I feel that controlling hypertension is important for longevity and health - especially brain. Just wanted to share that I bought the HEM-7600T Smart Elite (HBF in Australia covered a lot of it) and I can recommend it. I looked at smartwatches but HBF wouldnt contribute. . I have normal blood pressure (age 63) - I do take magnesium, taurine, juice veggies including beetroot, drink pure organic pomegranate juice for potassium. Doing breathing exercises and keeping eye on heart and stress rate on my Fitbit. Anyone else using a BP monitor?
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I use a normal omron machine before going to sleep and when waking up.
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Beth
#3
I just came here looking for BP monitor recommendations because our Omron is probably 15 years old and the cuff is now finicky.
@John_Hemming I see they have a host of new options. Do you feel the one with the ekg is an added benefit (I guess the question is does it work!)? The plus of that one would be ekg and the option to add a smaller cuff for my puny arms.
@Michele_Watson that one looks really appealing with no cord and base to deal with. It seems the US version has a different model number.
Iāll assume the wrist cuff is not as accurate? (It seems easier to put on, though)
Are there other options or brands we should check out?
Iāll link the two products mentioned incase itās helpful
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I donāt know. I am happy with the basic BP test.
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rickyf
#5
I own and use daily an OMRON Model BP5250. I have had for several years and think it reliable and accurate. Would buy again if it broke.
I bought an EMAY Portable ECG Monitor on Amazon late last year, cost me $79 (plus tax). Works well. Only use it every couple of weeks. Seems to be reasonably accurate.
I also have a Garmin HRM Pro Plus chest strap (heart rate monitor) and use it daily when I go running or rucking. It also works well.
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LukeMV
#6
Important to make sure everyone gets the proper size arm cuff when measuring BP.
Larger arms need larger cuffs, or else the machine will show falsely elevated BP (this includes at doctors offices). Smaller arms need smaller cuffs or else a cuff that is too large might show a falsely low BP for them.
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The gold standard is 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. If you do a search these have come down in price with some starting as low as $140. The pattern is important, if you fail to have the normal nocturnal dip of 10-20% drop in BP that is a worse prognosis. The last time I heard, these were costing $1200, but now seeing much better deals.
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Iād need to see the data on this device as standard wrist bp monitors have significant issues with accuracy. This device might be better. The one I saw today on eBay under $150 is FDA approved, but it is bulky and lacks the convenience of the one you shared.
I guess there is also the issue of getting to the US. Are there vendors who will send it, and if so, what does it cost?
Just ordered this from Amazon as will work well for my wife and I to periodically do 24 hr BP monitoring. $179. Not as elegant as the Aktiaa. Iāll get an Aktiaa when they release it in the U.S. and compare the two.
Dr. Mark Houston, who is a state of the art Cardiologist in assessing/reversing CAD doesnāt accept spot checks - need 24 hours of data to really understand what needs to be done on the BP side of things. Itās an area where most of us are using spot checks when we are calm, awake, etc ā¦ to get a real sense of what your blood vessels are seeing in regard to pressure, a 24 hour ambulatory is necessary.
Beth
#11
I read itās expected to be available in the US in 2025.
I was tempted to sneak the Aktiia to the US when I first learned about it on an Attia podcast, but the issue was knowing how to get the app on the US App Store. There was a potential workaround, but that was way above my pay grade.
Yes @DrFraser there are reshipping services in the UK that you can have it shipped to, then they will reship to you.
Its also available in Canada already (so perhaps talk to a friend in Canada and have them mail it to you, or there may be reshipping companies there that do this too):
I have to believe its not that difficult to get the app downloaded (at least for Google, where you can āside loadā the app via USB cable, I think). Apple is harder as they have more of a ālockā on how the App Store functions.
Details on how to load apps from different countries here: Has Anyone Seen a Rise in Blood Pressure Using Rapamycin? - #239 by RapAdmin
@adssx and @ageless64 and @scta123 do you recommend this product, from your experience with it? On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being āawesomeā how would you rate it?
Adssx, Any updates since your review here: Optimal Blood Pressure we Should Target? Systolic Under 110 or 100? - #209 by adssx
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Beth
#13
If we hear itās an awesome 10, Iāll run the apple āworkaroundā idea by someone who should know how doable it is.
EDIT:
Also, @Stephen_King any updates since your post attached here. Did you use it yet?
Also, I see I asked a while back and @John_Hemming said he tried it but didnāt feel it was accurate enough.
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Hi I think the Evolv is the same one. Very happy with mine. I didnt want a wrist one (tried about 5 different monitors out in the pharmacy and this was ideal for me plus HBF would not cover ambulatory- wrist/smartwatch).
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I am very thin and bloodwork all good. No reason for it to be high. I have no idea how to lower it tbh. Will talk to doctor next week on. If anyone has any tips I would be grateful. I do take magnesium and a few other supps. I do l light exercise -swimming in sea, walking every day.
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jnorm
#16
Iāve got this one and I donāt recommend it. Gives an error way too often, and lately the readings have been all over the place.
Been concerning me lately because my BP lately is often either elevated with normal RHR or low with elevated RHR. Tonight it clocked my pulse at 162 (BP 102/68), so I did a manual check and it was 66 with a steady rhythm. So I think the RHR>100 readings itās given me over the past couple week were mostly BS.
Not sure if I can trust the BP readings at this point, Iāll have to see if I can recalibrate it. Iām about 15 weeks into a testosterone cycle so it would be nice to have some reliable data. Been taking telmisartan for the past month so I just chalked the low BP readings up to that, but the elevated pulse was concerning. No symptoms of low BP at least.
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I live in Australia and had a look. Mixed reviews on Amazon but I still would like the convenience of wrist:
https://www.amazon.com.au/product-reviews/B0BH4NLN4W/
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I have an aktiia, and have been pleased with it. I live in the US, and got it through German relatives (with a little tinkering, itās fairly easy to get the app in the US). Aktiia plans to release a US version this year.
It is calibrated against a std cuff and is reasonably accurate, especially averaged over 24 hrs. This was discussed in previous threads on this site and one of the critiques is that its overnight readings can be inaccurate. However, this small downside is offset in my opinion by itās ease of use and ability to observe trends (similar to a CGM that is also less accurate than a blood draw, but useful for observing trends).
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Hereās the 24 hr accuracy paper
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Wish I could get this in Australia!
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