The best smart blood pressure monitors you can buy today
Hypertension may well be the medical term given for high blood pressure, but there is another name that is sometimes used – “The Silent Killer”.
Why use a smart blood pressure monitor?
One in three adults are affected by the condition but as many as a third of these can be unaware of a problem. They feel the odd twinge or headache, but simply put this down to feeling a little under the weather. Consider this – hypertension is the biggest cause of strokes known. It also has a massive say in the amount of heart related problems we suffer from.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
There may be lots of gimmicks or unnecessary bits of equipment for your health available today. However, rest assured that smart home blood pressure monitors (BPMs) are highly useful. Taking regular measurements is particularly important as you get older, as the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle can build up over time. If you smoke, are obese, are physically inactive, or have diabetes or high cholesterol, you may also be at an increased risk.
While never a substitute for seeing a doctor, being able to regularly measure and most importantly track blood pressure can literally save your life. Here’s our selection of ten quality blood pressure readers you can buy right now.
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Withings BPM Core | Omron EVOLV | Withings BPM Connect | QardioArm | Omron 10 | Omron Complete | Koogeek wrist BPM | Braun iCheck7
The best smart blood pressure monitors
Withings BPM Core
Withings has a great range of devices that include smart fitness trackers, smartwatches, scales, a smart thermometer and more. It was also one of the first to bring a connected blood pressure reader to market. With BPM Core, the French outfit has, once again, broken new ground.
Honored with a CES Innovation Award, the device functions as a BPM, ECG and digital stethoscope. You can use ECG to identify atrial fibrillation (AFib). This is a serious form of irregular heart rhythm that can lead to heart failure and is a major risk for stroke. The digital stethoscope can provide early detection of valvular heart disease. This is a condition is characterized by damage to one of the four heart valves and may require surgical intervention.
The ability to monitor all three conditions (high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and valvular heart disease), with one product is definitely a game changer. You essentially get a complete heart health checkup in 90 seconds.
For now BPM Core is only available for purchase in Europe. US availability is expected soon. You can check out our full hands-on review on this link.
Omron EVOLV
Omron is one of the most established brands on the smart blood pressure monitors market today. The company boasts an almost bewildering range of several dozen monitors for sale. The majority of these are for use on the upper arm. Omron devices are consistently ranked as the USA’s most trusted home BPM suppliers and in terms of world sales they have sold over 100 million blood pressure units.
EVOLV is a sleek looking one-piece monitor which has no tabletop unit, no tubes and no wires. Because of this the product is highly portable and easy to operate. You wrap the entire unit around their upper arm and the blood pressure reading is displayed in bold numbers right on the face of the device.
EVOLV provides you with a complete view of your blood pressure with systolic, diastolic and pulse readings. It also detects the appearance of irregular heartbeats during measurement and gives a warning signal with readings.
With this device, the company has introduced an exclusive new heart health algorithm it calls Advanced Accuracy to measure more data points to ensure clinically-accurate readings. The algorithm also helps to eliminate interference which may be caused due to movement or other external factors.
This is a BPM that you can use it completely independently of your smartphone. All you are required to do to take a reading is press one button.
With this device Omron has married their accurate technology with connectivity. In our hands-on review, we found the operation to be very smooth, fast and noiseless. The convenience of having no bulky heavy units or long tubes cannot be overstated!
Withings BPM Connect
This is the successor to the Withings BPM. The main change is the inclusion of an LED display this time around for reviewing readings on the device itself.
Those who are overweight are increasing their risk of high blood pressure and the more weight you put on, the bigger your problems. Using this BPM in combination with the Withings connected scale, allows you to see improvements in your health as the weight comes off. It’s easy for someone to tell you that losing weight helps with regulating blood pressure. But actually seeing your results graphed together makes all the difference.
With only one button to press, results right on the screen, and automatic Wi-Fi sync, BPM Connect is extremely easy to use. Plus, the flexible cuff makes taking it with you on trips a breeze. The accompanying smartphone app allows you to delve deeper into your figures and monitor how they change over time.
QardioArm Wireless BPM
QardioArm is a unique and stylish blood pressure reader, that is clinically validated to measure your systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate with medical-grade accuracy. The monitor also includes irregular heart beat detection which QardioArm uniquely stores to help you track your heart fully.
