Blood Pressure Apps
Just the other day I was sitting with my mother and my sister in our kitchen and we all decided to take our blood pressure just for fun. My mother is almost 60 and my sister is pregnant, so it is important that they know their blood pressure. After all, high blood pressure in anyone can lead to heart failure. And, there is no excuse not to take your blood pressure on a regular basis with all of the at-home blood pressure apps and monitors available.
What is a Blood Pressure App?
A blood pressure app can be downloaded onto your smartphone from either the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. This depends on what smartphone you have.
Once you download the app, you can track your blood pressure. Most of the apps that can track your blood pressure can also track other health information like your weight, body temperature, heart rate, blood sugar, and more.
However, with most of them, you do have to take the measurements yourself and then input them into the application. You should also be wary of any app that takes your blood pressure through your smartphone as these numbers are proved to be inaccurate. The data that you put into the app is tracked through charts and graphs, so you have a better understanding of your overall health.
With that in mind, there are a lot of benefits to tracking your health with a blood pressure app on your smartphone.
How Can You Benefit From Using a Blood Pressure App?
There are tons of benefits for seniors and younger people alike. Those reasons all have to do with keeping your body as healthy as possible!
According to the American Heart Association, over 103 million people in the U.S. had high blood pressure in 2018. That’s almost a third of the population! While some people like to shake that number off by saying that it is not that bad, high blood pressure or hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, metabolic syndrome, and even dementia.
That’s why tracking your blood pressure with a blood pressure app can be extremely beneficial. And that’s only one reason. Other benefits can be that they remind you to take your blood pressure, temperature, and even your medication.
The data that you provide to the app can also help to track how your body is responding to any medications you are taking. They can also help to measure your body’s response to any new activities or dietary changes that you are making (ie. if you are on a diet to lower your blood pressure, you can actually see if it is working).
On top of all of that, they help to create an electronic medical record which can be very helpful in making decisions about your health with your doctor. Whether that be for your annual checkup or in an emergency situation.
How To Use a Blood Pressure App
Now that we have gone over why they are so helpful, how exactly does one use a blood pressure app? Well, it depends on the app that you are using.
There is a huge range in the functions of the different apps available and there are hundreds of them available on the app stores. However, they do all have some main features in common. As stated above, once you download the app, you can start tracking your health data.
With most of these apps, you will have to take your blood pressure using a cuff blood pressure monitor and then manually enter your reading into the app. Unless you purchase one of the wireless blood pressure monitors that come with their own app, then this is the way to do it. I’ll talk about those more below.
In most cases, once you put the information into the app on your phone, you can see it in charts and graphs. They will tell you if your blood pressure is at a healthy rate or if it is too high or too low. You can set a reminder in the app to take your blood pressure. You can also set reminders to take your medication, temperature, weight, blood glucose, and more with some.
Some of the Top Blood Pressure Apps to Download
Now that we have gone over the benefits and how to use these apps, what are the best blood pressure apps out there? With hundreds to choose from, you would think that there are too many to decide, but there are only a few that have been recommended by the FDA and doctors.
If you do not already own a blood pressure monitor, then I would recommend purchasing the Withings BPM Connect or the QardioArm. These are both blood pressure monitors that also come with an app. Both of these products also automatically report their readings to the app, so you do not have to put it in yourself. These companies also sell other health monitoring products that you can buy and use with the same app as well. On top of that, both are doctor-recommended and you can set them up to share the data with your doctor.
If you already have a blood pressure monitor, I would recommend using the Blood Pressure Monitor app. This app does not just track your blood pressure, it has the ability to track medications and your body’s reaction to them. You can track the difference in blood pressure between your two arms and you can also track your meals. It has the option to import or export data in the app and connect it to your email. It will also remind you when to take your blood pressure and medication, as well as send you warnings about high blood pressure.
Finally, if you want a more basic and simple app to use then BP Journal - Blood Pressure Diary would be best for you. You simply log your blood pressure and can set reminders to take it and your medication. It also has the option to send the data to your doctor. Reviewers have said that it is very easy to use and you can make multiple profiles to keep track of everyone’s blood pressure.