If your systolic blood pressure is less than 120 mmHg and your diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 mmHg, then the reading is normal. Otherwise, there are multiple stages of high blood pressure to pay attention to when taking a reading. Consult with this chart when reading your blood pressure to best understand the reading. Our five testers, which included three Verywell Health editors and a nurse practitioner, tested 10 blood pressure monitors over the course of eight hours. Following the American Heart Association’s guidelines for blood pressure monitor use, we asked our testers to fast for 30 minutes before both the morning and afternoon tests. While the 0604 can run on either battery power or with an AC adapter, unless there are working batteries installed, the machine’s date and time reset every time it’s unplugged.
The Withings app is easy to use and presents information in an easy-to-understand way. The cuff’s screen is easy to read, featuring a backlight, and extra-large LCD screen and digits, and multi-colored indicator lights that show how your reading compares to normal blood pressure levels. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Aside from being easy to use and supporting multiple users , this blood pressure monitor comes with a five-year warranty.
The Omron Platinum is a beautiful and easy-to-use device, but at $80 it’s expensive for a monitor that supports only two users. Greater Goods and Omron, the makers of our picks, require you to create an online account in order to use their monitors’ wireless data-transfer capabilities. Doing so means providing the respective companies with personal details like your name, date of birth, email address, and more. It’s also important to test under controlled conditions, ideally around the same time each day. Sit upright with your back supported and both feet on the floor. Ideally, before taking a reading, you should keep the cuff on the arm for five minutes without moving or talking.
Information provided on Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional. You can also download the Omron Connect app to your smartphone to track your readings in graph or list form.
If you have high blood pressure, you might benefit from being able to keep a close eye on your numbers. You may have a condition known as “Masked Hypertension.” This is a situation in which a person’s blood pressure falls below its usual level when it measure in a doctor’s office or clinical setting. The only proper way to take your blood pressure involves sitting down for at least a few minutes with both feet flat on the floor and your arm resting at heart level. For more recommendations for proper use, see the American Heart Association’s recommendations for monitoring your blood pressure. All of the upper arm cuffs we recommend are easy to put on and use with one hand. The Withings BPM Connect is also an attractive device that looks more like a small Bluetooth speaker than a blood pressure meter.
To check how accurate your monitor is, you can take it to your doctor’s office and see how it compares with their results. Remember, according to the Mayo Clinic, home monitoring your blood pressure isn’t a substitute for a visit to a medical professional. omron 5 series Press the start button if your digital monitor has automatic cuff inflation. Locate the brachial artery by finding your pulse in the center of your elbow. Press your index and middle fingers lightly against the inside of your elbow.