The device is light, portable, compact, and discrete. In fact, it is rather Apple-like in design and that extends to the classy packaging. The makers made the cuff with simple in mind. It has a cuff and that’s it. No power button, no display. To use the cuff, you absolutely must have a smartphone.
QardioArm offers a number of unique features such as ‘places’. This allows you to monitor your blood pressure across multiple locations. It helps you to understand how your lifestyle impacts your health. The ‘friends and family’ function lets you follow others or allows others to follow you back, creating a support network for better health outcomes.
This is the first BPM to support Apple Health and now works with the Apple Watch. Available in a range of colours, QardioArm represents good value for money.
Omron 10
Those looking for bells and whistles may want to skip this one. But overall, Omron 10 is a reliable, simple “does what it says on the tin” device.
The blood pressure reader makes sure that you have the equipment correctly fitted before use with a light telling you whether the cuff is attached correctly. As well as displaying your blood pressure, the machine will display your pulse and identify whether you have an irregular heartbeat.
Even the best BPMs sometimes deliver misreadings. Omron 10 eliminates a lot of this risk through the use of dual sensors. If the gadget detect an aberration during the reading, the unit alerts the user to the potential problem via an error code.
Omron has married their accurate technology with connectivity. With the free Omron Wellness app, users can wirelessly sync their readings to their smartphone or other mobile device. You can also sync with the Apple Health app.
For some customers, possibly older ones in particular, one of the strengths of this device may be that you can use it completely independently of your smartphone. The interface is simple enough. All you are required to do to take a reading is press one big, blue button helpfully labeled “START/STOP.” The downside is that the syncing of the data between the device and your phone is not automatic.
With a bulky, clunky-looking design, the Omron 10 cannot compete aesthetically with the sleeker, smaller, wearable blood pressure monitors. However, the high accuracy, reliability, and lower price compared to many of the other brands on the market make this a great choice.
Omron Complete
Omron Complete is a two in one device. The gizmo is an upper arm blood pressure monitor that also allows you to keep tabs on your ECG readings.
The fact that you get both means you’ll get a complete picture of your heart health from a single device. ECG readings are obtained by touching electrodes located on the top face and both sides of the monitor.
Complete was developed in partnership with Alivecor. It uses a new algorithm developed by AliveCor which has greater success at detecting the possibility of Afib.
Koogeek wrist BPM
Another
wrist BPM, Koogeek’s device is a great option for those on a budget. The gadget covers all the basics at a much lower price compared to the leading brands. In our tests, we were pleasantly surprised with the quality, ease of use and accuracy of its readings.
To take a measurement, simply press the on button on the device. The cuff will automatically start to inflate. The unit can record up to 99 reading on the device itself. To get accurate readings your arm and wrist must be at heart level.
The other option is to take a measurement with the help of the smartphone app. The red heart in the app will begin to pulse as you turn the monitor on. You are meant to use this as an indicator that the connection has been made. As you take a reading, both the blood pressure reader and smartphone app will show the measurement results and save the data.
Braun iCheck 7
Braun is a well known consumer products company based in Germany with origins that span back nearly a century. Its recently expanded is range of health and wellness products with two smart blood pressure monitors – the iCheck 7 and the ActivScan 9.
Both devices enable you to monitor your heart health at home through a simple colour coded system. The iCheck 7 can be worn on the wrist, while the ActivScan 9 is a more traditional blood pressure reader that works from the upper arm.
In our tests we found iCheck 7 is extremely easy to use. It works seamlessly and is fast to take measurements. This makes it ideal for storing or popping into your bag or suitcase for checking blood pressure on the go. The device is a little finicky about your arm position but this is understandable as correct positioning is important when taking readings from the wrist.
Your results are colour coded and stored on the device itself. The accompanying smartphone app is good with the ability to add in other health data. It also follows the evolution of your readings over time.
This is basically what you want in a blood pressure reader. A no hassle device that simply does the job and works well.
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I got a periodic health check in December 2015 and was diagnosed with high blood pressure (220/110). I tried my doctor’s prescribed potassium medication and the DASH diet, but neither were very effective. I was DESPERATE when I turned to the internet and found the Blood Pressure Protocol. Months later, I am now predominantly organic, have a good BMI of21.7 and my blood pressure is back to normal. My advice to anyone out there is to focus on natural methods and cures FIRST.
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