Blood pressure related problems are quite common these days. In the US, 1 in 3 adults is suffering from high blood pressure, which shows how prevalent it has become in recent times. There could be a number of factors resulting in high blood pressure, such as lifestyle, eating habits, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and more. To keep the blood pressure in control, one needs to consult a physician who will prescribe medications to keep BP in control. However, people can monitor blood pressure on their own, thanks to blood pressure monitors.
Blood pressure monitors measure the flow of blood pushing against artery walls. With blood pressure monitors, you can keep a check on your blood pressure every day, and if you find the BP going up any day, you can consult the physician right away. You can look at the five best blood pressure monitor reviews by consumer reports in the section below and select the BP monitor that perfectly suits you.
Reviews Of 5 Best Blood Pressure Monitors
1. Omron 5 Series Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor
If you want to buy a blood pressure monitor that straps onto any arm, irrespective of the size, then this BP monitor by Omron is ideal for you. This monitor is fast and accurate, so you will get quick measurements of your blood pressure. The machine includes automatic averaging so that you don’t have to do it.
The monitor takes three readings in 10 minutes and averages them together in order to provide an accurate review of your blood pressure. This monitor comprises of dual settings, which allows you to store your readings along with your partner’s readings. Each user can store up to 100 readings on the same device at a time.
You can compare your blood pressure readings against the healthy levels in order to get an idea as to how close or far your blood pressure is from the normal level. The monitor also informs when there is an irregular heartbeat when you are checking your blood pressure, a feature that you will not find in many blood pressure monitors.
The BP monitor comes with a D-Ring cuff, which is not a standard blood pressure cuff, but it is specially designed to get the accurate reading of the blood pressure. In case, you get inaccurate readings on this BP monitor, then you should calibrate it to get accurate readings.
2. Greater Goods Balance Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitor
This is the best Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitor you can find in the market. Comes with an app, which you can install on your smart device to get access to current and past readings. The app makes it easier for you to track your blood pressure readings. However, the monitor is capable of averaging the last three readings if required.
This blood pressure monitor can also store readings of two users simultaneously, which can then be seen on the app. When it comes to app set up, then that can be done by following the instructions given on the monitor or from the instruction manual.
The blood pressure monitor works on AC power as well as batteries, thus allowing you to check your blood pressure outdoors as well. So, if you are out on the beach, enjoying the sun sitting under a beach umbrella, even then, you can check your blood pressure, as it is that much portable. As far as support of the product is concerned, then that is impeccable. If anything happens to the product, you can get in touch with the customer service and repair or replace the product.
3. Care Touch Fully Automatic Wrist Blood Pressure Cuff Monitor
If you are looking for a portable blood pressure monitor, which allows you to check your blood pressure anywhere, anytime, then you should consider Care Touch Fully Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor.
It has all the aspects to become the best portable blood pressure monitor like its sleek design, the inclusion of a backlit display that allows checking the measurements even in dim lighting and ability to work on battery power.
The monitor will also notify you about your pulse and irregular heartbeat and time of the day. With the capability of storing up to 60 readings with date, you can easily track changes in your blood pressure for past several days or weeks.
If you have been told to keep a track of your blood pressure at different times of the day, then you should definitely consider this blood pressure monitor. The only drawback of this unit is that the batteries drain quickly, so you will have to keep looking for a wall power outlet to charge the monitor.
4. iProven Digital Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor
iProven digital blood pressure monitor comes with a wrist cuff despite an arm cuff, which many people find easier and more convenient to use because it is easier to wrap the cuff on the wrist than on the arm.
The monitor will notify you in case your heartbeat comes higher than normal. Sporting a large LCD screen, you can easily read your blood pressure and heart rate results. Not just you, but any visually impaired person can read the results without any issue. The monitor comes with a built-in memory where it can store up to 60 readings at a time.
This BP monitor helps you track your blood pressure in order. Being compact in size, you can carry this monitor with you at office, gym or parks in order to check your blood pressure.
