Blood Pressure Units

In many chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and kidney diseases, accurate blood pressure measurement is extremely important. Monitoring your blood pressure at home using a blood pressure unit provides valuable information about your health.

What Are Blood Pressure Units?

Blood pressure units are automatic blood pressure monitors used in health care facilities or at home. They consist of a wrist or arm cuff and a digital monitor. Unlike manual blood pressure cuffs, they work at a touch of a button and display the reading on the LCD. In addition, the device measures your heart rate and can catch irregular heartbeats.

How Do They Work?

Just like regular blood pressure cuffs, blood pressure units measure your systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Systolic blood pressure measures the force of blood as it moves through the arteries to the rest of the body. The bottom figure, diastolic blood pressure, measures the force your heart produces on the walls of your arteries between beats.

When the cuff records your systolic and diastolic pressures, it creates vibrations detected by the blood pressure reader, which are then displayed on the LCD display.

Types of Blood Pressure Units

Arm Blood Pressure Units
Digital arm blood pressure monitors allow for easy and accurate blood pressure measurement. In addition, they have portable monitors and are slim and discrete for convenience.

When looking for a suitable blood pressure unit, find one with the appropriate cuff size, and make sure you're not allergic to any of the materials.

You can also look for units that provide more health information aside from the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. For example, some units also read pulse rate, time of the day, and date.

This information, coupled with the expanded memory storage, will allow you to review your previous readings with a touch of a button. This can come in handy when updating your doctor or tracking blood pressure spikes or dips throughout the day.

Wrist Blood Pressure Units
Wrist blood pressure units work the same way, except that you wrap the cuff around your wrist instead of your arm. When looking for a wrist blood pressure unit, check the information you can obtain from the device and its maximum storage. That will give you an idea of how many readings it can hold.

Double Check the Instructions

Whether you choose an arm or wrist cuff monitor, ensure it has a complete and easy-to-follow guide. Blood pressure device readings tend to be easily affected by several factors, including human errors and body positions.

Pay Attention to Cuff Size

The size of the cuff is essential for both an arm or wrist unit. They come in pediatric, adult, and bariatric sizes. Choosing the right one for your needs will ensure a more accurate reading.

With digital blood pressure units, you can measure your blood pressure anytime, anywhere, even when you're on vacation, so that you can be an active member of your healthcare team.