Aktiia Bracelet Review: An effective wearable blood pressure monitor
Product Review
I have been asked to test and review the Aktiia wearable blood pressure monitor, which coincidentally coincided with my recent concerns about developing high blood pressure.
I have a family history of heart disease and high blood pressure, and it is always at the back of my mind. My mother had a heart-valve replacement in her 60s and had high blood pressure for much of her life, and sadly her father died at the age of 58 from a heart attack. My brother also had a coronary artery bypass in his late 50s.
High blood pressure is known as the silent killer and anything that helps to manage hypertension and prevent stroke and a heart attack is a giant step in the right direction.
This wearable device is designed to do one thing, which is to continually monitor your blood pressure. Tracking it day and night with a discreet, lightweight wristband, it aims to reduce chronic disease by monitoring your blood pressure.
What is Aktiia?
Aktiia is a health-tracking device that provides continuous monitoring of key health parameters, empowering individuals to take control of their well-being and make proactive lifestyle choices. With its simplicity and effectiveness, Aktiia offers actionable insights to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and improve overall health.
Aktiia is a wearable lightweight bracelet that is designed to continuously monitor blood pressure 24 hours a day without the need for prolonged use of a traditional cuff.
Aktiia feels like a very robust and well-made device and opening the box felt like opening an Apple product – very slick and intuitive and top quality!
What’s in the box?
- The Aktiia bracelet
- A charging station and charging cable
- An Aktiia initialization cuff and its charging cable
- User manuals
Before I could set up the items, I had to download the Aktiia App from the App Store, which was very easy to do, thus linking the bracelet to my mobile phone.
Setting up the bracelet was straightforward. First, I had to do three blood pressure readings with the provided Aktiia cuff on my opposite arm and then I was ready to go. When the initiation process was completed, the app also informed me when I needed to repeat this on a monthly basis to ensure all was accurate and up to date.
How does it work?
The bracelet uses optical sensors and PPG technology to measure blood pressure continuously throughout the day and night. The data is then transferred to a secure cloud server through the Aktiia App, where Aktiia’s algorithms estimate your blood pressure using advanced processing of the optical data. It will provide blood pressure measurements when the user is still. You will be shown one average measurement every 2 hours on the graph.
Benefits
- One of the main benefits of this device is that it provides continuous monitoring of Blood Pressure (BP), which can help detect changes in BP that may not be detected by intermittent cuff-based monitoring. This can be particularly useful for people with hypertension or other conditions (including white coat syndrome) that require regular BP monitoring.
- The bracelet measures blood pressure day and night, providing an abundance of data.
- It is non-invasive and does not require frequent cuff inflation, which can be uncomfortable for some people.
- There is a medication reminder so you can be sure to remember to take your tablets at a set time each day.
- It is a great way to keep your heart health at the forefront of your mind.
I have been wearing the bracelet now for four weeks, and combined with my recent prescription for Calcium channel blockers which are medications used to lower blood pressure, I feel much more in tune with my blood pressure levels, and more confident that I am in control.
Questions raised
- Not quite sure how the algorithm works as it doesn’t take into account if you are being active/exercising – it averages out your blood pressure over a 24-hour period, so I am unsure how to accurately interpret the data.
- It’s not waterproof – not sure why as you have to remember to take it off and put it back on after showering or swimming.
- You can download a PDF report with data and graphs – this is very nice to have but do I really need all this data?
- At £199 it is an expensive piece of equipment, but then can you put a price on your health?
In conclusion…
Aktiia is a powerful tool that allows individuals to take control of their health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and enhance their overall well-being.
I have always had the view that we are responsible for our own health, as we know how we feel and this device encourages and embraces proactive health monitoring allowing lifestyle changes through the simplicity and effectiveness of Aktiia.
In current times, when seeing a GP is not always easy, I think it’s very important for me to keep track of my health and Aktiia app made it easy to track, monitor and share the information with my GP, if needed.
For more information visit Aktiia here
SPECIAL OFFER
10% discount on all Aktiia products. Visit Aktiia here
This offer is valid until January 31st, 2024.
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