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Apple Watch's New Hypertension Notifications Feature is Now Available
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I would imagine we will get better sensors for blood pressure for the S12 or S13 more advanced than capillary monitoring. Hopefully some better thermostat sensors too.
I’ve had this too! They call it White Coat syndrome I believe.
One time I was at the doctor for a check up when I was a little shook up after an incident. He took my blood pressure, said ‘Woah’ and looked worried, then he took it again and it was even higher so he told me to go rest and come back for a follow up a week later.
So the next week I was back in with another much older doctor feeling worried. I fill him in about my previous visit, then he took my pressure and said ‘That looks fine but I’ll take it again to be sure’.
He took it twice more whilst chatting **** and putting me at ease. Only then did he tell me that the first time it was actually a little bit high but by the third time it had come down into a normal range and I’m fine. I had no idea it could change that quickly.
So I like how this new feature monitors us over a month before sending off to get checked, but equally if and when it comes back to tell me that I do have high blood pressure I am gonna freak out a bit lol
I confirm availability in CH on Apple Watch series 9 paired with iPhone 16pro. Let’s see how it works…
I am curious if it has been tracking this since the beta has been active since this is just talking about "notifications" being turned on vs actual tracking. I suspect tracking hasn't been active either and this is just poorly worded, but who knows. Good to have it available either way.
It's in the health app under "hypertension notifications"
Doctors don't agree on what is really hypertension. Hypertension is, for a lot of people, a diagnoses which has the primary purpose of selling drugs. I'm sure, based on the lies told during covid by the FDA, that this approval by the FDA was only done because it errors on the "Yep, you have hypertension" side. I would never trust this.
I get that - but - dumb of them to not allow you to even turn it on if you say you have high BP. For someone like me, I no longer have it due to meds and a lot of weight loss many years back, however, it's still nice to know if symptoms occur. Of course I just said no to the question so it allows me to leave it turned on......
The reasoning likely goes: “Since you have been diagnosed, further detection via this device which is checking data over a 30 day period is going to be far less reliable than you checking your own blood pressure on a regular basis.”
Congratulations on doing what you did, btw! I’m really glad you’re in a healthier state.
I may have hypertension (top number was high at my yearly physical two weeks ago) and I’m going back to the doctor in four weeks from tomorrow for a recheck to see how things are. May be on meds myself soon! I turned detection on since I haven’t TECHNICALLY been diagnosed yet and I’ll leave it on if I am anyway just to see the results.
Does anyone know if this will take an additional 30 days for the first notification, or will it be using retrospectively obtained data? Would be nice, but obviously not necessary, if the data has already been obtained to alert us, but it just needs to use the new algorithm.
Yes, if you have recently been diagnosed then you should presumably be using accurate BP measurement devices (since you might be given a false negative from the AW, and might then avoid seeking medical attention). If you had a historic diagnosis or don't regularly monitor your blood pressure using a medically approved device, then it makes sense to enable the feature. IMO, the medical profession really does need to rethink this - lives are potentially saved by the use of personal devices to supplement medically approved onesThe reasoning likely goes: “Since you have been diagnosed, further detection via this device which is checking data over a 30 day period is going to be far less reliable than you checking your own blood pressure on a regular basis.”
Congratulations on doing what you did, btw! I’m really glad you’re in a healthier state.
I may have hypertension (top number was high at my yearly physical two weeks ago) and I’m going back to the doctor in four weeks from tomorrow for a recheck to see how things are. May be on meds myself soon! I turned detection on since I haven’t TECHNICALLY been diagnosed yet and I’ll leave it on if I am anyway just to see the results.
Keep an eye on this. This is how my hypertension started initially!
i would only say, don't blow this off as "just in the doctor's office" thing. it actually reflects how your body reacts to stressful situations, and if you are in a lot of stress at work for instance on a daily basis, you might be running high BPs all the time.
my BP would be "fine" at home and elevated at the doctor's office. but then i lost 40 pounds and came to realize that my home BPs were much lower afterward and my BPs were no longer as elevated at the doctors office. so it definitely helps to lower your BP even if you think this is just happening at the doctor.