Technology that makes health reporting easier.
The past few years have been quite stressful for me. In that time, I completed a 2-year masters degree, helped with raising a teenager, cared for an elderly family member, kept a household moving, written reviews at night, and helped my fiancé with ongoing health issues including physical therapy after surgery. It’s been a lot and at the height of that stress I noticed that I was having heart flutters and dizzy spells. At this point in time, I know that it was stress-induced high blood pressure, but at the time, it was definitely concerning. Even though I could take better care of myself, I’ve always generally been a healthy person. So, having that abnormality take hold in my life was jarring to say the least. One of the things I did to help myself during that time was to keep track of my blood pressure using the iHealth Ease Wireless Blood Pressure monitor. Because it’s wireless, it’s easy to use in a moment’s notice and the data is stored right on my iPhone so that it’s easy to share with my family or doctor.
DETAILS
The iHealth Ease Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor provides users with technology that helps you monitor your health at a fair price. With this device, you can turn your smartphone into a US & European Society of Hypertension approved blood pressure monitor. Readings are stored and charged in the app, which also helps to detect irregularities. The monitor communicates to the app on your smartphone of choice through Bluetooth. To use the blood pressure cuff, you just put the cuff on your arm the way it’s shown on the illustration of the cuff and then press start on the app. The Ease monitor is rechargeable and it is compatible with Apple Health. The monitor has been clinically tested for accuracy. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
Blood Pressure Dock | Model: BP3L Wireless communication: Bluetooth Low Energy Classification: Internally powered, Type BF applied part, IPX0, No AP or APG, Continuous operation Measuring method: Oscillometric, automatic inflation and measurement |
Dimensions | Machine size: 4.53” x 4.53” x 2.62“ (115 mm x 66.5 mm) Cuff circumference: Standard: 8.66″ – 14.7” (22 cm – 36 cm) Large: 11.8″ – 16.5″ (30 cm – 42 cm) Extra Large: 16.5″ – 18.9″ (42cm – 48cm) Weight: 8.47 oz. (240g) |
Power & Battery | Power: DC: 5V2A Battery: 3.7Vli-ion 2200 mAH |
Range & Accuracy | Cuff pressure range: 0-295 mmHg Pressure accuracy: ±3 mmHg Pulse rate range: 40 -180 beats/min, accuracy: ±5% |
Operation & Storage | Operating temperature: 41°F~95°F (5°C~35°C) Operating humidity:<95% RH Storage and transport temperature: -4°F~131°F (-20°C~55°C) Storage and transport humidity: <95% RH |
USER EXPERIENCE
The Ease BP Monitor comes in a white and orange iHealth branded box. The front of the box features an image of the device in use. The back of it has some of the main features included as well as a list of what is included in the box (1 dock, 1 cable, 1 cuff, 1 user guide, 1 quick start guide). Downloading the app is the first step in the process. It’s free and available for both iOS and Android devices. Once the app is downloaded, you can connect to the monitor via Bluetooth and from that point on, the app will automatically detect the device when it’s on and in range.
To use the monitor, you simply place the cuff on the subject’s arm, connect it to the monitor, and then press start on the app. The cuff will inflate like a standard blood pressure monitor/machine and deflate in the same manner. Then the reading will appear on the screen of the app. One of the things I really like about this monitor is that it’s so simple. As I described above, I started using this monitor because of my own health concerns, but as it turns out, it’s been good for the whole family. My fiance’s grandmother lives with us and as she gets older, she has certain ailments that we monitor closely. One of the ways we do that is by frequently checking her blood pressure. The fact that this devicee gives us the opportunity to easily share her readings with her doctor is great.
The information provided by iHealth states that the monitor is clinically tested. So, it should be trustworthy. I decided to run my own series of tests. In the span of about 5 minutes, I took my blood pressure three times. The first time the reading was very high. My resting blood pressure is usually a standard normal and right around 120/80. The initial reading was 142/82. Because I thought it was abnormal for me – especially since I wasn’t under any undue stress when I took the reading – I placed the cuff around my wrist, which is still an acceptable place to take a reading. That time, it was much lower at 118/57. Finally, I took a third reading on my upper arm again and got a reading of 138/82. While that still wasn’t ‘normal’ it was much lower than the first reading. I let a few minutes pass and took my blood pressure again. This time, I used a wrist monitor just so I could get a second opinion. The reading was 138/90. Since this was fairly close to the last reading I took, I am accepting the accuracy of the iHealth Ease monitor’s reading. One of the things that might have driven my blood pressure up was the fact that I’ve been fighting a sinus infection as well as the fact that the cuff is a little too small for my arm.
CONCLUSION
I believe it’s incredibly important to keep personal medical devices like this handy at home. iHealth makes some wonderful connected health devices and the Ease monitor is a great one for any home. It’s very easy to use and incredibly affordable. iHealth has a lot of options for blood pressure monitoring, but this one seems to be one of the best ones because of how easy it is to understand.
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