'£19 blood pressure monitor I bought after GP advice and it matches their readings'

Keeping tabs on blood pressure is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Things like diet, exercise, alcohol, tobacco use, stress and sleep can all contribute to abnormal blood pressure levels, and it's important to keep it in check to manage overall health, but that often means a trip to the GP or nurse.

Shoppers can buy a blood pressure monitor for use at home, cutting out the middle-man and allowing them to keep tabs on their blood pressure and only needing to head down to the doctors' if something is wrong, or they'd like reassurance.

On Amazon, the is currently £19.72, down 14% from £22.99, and enables buyers to track their blood pressure from the comfort of their own home. The professional and reliable monitor uses an upper arm cuff to check blood pressure, and is recommended by doctors for home healthcare.

The blood pressure monitor can save two user profiles, remembering each user's own measurement records and displaying the average of the last three readings to make it easier to keep track of what's going on. The large cuff fits most body types, and has strong velcro to keep it secure while the reading is being taken.

To use the blood pressure monitor, simply wrap the cuff around the upper arm, sit down comfortably, and get the readings on the monitor's LCD screen with the touch of a button. Displayed measurements include systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, pulse rate, date, time, and user ID.

If shoppers aren't sold on this blood pressure monitor, there's a similar model available for £25 at Argos. The Kinetik Wellbeing Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor has irregular heartbeat detection and a Universal Cuff that should fit most users, and is sold in association with St John Ambulance. Those who want to keep tabs on their blood pressure 24/7 could try the which is £209.99 directly from the brand. The lightweight wristband is designed to be worn all day and night, and measures blood pressure up to 25 times a day with results tracked in the associated app.

However, the CAZON blood pressure monitor has great reviews on Amazon with a 4.5-star average rating. One shopper said: "Tested against the GP surgery monitor. It matches their readings," while another wrote: "Easy to use and accurate. I bought this after being advised to keep an eye on my BP at home, and having to fill in a week's worth of readings for a follow up doctors appointment. The cuff is plenty roomy enough, and inflated quickly. These cuff-type machines are never exactly comfortable to use, but it gives me comfort that readings are accurate (consistent with what is taken at the doctor's surgery)."

A third said: "Super fast delivery as stated and fantastic product. Super easy to use. Appears to be accurate with readings and has a very large memory function. The sleeve is comfortable and just everything I needed and more."

However, some noted some discrepancies with readings: "This is a useful bit of kit - easily set up and with a USB connector that I can plug into my laptop. However, I get different readings (sometimes wildly different) every time I use it... even within minutes of the last reading (eg 165/145 and 5 minutes later 116/83). I would recommend taking at least 2 readings back-to-back just to be sure, if your BP is a cause for concern."

Another added: "Not sure I'd rely on this for medical checks as it gave sporadic results.Gave it the benefit of the doubt but thought it better to return it and see the doctor more often, might have been faulty, but I returned it just in case... easy to use though."

However, for an easy-to-use blood pressure monitor that lets users keep tabs on their health at home, the is worth a look.