Health aware with the Braun ActivScan™ 9 Blood Pressure Monitor

There are times throughout the day, usually whilst trying to get the children out of the door to school or attempting to get them to eat their tea that I feel like my blood pressure is sky high and I might explode at any second. In truth, I know that this is not the case but for some people high blood pressure is a serious health risk but for many, making the odd changes to your lifestyle and keeping a close eye on your blood pressure can make the world of difference.

Braun ActivScan9

We have been sent the Braun ActivScan™ 9 blood pressure monitor to review over the next couple of weeks to track our blood pressure and to see how changes in our lifestyle can affect our blood pressure. The ActivScan 9 is part of the next generation of blood pressure monitors from Braun, along with the iCheck® 7. These monitors offer smart, comfortable and intuitive readings which are easy to understand and implement in your daily routine.

Confused by Blood Pressure Readings?

I have always had low blood pressure and am prone to fainting, this is considered to be healthy (it doesn’t feel it at the time) so I have never paid much attention to my blood pressure. To be honest, I have always found it very confusing. When you are pregnant the midwives monitor your blood pressure to ensure that you are fit and healthy since high blood pressure is dangerous in pregnancy. When they used to say to me, your blood pressure is good it’s 120/80 I would simply nod and smile, the numbers meant nothing to me.

Simple to Read

With the Braun ActivScan 9 the results are visualised using simple data and colour coding so you can see the status of your blood pressure at a glance with blood pressure ranging from Green (Normal) to Red (Severe Hypertension). Once you have received your initial reading, you can dig a little deeper at the touch of a button to look at graphs and charts to see the bigger picture of your heart health over a period of time.

Smartphone Compatible

Available on iPhone and Android you can connect your blood pressure monitor to your smartphone using the Braun Healthy Heart App via Bluetooth. The benefit of this is having access to your data anytime, anywhere so when you want to discuss your results with your GP you can show them the results on your phone. You can also enter lifestyle data like how well you have eaten, how much exercise you have undertaken in a day, your mood levels and sleep quality. All of this helps to create a full story about the health of your heart and can help you to pinpoint where changes might occur.

Easy to operate

Thanks to the custom-made pinch-to-open cuff you can achieve a comfortable fit of the cuff easily, just clip to your upper arm, close with the velcro fastening and press the heart button on the monitor to begin soft inflation of the cuff.

What we hope to achieve with the Braun ActivScan 9

If you have been reading Mummy Matters for a while you may remember that last year Simon took part in the Solstice 100 Mountain Bike Sportive to raise awareness and sponsorship for Parkinson’s UK after his father was diagnosed with Parkinsons with Lewy Body Disease. Despite doing lots of regular training and completing the 117 mile bike ride on and off road feeling fit and strong, he had a health scare just a few months later whilst out on his bike. Just 3-4 miles into a bike ride off road, his heart went into an irregular rhythm, his chest went tight, he became dizzy and felt sick. He was quickly taken to hospital by work colleagues and spent the rest of the day being monitored. To say that it scared us was an understatement but I’m pleased to say that following extensive invesitagations by the Consultant at the hospital over the following months it was decided that he was fit and well but he could have had a virus which made his body react badly pushing his blood pressure up and his heart to play up.

Obviously, this will always be at the back of our minds and since using the blood pressure monitor at home, we have found that Simon’s blood pressure fluctuates daily so we are hoping that over time with consistent monitoring along with his lifestyle we can see what effects exercise, diet, mood and sleep make on the health of his heart so that we can keep him healthier for longer.

With regards to myself, I am just hoping that I can keep my blood pressure at the healthy rate is appears to be now.

Come Back Soon

We are going to be monitoring ourselves daily over the next two weeks and will come back to you with our findings.