5. Omron 10 Series Wireless Bluetooth Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor
Omron has also developed an upper arm blood pressure monitor whose readings can be taken on the mobile device using Bluetooth technology. When it comes to the monitor, then it features a backlit display with large digits and multi-colored indicator lights. These indicator lights glow when your blood pressure readings are normal or high.
The BP monitor takes three readings within 10 minutes and automatically averages those to provide you with an accurate blood pressure report. Moreover, you can store up to 100 readings at a time, so if you are looking to track your blood pressure, this machine could prove very useful.
The monitor comes with ComFit cuff, which inflates around your entire arm in a precise way, hence resulting in accurate readings. The monitor is compatible with Amazon Alexa as well, a smart voice assistant that has become very popular in recent times. You can download the Omron app on your smart devices and email your readings to your physician or family member.
Types Of Blood Pressure Monitors
There are four types of blood pressure monitors available in the market. These are;
- Upper Arm Style: Used extensively by doctors to monitor the blood pressure of patients, these BP monitors provide the most accurate readings. But, these machines are heavy and uncomfortable compared to other BP monitors.
- Wrist Style: These monitors are compact and more discreet than upper arm BP monitors because these have been made using better technology. However, these don’t offer as accurate readings as their upper arm counterparts.
- Manual: These are old-school blood pressure monitors in which the blood pressure is monitored manually, but these are very accurate if calibrated correctly. Moreover, the running cost of manual BP monitors is nil, as they don’t require electricity to operate.
- Digital: These are self-inflating blood pressure monitors, with some units having the capability to upload the information to the smart devices or internet on their own. These BP monitors run on AC power as well as batteries.
How To Zero In On The Right Blood Pressure Monitor
Choosing the right blood pressure monitor is not going to be taking a walk in the park, as you may have to look closely at some of the parameters, which are explained below:
Automatic Vs. Manual
From the previous section, you must have known that blood pressure monitors operate in one of two ways. Where manual blood pressure monitors measure BP when you pump the rubber balloon with your hand, but when it comes to automatic blood pressure monitors, you need just need to wrap the cuff around your upper arm of the wrist and pressure a button or two and the process begins. Manual BP monitors are more accurate if calibrated in the right way, but if you are not a medical professional, then you should opt for an automatic version.
Cuff size
The key to an accurate blood pressure reading lies in the fitting of the cuff. If you wrap the cuff on your upper arm in a correct manner, then you will get an accurate reading. Monitors that come with ‘one-size-fits-all’ cuffs aren’t the best types of cuffs because how can a single cuff provide accurate readings for everybody. It’s just not possible, so what you need to do is, look for a monitor with different cuff sizes.
Speed
By speed, I mean how fast the blood pressure monitor gives you the result. Many monitors take a minute to give results, but some provide results in 20 seconds or less, so get your hands on the ones that take the least amount of time to show final readings.
App & Bluetooth compatibility
As we know that, the trend of apps is on the rise, so how could blood pressure monitor manufacturing companies stay behind. Many companies have their dedicated apps, which sync with blood pressure monitors and offer an organized record of the blood pressure results. You can directly send your report to the app in order to analyze it in a better way. You can also send reports to your doctor in order to get his/her opinion.
Summing Up
With more and more people suffering from blood pressure related problems, the demand for blood pressure monitors has skyrocketed in recent times. If you want to buy a blood pressure monitor, then make sure you know which type of monitor would suit you better, whether a manual blood pressure monitor, an automatic one, the monitor with Bluetooth functionality or the one having a dedicated app.
You will find all the types in the best blood pressure monitor reviews by consumer reports, except the manual one because a manual blood pressure monitor is for medical professionals, and if you’re not a professional, then you should resort to an automatic version. You will get fast and accurate results from an automatic blood pressure monitors, provided you’ve chosen a branded product.