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If you are suffering from high blood pressure, or hypertension, it might be an idea for you to have a personal blood pressure monitor at home.

Otherwise, you can always go to Walgreens or Sam's Club, or any other pharmacies where automatic blood pressure machines are available in order that you can customers who want to check their own blood pressure.

These are usually fairly accurate, but your blood pressure may be to some extent higher than it would be if you were checking it at home. It's really only what you should expect -- if you're out shopping, dealing with the issues of driving, parking, finding the items you want, checking out, etc, your blood pressure is probably going to be a little higher, and it is just normal for it to fluctuate to some extent in the course of the day.

But stress has a notable effect on blood pressure, which is one reason why you might want to consider having a personal blood pressure monitor at home, in order that you can keep an eye on your blood pressure at times when you are not influenced by the activity going on in the world outside your home.

There are a good number of different types of blood pressure monitors available for home use, and these can be purchased in most pharmacies, and also on the internet.

Prices can vary, also, starting as low as $25 and going all the way up to $300 and more, depending on the features of the unit, and whether it is battery operated, electric, or manual.

Blood pressure monitors come in several types, which can check blood pressure by using the wrist, arm or finger. Some of them inflate automatically and others must be manually inflated with the attached bulb. Larger sized cuffs are also available if needed, and most if not all blood pressure monitors will tell the individual their pulse as well as a blood pressure reading.

Also, some blood pressure monitors will also warn the user of an irregular heartbeat, issue a warning if a low or high reading is detected, and will also supply an average of three readings. Most blood pressure monitors also come with a carrying case, batteries, and forms to record your readings. More expensive models have more features, more than one size cuff, extra bulbs, and various other extras.

Additional bells and whistles are probably not required, and a basic unit such as that curently available from Walgreens for $35 will serve your purpose just fine. Most blood pressure monitors offer a warranty card you can send in, along with an address you can send it to if you have any problems. But if you're buying an inexpensive unit, it may be a better approach to just buy another unit, avoiding the expense -- as well as the time and trouble -- involved in returning a faulty unit.

However you decide to proceed, a home blood pressure monitor could be a real life saver. Bearing in mind that hypertension is known as the silent killer, an early alert of trouble ahead might literally save your life.