Apple Watch Blood Pressure
5 ways Apple Watch can help you manage BP and one way it can’t
- Heart Rate Monitoring. The Apple Watch can continuously monitor your heart rate, alerting you if it goes above or below a certain threshold. If you map this on your blood pressure data, this can help you identify patterns in your heart rate that may be associated with high blood pressure.
By keeping track of your heart rate, once you mapped them together with your blood pressure data, you can identify triggers that cause your blood pressure to rise and take steps to avoid them. This will require you to install a 3rd party blood pressure tracking app. Check this Medium post on how to choose a blood pressure tracking log app.
2. Another way the Apple Watch can help to manage blood pressure is through the use of medication reminders. You can set reminders on the watch to take your medication at the same time every day, ensuring that you don’t miss a dose. The Apple Watch can also provide you with notifications if you miss a dose, helping you stay on track.
Additionally, the Apple Watch can also be integrated with other health apps that help monitor and manage high blood pressure, such as blood pressure monitoring apps. These apps can allow you to track your blood pressure and heart rate over time and share the data with your healthcare provider for more accurate adjustments to your medication.
3. Breathing Exercises. Slow guided breathing is a great scientifically proven [1] way to lower blood pressure instantly. Slow breathing exercises engage our parasympathetic nervous system responsible for the ‘rest and digest behaviour’ which calms us down and helps to lower blood pressure.
If you do slow breathing exercise only once, it most likely will lower your blood pressure for a short period of time. However many of those people for whom high blood pressure is caused primarily by anxiety, can often bring their blood pressure into the normal range with regular slow breathing. An advanced breathing technique called IMST provides long term benefits if performed for just 5 minutes per day [2].
Try the BreathNow app which includes several breathing exercises for blood pressure, including IMST breathing, as well as meditations, calming music, ASMR sounds and other tools helping you to calm down. It also includes a blood pressure tracking log which helps to identify triggers for high blood pressure and hence helps to eliminate them.
4. Activity Tracking. The watch can track your daily activity levels and provide you with reminders to stay active. Regular moderate exercise, like walking, can help lower blood pressure, and the Apple Watch can help you stay on track with your fitness goals. It also helps users to bring their weight in a normal range as obesity is one of the key factors for high blood pressure.
5. Sleep Tracking. Apple Watch can track your sleep and provide you with insights into your sleep patterns. Getting enough sleep is crucial for maintaining good health, and poor sleep can contribute to high blood pressure. Doctors usually recommend eight hours of uninterrupted sleep as a key tool to bring blood pressure under control.
Here is one thing where the Apple Watch cannot help you when it comes to managing blood pressure: it can not take blood pressure readings. In fact none of the iPhone or Android apps allow you to take blood pressure readings without an external blood pressure monitor. The technology is not there yet.
Talk to your doctor, they will recommend a reliable device which you can use at home. Also if you get an external blood pressure monitor with the Bluetooth connection you will be able to move your data automatically into your Apple Health account.
IMPORTANT. Apple Watch should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice and treatment. Consult with your doctor to determine if Apple Watch can be beneficial in managing your high blood pressure.
References.
- Slow Deep Breathing Reduces High Blood Pressure In Hypertensive Patients
- Efficient Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Endothelial Function, NO Bioavailability, and Oxidative Stress in Midlife/Older Adults With Above Normal Blood Pressure, Journal of American Heart Association
