If you have high blood pressure or another medical condition, your doctor may want you to monitor your blood pressure at home. You can do this if you buy a home monitor. There are different kinds of blood pressure monitors you can buy. They vary in price and vary somewhat in accuracy too.
One type of monitor is the aneroid and this is what you most often see in a doctor's office. This monitor has an air bladder that is first wrapped around your arm before it is filled with air. A stethoscope is then placed at the bend of your elbow so that the person recording the blood pressure can hear when the pulse starts and then fades. There is a dial on the blood pressure cuff and basically the reading consists of noting when the pulse is first heard and last heard.
The aneroid monitor is the least expensive type of blood pressure monitor. It is very accurate but it does have the disadvantage of being difficult to use, especially on yourself. It is not the best choice if you have trouble hearing since you have to listen for your pulse.
More expensive than the aneroid monitor is the digital blood pressure monitor. This kind of monitor is more popular and also simpler to use. Two things to know are that if you have an irregular heartbeat or if you move while using a digital monitor the reading may be inaccurate.
There is no difference in the way digital and aneroid blood pressure monitors work. Both kinds require that your arm be wrapped with a bladder that is connected to the monitor, but the digital monitors will automatically pump air into the bladder and then release it. You will then get a digital reading of your heart rate and blood pressure.
Wrist blood pressure monitors are useful when you are on the go. You wear it on your wrist just like a watch. It allows you to check your heart rate and blood pressure at any time. All you have to do is press a button and within a few seconds you will have a digital reading of your blood pressure. You can store your reading for later retrieval. Some wrist monitors will speak your results as well as display them which is handy if you are checking your blood pressure while running. Wrist blood pressure monitors are not as accurate as aneroid monitors and they are more expensive.
For a digital blood pressure device that is small enough to hold in your hand and is portable so that you can take it with you anyplace you may be, then the finger blood pressure device is for you. The accuracy is not as great as the one that makes measurements on your arm, but you can store and keep track of readings. These monitors are extremely easy to use since all it entails is to insert your finger into the opening and press the button to start and you'll have your reading.
The type of blood pressure monitor you choose will depend on how you intend to use it. If you want a monitor to use at home then an aneroid monitor or digital monitor would be best. If you want a monitor to use when you go walking or work out at the gym then you would probably appreciate the convenience of a wrist monitor. Results from new blood pressure monitors should be compared against results from your doctor's monitor just to make sure they are accurate.
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