Ways You Can Monitor Your Heart Health at Home

With the ever present trend towards making it easier to monitor your vitals at home, there are several devices available that can help cardiac patients keep a better eye on their heart health. The following is a breakdown on the top three devices patients can use to not only monitor their hearts, but also improve their doctor’s ability to manage their care.

Blood Pressure Monitors

There is continuous debate among the medical profession as to which method is the most accurate for checking a patient’s blood pressure. No matter if a patient is able to manually check their blood pressure, or uses an automated device, keeping track of daily blood pressure readings can be a very important part of monitoring heart health. Manual kits can range between $20 to $30 for reliable ones, and trustworthy automatic models often start between $50 to $100. No matter which type is used, they can be considered an investment in personal health.

Pulse Rate Monitors

Pulse rate monitors are available as stand alone devices, or can be an included function. The price range tends to be between $20 to $50 for most models that purely monitor heart rate. They tend to be worn around the wrist and often have a digital face that displays current pulse. Some allow for records to be accessed, or can include alarms for when the rate rises too high, or drops too low. Having a steady and accurate method of monitoring something as simple as a pulse can help doctors determine if medications need adjustment, or if there are early signs of disease.

Heart Fitness Apps

Just about all mobile phones today fall under the category of “smart phones”, which means they are capable of running special applications referred to as Apps. There are several free and low cost applications available on both Android and Apple systems that allow users to monitor their heart rate and other vital information as well. Some employ the phone’s camera and flash lens to take a reading, while others depend on user input. Using Apps to help monitor and keep track of your vitals is a useful way to always have the information your doctor needs to get the best picture of your health. Many applications can also pair up and track data that is collected from other devices, such as worn monitors and even fitness equipment. The ability to synchronize and instantly store data makes it one of the easiest ways to monitor heart health for patients of all ages.