The Apple Watch comes with several health tools including a heart rate sensor, ECG app, and blood oxygen monitor, but is blood pressure included?
The Apple Watch is a health and fitness-centric smartwatch that features a collection of sensors used to detect some of the wearer’s vital signs, but is blood pressure monitoring supported? Apple’s lineup of smartwatches includes various health features that can vary based on the model and series. The company has released a new Apple Watch each year since its introduction, but the product names and included features can get confusing. The first Apple Watch was dubbed ‘series zero’ by technology enthusiasts since it was left outside the current naming scheme. After the original model, the company released an all-new Apple Watch Series 2 and a stripped-down Apple Watch Series 1, each sporting the same fitness and health capabilities.
However, things get even more complicated after that. The Apple Watch Series 3 was released a year later, and is still sold on Apple’s website today. Each year after, the company added additional fitness and health features to the Apple Watch, including new hardware sensors. The Apple Watch SE — a cheaper version of the smartwatch with slightly limited features — has its own functionality separate from the Apple Watch Series 7. With that in mind, the available health sensors and tracking can vary by device, and the company typically improves on these functionalities with each upgrade.
Though the Apple Watch features a collection of health sensors — from a heart rate sensor to an electrocardiogram to a blood oxygen sensor — true blood pressure monitoring is not supported on the smartwatch. A few applications claim to provide the functionality, but they fall short unless an external blood pressure monitor is connected. As per Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to add blood pressure monitoring to the Apple Watch in the future along with other health sensors. These include blood glucose monitoring and blood alcohol tracking, but some of these features require government approval before being released to the public.
View BP Data On Apple Watch With An App
The Apple Watch doesn’t provide a blood pressure monitor, but it does include a heart rate sensor and an electrocardiogram. This is good news for people concerned about hypertension, since heart rate and blood pressure have a positive correlation, according to a study by the University of Minnesota (via NCBI). Researchers concluded that “elevated heart rate is associated with increased peripheral blood pressure, increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and is modifiable.” That means Apple Watch users might be able to get an idea of their blood pressure state through heart rate readings. However, if someone is concerned about their blood pressure or needs to track it for health reasons, using appropriate medical equipment is recommended.
There are also legitimate ways to track blood pressure using an Apple Watch, even though it isn’t possible on-device. Third-party blood pressure monitors from brands like QardioArm, Withings, and iHealth can connect to Apple’s Health app on the iPhone to provide blood pressure data. This data can then be viewed on the wearer’s wrist with an Apple Watch app, which can be useful for constant monitoring. They work similarly to other health monitors, like constant glucose monitors, that continually collect data that can be viewed on Apple Watch. Although the Apple Watch doesn’t include a blood pressure monitor yet, it can still provide a solid picture of the wearer’s health.
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