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Many more people are becoming aware of the issues relating to high blood pressure. They realize that blood pressure, if elevated for a prolonged time, can lead to serious health problems. This is one of the reasons the market for home blood pressure equipment for regularly monitoring blood pressure levels is steadily increasing.

The most common type of blood pressure monitor is known as the sphygmomanometer, which comes in three different versions; the mercury sphygmomanometer, the aneroid and the automatic machine.

The sales of the automatic machines have increased considerably over the last decade, and there seems to be a preference for this design. In this article we will take a closer look at the automatic machine both what it is as well as the pros and cons of using one.

Generally, the automatic blood pressure readers have all the components found in the mercury sphygmomanometer, but all built into one complete unit. This allows for the unit to be stored almost anywhere, and the user does not necessarily need to be as adept to use the machine, as there is not separate stethoscopes and gauge to contend with. The simplicity of the design and the simple digital read out means there is less chance of user error being made and it is good for people who are either a hard of hearing or a sight impediment.

Another plus point about the automatic blood pressure monitors is that they are compact enough to be portable, and do not contain toxic chemicals that are harder to transport, especially if flying internationally.

They come with a D cuff, which means you can easily place it around your arm or wrist using your other hand. Although you may have to inflate the d cuff yourself, there are some models that actually come with an automatic inflation and deflation mechanism.

They all seem to have large digital display as well as error indicator to tell the user if they have not put the D cuff on properly or the cuff is not correctly inflated. As well as all these features many automatic machines will provide you with a print out of the reading and have a built in heart rate mechanism that measures your pulse. These print outs can be used to compare progress or to take to your doctor if there are concerns.

There are only a few disadvantages associated with this particular piece of blood pressure equipment and these are as follows: -

1. The mechanism contained within the monitor is *complex*, quite fragile and very sensitive. Therefore it is important to regularly check the reading that the machine is providing against a blood pressure monitor that is known to be accurate, like one at your doctors surgery.

2. Unfortunately, as most of the people who use this equipment at home are not trained to read blood pressure, they may provide an inaccurate reading due to user error or movement.

3. Finally with this particular piece of blood pressure equipment you need to ensure that the D cuff has been placed in the correct position on the arm. This is especially important if the one you have has a wrist cuff rather than an arm cuff. There are specific models, which you can only use on either the left or right arm and getting a larger size cuff may also be difficult to obtain if they are required.

However, the benefits of an automated machine seem to outweigh the argument against. Of all the blood pressure equipment that can be used at home, the automated machines that are available offer a good solution.