Blood Pressure Tracking
Monitor your BP at home and share with doctor.
Why track at home?
- Doctor's office readings often higher — "white coat" effect.
- Home readings show real daily pattern.
- Catch high readings before next appointment.
- Trending data helps doctor adjust medication.
- Empowers you to manage your health.
- Most recommended by cardiologists.
Best home BP monitors
- Omron Platinum — gold standard, app-connected.
- Withings BPM Connect — Bluetooth, syncs to Apple Health.
- Omron Silver — simpler, no app, stores 80 readings.
- Qardio Arm — compact, connects to smartphone.
- All upper-arm cuffs are more accurate than wrist.
- Prices: $50–$100 for a good monitor.
Best tracking apps
- Omron Connect — pairs with Omron devices.
- Apple Health — records readings, shows charts.
- Heart Habit — log readings + medication together.
- Blood Pressure Monitor — simple manual logging.
- MyHeart — track + share report with doctor.
- All free — some offer PDF export for doctor.
How to measure correctly
- Sit quietly for 5 minutes first.
- No caffeine or exercise 30 minutes before.
- Sit with back supported, feet flat on floor.
- Arm at heart level — on table or armrest.
- Take 2–3 readings, 1 minute apart.
- Record all readings — average them.
Understanding your numbers
- Normal: below 120/80 mmHg.
- Elevated: 120–129 / below 80.
- High (Stage 1): 130–139 / 80–89.
- High (Stage 2): 140+ / 90+.
- Crisis: 180+ / 120+ — call doctor immediately.
- Share log with doctor at every appointment.
Sharing with your doctor
- Export data from app as PDF.
- Email to doctor's office before appointment.
- Apple Health: share with provider directly.
- Bring phone — show doctor the charts.
- Note symptoms alongside readings.
- Doctors love home data — better than once-yearly office visit.
Omron Platinum with app is the standard
The Omron Platinum ($80) is what most cardiologists and pharmacists recommend for home monitoring. It pairs to the Omron Connect app via Bluetooth, stores all your readings with timestamps, and lets you email a PDF report to your doctor. If Bluetooth feels complicated, the Omron Silver ($55) stores 80 readings without any app — just write them down in a notebook.