Blood Pressure Monitors

By: Dan Orton

If you have been diagnosed with elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, it would be convenient for you to have your own blood pressure monitor at home. You can always go to Walgreens or Sam’s Club, or another pharmacies that have the sit down automatic blood pressure machines available to customers who want to check their own blood pressure. These are usually fairly accurate, but your blood pressure may be slightly elevated than it would be if you were checking it at home. Ponder about it, you’re out shopping, driving around, dealing with traffic, trying to find things in the store, and then waiting patiently to check out (many times not). Your blood pressure is bound to be a little elevated, and yes, it is ordinary for it to fluctuate throughout the day. However stress has a significant consequence on blood pressure, which is why you might be better having your own blood pressure monitor at home to check it at times when you are not influenced by the rat race going on in the world outside your dwelling.

There are numerous different types of blood pressure monitors available for home use, and can be purchased in most pharmacies and online sites. Prices vary likewise, starting as low as $25 and keep going up to $300 and more, depending on the features of the unit, and whether it is electric, battery operated, or manual. Blood pressure monitors come in different styles that can test using the finger, wrist, or arm. Some of them inflate automatically and others must be pumped up manually with the connected bulb. Larger sized cuffs are likewise available if required, and most if not all blood pressure monitors will recite the individual their pulse as well as blood pressure reading. To go just a bit further, other blood pressure monitors will also inform the user if an irregular heartbeat, if a low or high reading is detected, and will give you average of three readings. Most blood pressure monitors also come with a carrying case, batteries, and forms to record your readings. More costly models have more features, more than one size cuff, extra bulbs, and just about extra everything.

All these bells and whistles are really not free, and just a basic unit from Walgreens for $35 will serve your aim just fine. Most blood pressure monitors offer a guarantee card you can send in, along with an address you can send it to if you have any problems. But if you’re purchasing an inexpensive unit, it may just be worth it to just buy another unit, instead of taking all the time and annoyance to send it in. Whatever you decide to do, a home blood pressure monitor could be a true life saver. After all, that’s why they call hypertension the quiet killer.