data with a health professional.
Monitors that link to your phone or tablet
Connectivity is one amazing feature of some blood pressure monitors, it could be connected to your tablet or smartphone. This is an amazing feature if you want to view and then tract the readings and story data. This is excellent if it is coupled with tracking other health information on your tablet or phone. Other health activities could be calories, weight, or even all your activity levels. This is not an essential function and you would need to pay a lot of money for this function.
Blood pressure monitor and PC connection
A small number of best blood pressure monitors will allow you to get the data and transfer it in your PC. Some would even have memory sticks to help you in the process. It is a great help if you want to share the readings with a health professional. However, this is very far from the basic readings that we know of.
Blood pressure risk indicator
The risk indicator would help you determine whether the blood pressure reading is in the recommended levels. This is very useful if you do not regularly monitor your blood pressure, especially with the aid of a heath professional. You do not really need to spend a lot to know if your blood pressure is in the recommended limits.
Irregular heartbeat detector
Another extra yet useful feature of some monitors, it would help you determine if you have arrhythmia. This is a problem with the rhythm or rate of your heartbeat. When you have arrhythmia, your heart could beat too slow, too fast, or with an irregular rhythm.
Usually, you can’t see the symptoms or arrhythmia. This feature is a plus if you want to keep an extra eye out of potential problems and telling them to your doctor. This problem is very rare so you might think this is an unnecessary feature.
Main Adaptor
Batteries are an essential element of your best blood pressure monitors. It usually contains four AA or AAA batteries. Some could be plugged into mains but some of these have the main adaptor on them.
Large buttons and digits
The digits and button sizes on the screen of your blood pressure monitor vary greatly. However, the larger the digit and buttons, they might be easier to see. It is an added plus if you have a visual impairment or if you do not want to look for your glasses every time you want to take your measurements. This may be an unnecessary feature if you have an excellent to good eyesight.
Storing your blood pressure monitor
If you want to use your best blood pressure monitor during your travel or if you want to store it in a small space, you might need to buy a lighter and smaller model. Wrist blood pressure monitors would take up less space, however, they are not really as accurate as the arm monitors. The lighter monitor, or the one with a carrying case, would be easier to pack or store. You might choose this over the bigger one because the smaller one is easier to handle especially if you have limited hand movement.