A blood pressure watch is a gadget that helps you monitor your health and sleep depth. A correctly selected device will fix even minimal changes and tell you when you need a doctor’s consultation. The article contains the rules for choosing and setting up, as well as the features of fitness equipment.
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What is a smart watch with blood pressure measurement
The devices are a combination of smart watches, blood pressure monitor and heart rate monitor. The incoming information is analyzed thanks to complex programs that convert analog data from sensors into binary signals, as is the case with a desktop computer.
The binary code is then converted into data that is displayed on the screen.
What are the benefits of a watch with blood pressure and heart rate measurement
They can measure pulse and blood pressure anywhere: at work, in the gym and at home. At the same time, compact watches do not look like medical equipment and do not attract too much attention.
Athletes, manual laborers and older people will like blood pressure watches because they are easy to use. In addition, they will be to the liking of busy city dwellers, because they save time on heart rate control — measuring indicators takes from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes. Many devices monitor blood pressure and heart rate around the clock, so the user just needs to press a button and the result will immediately appear.
Interesting: The most advanced smartwatch models can even display a simplified ECG.
On most smartwatches, you can change the watch face and strap, allowing you to experiment with style and match the bracelet to your look. For example, the top-end Apple Watch has dozens of straps in different colors.
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The principle of operation of smart watches with a tonometer
The device is based on the well-coordinated work of the built-in accelerometer and heart rate monitor, which should be on the wrist. When wearing smart watches that measure blood pressure, you should make sure that they fit well, without pinching or hanging from your hand.
Otherwise, all the obtained values will be very different from the real ones.
Before use, the user will need to be told about the following indicators:
- age;
- growth;
- the weight.
In some gadgets, you will need to fill in volumes, physical activity, etc. This is necessary so that the clock can calculate the indicators more correctly. With age, the walls of blood vessels thicken, and the subcutaneous layer interferes with receiving signals. All this is taken into account when creating a device, which is why developers are asked to enter the maximum number of indicators.
Important: Smart watches, such as the Galaxy Watch, should be synchronized with a mobile or tablet before use. A special application analyzes the data more correctly and produces results with minimal errors. The software also makes it convenient to draw graphs and track how indicators change throughout the day.
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How to measure blood pressure with a smart watch
For correct results of measuring blood pressure with a watch, you should:
- Put on the watch so that it fits your hand.
- Fix them where there is no tattoo. The paint blocks IR signals, which may cause measurements to be inaccurate.
- Stop and put your hand at chest level when measuring pressure with a smart watch — so the readings will be more accurate. For the same reason, it is undesirable to chat when measuring.
- Do not take measurements after eating, as well as drinking coffee, strong tea and other stimulating foods, as they directly affect the pulse and pressure.
Important: When playing sports, the correct values are shown during rhythmic movements, such as jogging or rollerblading. Kickboxing and other vigorous swinging activities can change the results slightly.
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How accurate are the pressure readings of the watch?
Body parameters are recorded by determining the heart rate and the speed of propagation of the pulse inside the vessels through a light-sensitive sensor. Taking into account dozens of variables, such as the color of the epidermis, the depth of the veins and the presence of plaques on the vessels, the accuracy of the results varies between 5-15%.
You should not expect medical accuracy from a watch that measures pressure inside blood vessels and pulse, but the gadget is guaranteed to signal if something is wrong with the body.
Interesting fact: Initially, the errors of wrist devices reached 30%, but every year the devices become more accurate. There is a high probability that in 5-10 years they will measure with the accuracy of a mechanical tonometer.
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What else can a smart gadget
It all depends on the year of creation and price category. Most older devices (produced before 2017) can only measure basic health indicators and replace conventional watches. Advanced models are able to distinguish between the depth of sleep, maintain video communication, and signal relatives with a sharp change in pressure and pulse.
Gadgets can have the following features:
- display of time, SMS and E-mail messages;
- step counting;
- study of cardio loads;
- sleep tracking;
- synchronization with key phone applications.
Interesting: The price of the device depends not only on the presence / absence of certain functions. The cost is affected by the year of manufacture, the quality of components, water resistance, battery capacity and many other factors. All this should be considered when buying a smart watch for each family member.
How to wear a smart watch on your hand
As mentioned above, the bracelet should fit snugly. You should also adhere to the following recommendations:
- wear the device exclusively on the left hand — it is closer to the heart, the beats are felt more clearly, so the watch will calculate the data more correctly;
- indicate all the requested data — it is necessary to calculate the results more correctly;
- the back part should fit snugly against the hand, since all the sensors are located here — in the picture above you can see the location of the sensors on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2.
Check out: How to choose a smartwatch with blood pressure and heart rate measurement in 4 points
How to choose a watch with blood pressure measurement
There is no perfect watch — everyone chooses what he likes best. But it is worth analyzing the characteristics indicated in the table below:
Considering how little time a resident of a metropolis has for himself, buying a wrist gadget is fully justified. Thanks to 24/7 self-monitoring, you can prevent the occurrence of many diseases, reduce the effect of stress on the body and, in general, increase the duration and quality of life.