When you head over to see your doctor, the first thing you’re usually hit with is a blood pressure test. Blood pressure is all about how hard your blood is pushing against the walls of your arteries while your heart is doing its thing. It’s a big deal because it tells a lot about your health. If your blood pressure is high, that means you’re at a higher risk of heart issues like failure, attack, or stroke, which happen to be some of the main causes of death in the US. Surprisingly, almost half of the adults in the country have high blood pressure. Scary, right?
Fixing high blood pressure is actually one of the easier health problems to tackle because we have all the tools we need. The solutions are pretty straightforward, even if they’re not always easy to stick to in the long run: cut back on salt, go easy on the alcohol, and get moving with some exercise. But monitoring your blood pressure at home can still be a pain since you need one of those arm cuffs. Fitness trackers don’t quite cut it yet, although Apple is working on it with the Apple Watch. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch has basic blood pressure monitoring, but it’s not available in the US and comes with some drawbacks.
Enter the BPM Vision by Withings, the upgraded version of the no-frills BPM Connect ($100). Withings also recently introduced Cardio Check-Up, a service under the Withings+ subscription that lets you send your heart health info to a team of certified cardiologists for review. So, keeping a heart attack at bay has never been easier. The BPM Vision is a tabletop unit, which makes it a breeze to use and see the display compared to the BPM Connect. It charges via USB-C and comes with one regular-sized cuff that fits a range of arm sizes. You can even get an XL cuff for bigger arms. Plus, it’s FDA-cleared and meets all the validation standards set by respectable organizations like the American Heart Association.
Setting up the BPM Vision is a piece of cake—just turn it on and sync it with the Withings app on your phone. You can view your readings on the LCD display and the app simultaneously, which is pretty convenient. The device is compatible with both iOS and Android, and it syncs with various health apps like Apple Health and Samsung Health. You can even set up a guest profile for someone else to use, but their readings won’t be saved. Subscribing to Withings+ gives you access to additional features for $100 a year or $10 a month. If you’re serious about keeping tabs on your blood pressure at home, the Health Improvement Score from Withings+ might not be all that helpful, but you probably already know what you need to do to stay healthy anyway.
I reached out to Jehan Bahrainwala, a Stanford professor specializing in resistant hypertension and secondary hypertension, to get some tips on using the BPM Vision. She recommended monitoring your blood pressure daily at the same time for a week each month and keeping a journal of your readings. The display on the BPM Vision shows your systolic and diastolic blood pressure along with your heart rate. You can take one measurement or three in a row, with a short rest in between. Taking three readings in a row is a good idea since the first reading tends to show elevated blood pressure. So, make sure you’re in a comfortable position with your back supported, feet uncrossed, and arm resting on a table before taking a measurement. And remember, taking your blood pressure at home might not be as simple as it seems, but with the right tools like the BPM Vision, it can be a lot easier.
