If you’re working to control your high blood pressure, you need to monitor the results you’re getting. The best way to do this, beyond visiting your doctor every day, is to monitor your blood pressure at home. And one of the best ways to do this is with a digital blood pressure monitor.
When the doctor sends you home with a new prescription or a new lifestyle plan, the only way to evaluate the success is by measuring the results. It’s like losing weight. If you never get on the scale, you have no information that tells you if you’re heading in the right direction or the wrong direction. In the case of blood pressure, you step into a blood pressure monitor.
There are several different kinds of digital monitors. All of them will do the trick (though none are quite as accurate as the one in your doctor’s office). A standard digital blood pressure monitor, for instance, comes with an arm cuff, a squeeze bulb, and a digital read out. These are generally the least expensive monitors. You can pick up a basic model for $25.
Digital blood pressure monitors that self inflate, also referred to as automatic monitors, are very similar. However, the cuff inflates with the touch of a button instead of manually. It also deflates automatically. There’s no squeeze bulb included. These are slightly more expensive (a base model running around $60), and you get more expensive models that have additional features such as a paper printout.
Both of these basic digital monitors require that you take a reading several times for complete accuracy. You can also get them with cuffs for the wrist or the finger as well as the arm. Though again, the accuracy isn’t as spot on as the one your physician uses and these are only recommended if you’re unable to use an arm cuff.
Home monitoring allows you the flexibility of measuring your blood pressure throughout the day. Morning, afternoon, and evening readings are generally more accurate than a single reading during one of these periods of the day, when other stress factors may be present. Home monitoring also eliminates the stress of being in a doctor’s office or traveling to and from the doctor’s office.
The keys in any monitor you choose are accuracy, ease of use, and an easy digital read out. For the most part, any digital blood pressure monitor will deliver these keys. It’s hard to go wrong as long as you have your monitor tested for accuracy once a year and make sure you record all your reading for your doctor to review.
A digital blood pressure monitor is an excellent way of providing your health care professional with the best information for understanding and managing your blood pressure.
Considering a home blood pressure monitor? Discover more about blood pressure monitors and how high blood pressure affects your health here: Controlling High Blood Pressure