Smartwatches have been booming in popularity, and that’s for a good reason. What they lack in regal appearances and traditional beauty, they make up for in pure functionality.
The best ones on the market can do everything from displaying your phone’s texts to keeping track of your daily fitness routine.
As such, a lot of people wonder whether or not they can use their smartwatch to check their blood pressure.
Well, that depends on a couple of things. So, we are going to answer that question, explain how it works, and then go into some reasons why it is helpful in case you were not aware this was even possible.
Let’s get started.
Is It Possible?
First and foremost, yes. Some smartwatches can read your blood pressure. In fact, most of them do.
Typically, you just need to look at the packaging before you purchase a smartwatch to determine if it has this feature, but if for some reason you can’t find it, see if the watch is labeled with PPG or ECG sensors.
These go under the main part of the watch where a battery would be on more traditional watches. These are what are used to read your blood pressure on watches that support the feature.
This might also be built into your watch, and you can check if that is the case by going through the available apps and seeing if it is listed. If not, and your smartwatch has the appropriate sensors, you can typically install a blood pressure app just like anything else.
You might want to do this even if an app is built-in. Some of the aftermarket apps are more robust.
Unfortunately, if your smartwatch is not equipped with PPG or ECG sensors, there is no way for it to read your blood pressure.
How Smartwatches Read Your Blood Pressure
We will not get into the scientific aspects of how this works, because frankly, it is not anything that really affects the user’s experience. However, you do need to know the basics.
The sensors used to make this possible are positioned on the bottom of the watch’s body as we mentioned earlier. When you strap the watch on, those sensors make contact with your wrist, and they take the reading.
It is important to wear your watch properly for this to work. You don’t want it to be too tight, because that drives up your blood pressure and gives you a wildly inaccurate reading, but if it’s loose, reading is not possible, because there is no contact with your wrist.
What happens next depends on your app. You will typically have to open the blood pressure app or use one that displays its results on the main screen in real-time, to see your readings.
There are different types of blood pressure apps. Some will need to be opened, and you will have to manually start the process. This typically requires you to sit down and place your arm on a table in a natural position, and it is the most accurate way to get a blood pressure reading with a watch.
However, there are other apps that will keep the sensors going indefinitely. This allows you to get a constant blood pressure reading throughout your day for various reasons we will talk about soon.
What you do with your reading will be determined by your own need for it and what the app you using allows, but this is basically all you have to do.
It is an extremely easy process, and with continuous reading systems, you really do not have to do anything besides wear your watch properly.
However, you should know that this is not as accurate as using a proper blood pressure device. You will get a reading that is fairly indicative of your actual blood pressure, but it will likely be a few points off.
This makes it unsuitable for medical uses that rely on extremely precise blood pressure measurements, but it is still extremely useful.
When you first get your smartwatch, take a reading with a proper device, and then use your smartwatch. This will let you know how inaccurate it is, and you can get a better understanding of your blood pressure on the fly.
Why Do You Need to Know Your Blood Pressure?
Unless you are a part of the fitness world, you might be wondering why this is a useful feature and why everyone wants it. Well, there are several reasons, and we will go over those, now.
1. Medical Awareness
Even if you are not into physical fitness, you might need to keep track of your blood pressure.
This is common with cardiovascular conditions and other illnesses that can cause dangerous spikes or drops in blood pressure that require you to take medication or seek help quickly.
Now, because this method of measuring your blood pressure is not precise, it should not be used as a medical instrument. However, you can use it to give you a bit of a warning.
Despite being off a few points, your measurements will alert you to problematic spikes or drops in your blood pressure, and then you can take action appropriately.
2. Physical Fitness Optimization and Safety
Watching your blood while you work out is important. First, it can help you optimize your workout to get better results, and if you are heading to the gym every day, you certainly want to get the best results possible.
However, it can also be a safety hazard not to pay attention to your blood pressure.
Sudden heart attacks are possible when performing strenuous activities, and a constant blood pressure reading can alert you before you get yourself into a dangerous situation.
3. Diet Optimization
Your diet affects your blood pressure, and if you are having blood pressure issues, being able to see how different foods affect your blood pressure can be a real eye-opener.
Everyone knows cheeseburgers are not exactly good for them but seeing that sudden spike a few minutes after eating one can be a bit of a wake-up call, or at least a reason to minimize consumption of such items.
Should You Get A Smartwatch For Blood Pressure Readings?
So, should you get a smartwatch for blood pressure readings? Well, probably not if that’s the only reason you are looking at them. There are more cost-effective solutions that solely handle that.
However, you are not just getting a fancy blood pressure machine when you get a smartwatch. You get a ton of functionality from web surfing to convenient phone-related features, and several fitness and medical assistants.
The blood pressure readings are just a small part of it.
If you are remotely interested in wearing a watch and would like a jack-of-all-trades device, definitely pick one up.
