Are you suffering from high or low blood pressure? Every 6 out of 10 people have this ailment nowadays. High-pressure results in many lethal diseases like heart attack, stroke, metabolic syndrome, dementia, and the list are still increasing.
You can keep your blood pressure maintained by keeping a regular check and taking required medication. So simple, right? But there are many types of BP machines available in the market. Having so many options sometimes results in confusion, leading to the wrong purchase. Let us help to simplify this. Following are some expert tricks to choose an electronic blood pressure monitor:
Table of Contents
Cuff’s Size
Size is an essential aspect to consider when buying a blood pressure monitor. This device comes in a variety of sizes. And by size, we mean the size of the cuff. If a cuff does not fit your arm perfectly, it may provide an inappropriate reading. According to the American Heart Association endorse and American College of Cardiology, these are the recommended sizes for BP monitors for adults:
- Small Arm Circumference- Around 22 to 26 centimeters OR 8.5 to 10 inches.
- Average Arm Circumference: 27 to 34 centimeters OR 10.5 to 13 inches.
- Large Arm Circumference: 35 to 44 centimeters OR 13.5 to 17 inches.
Which Type Of Cuff Is Best?
There are two types of cuffs available in a portable blood pressure machine- arm cuffs and wrist cuffs. According to most experts, one should always prefer buying arm cuffs over the wrist ones. This is because the arm cuff rests on the same level as your heart, providing more accurate readings. Plus, almost all the doctors around the world also prefer using a bp monitor with arm cuffs. If you are 50 plus, avoid cuffs that wrap around your wrist.
Smartphone Apps
If you search on the play store or app store, you will find thousands of BP measurement apps. They guarantee to provide accurate blood pressure in very little time. But the truth is, they are of no use. There’s no such smartphone app that can record your blood pressure. However, some digital blood pressure monitor machines come with specialized smartphone applications.
Those apps are generally used to control the working of the BP machine. Like- to start it, stop it, change the modes, measure the reading, and report complaints to the brand if there’s any malfunctioning.
There’s Nothing Bad In Asking Your Doctor’s Suggestion
Whether you are buying a BP wizard blood pressure monitor online or offline, asking for an expert’s opinion always helps. In this case, your doctor is the expert or the one you should take suggestions from. Go to your doctor and ask them about their reviews on the BP machine you are thinking to purchase.
If you get some good reviews, you can proceed to buy it. But if your doctor says it’s inappropriate, take some time, research more, and find another machine. You don’t want to buy a wrong machine and end up wasting your money and time. Or you can also ask your doctor for a recommendation. Don’t forget to tell them about your budget. It will help them to suggest the BP machine accordingly.
Final Words
So these were a few expert tricks on buying a blood pressure machine. We hope that these tricks will help you find the right BP monitor. Stay healthy, wealthy and wise!
