Buying a smartwatch as a Christmas present for a man over 40 years old? Did you know the NHS recommends everyone over 40 checks their blood pressure at least every five years?
The only fitness smartwatch in the UK that accurately measures blood pressure is the Samsung Galaxy Watch4.
Whilst both Fitbit and Apple are researching and trialling blood pressure sensors, this is an extremely difficult area to get right, and neither has got blood pressure available to customers yet on the Apple Watch, or Fitbit.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch4 works with both Android and Apple phones and is an excellent all-around health and fitness watch. Continuous blood pressure and heart-rate monitoring can help with the following health issues:
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Snoring – heavy snoring can indicate sleep apnea, particularly if your man is getting out-of-shape. Having a smart-watch track his pulse rate and blood pressure during the night can help diagnose sleep apnoea and can help support discussions about snoring. Sleep apnoea itself can be a cause of weight gain and high blood pressure.
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High blood pressure is known as the 'silent killer' as it is symptomless until it is terribly bad, by which time it will is likely to have been damaging your internal organs such as eyes and kidneys, opening the door to long-term harm, and loss of health. Erectile dysfunction can also result from untreated high blood pressure, and from using blood pressure medications, if rising blood pressure isn't spotted and tackled early.
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General fitness motivation, the Samsung Health App compares your activity levels with other people in the same age band, and provides reminders to exercise with a range of health programmes, which could help motivate your man to tackle his health and fitness. So as well as being a cool piece of tech, the smartwatch can be your ally in encouraging your partner to adopt a healthier lifestyle, providing valuable objective feedback and motivation.
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Is the blood pressure monitor on the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 accurate? A recent published medical trial in the USA stated that by comparing reading patients collected at home, with the data collected by their Samsung Galaxy Watch4, showed the same amount of difference you would expect from comparing any two blood pressure monitors used at home.
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To keep the smartwatch accurate, you do need to check it [calibrate it] against a normal blood pressure monitor each month, which takes about 10 minutes.
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Why measure blood pressure continuously? By taking regular measurements during the day and night, you can:
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Track blood pressure as it naturally dips in the nighttime, this is the best indicator of future problems with health
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Track changes in blood pressure week by week, and month by month
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Get immediate feedback on any lifestyle changes you might try, e.g. cutting down on smoking or drinking, or walking more steps every day, getting immediate feedback can be very motivating!
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Get on top of any drivers of high blood pressure, e.g. work stress, or illness, before they have a lasting impact
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So, for a long and happy life together [or just snore-free sleep!], investing in tracking blood pressure could be a shrewd move.
Below is a link to Amazon to find out more about the Samsung Galaxy Watch4, if you would like to look at other options to monitor high blood pressure at home and #knowyournumbers visit our other page here, and if you would like to learn more about blood pressure and health, visit our other page here
If you would like to know more about the Samsung Gear 4, and how it measures blood pressure, please watch the video below from a Samsung presentation in 2020. Since then Samsung have released the Gear 4, and got approval to release these features to customers in the EU after years of trials in Korea.
