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Garmin Index BPM announced: Blood pressure monitoring finally arrives in Garmin Connect
The Index BPM is easy to use with a visible display for instant readings
The Garmin Enduro 2 is my favorite Garmin sports watch and checks every box I could want in a watch. For years I have been asking for Garmin to include blood pressure as a metric in its ecosystem since it is a key element in tracking overall health. This became a bit more important for me this year when I started a low dose medication to control my blood pressure level.
Review: Garmin's Enduro 2 is the ultra sports watch to beat
Garmin just announced the Index BPM smart blood pressure monitor and as soon as I received the announcement email I placed an order for one of the monitors. I've been using an excellent Withings BP monitor, but since I am so embedded into the Garmin ecosystem I wanted to either include my Withings readings or have Garmin launch its own so I almost feel like this was made to answer my request.
The Garmin Index BPM smart blood pressure monitor is available now for $149.99. It is an FDA-cleared monitor that can be purchased using FSA or HSA funds. While the optimal experience is to have your readings integrated into Garmin Connect, you can also use it as a stand-alone device with its integrated display showing the user the measurements.
The monitor has integrated Wi-Fi so it can sync to Garmin Connect. Through the smartphone app, or website, users can:
- View measurement history and trends alongside other health stats from Garmin devices.
- Set up reminders to take a blood pressure reading.
- View readings in 7-day, 4-week and 1-year reports. The reports can even be exported as a PDF to be shared with a health care provider.
I try to take my blood pressure a few times a week as I work on losing weight to hopefully get to a point where I no longer need medication. The reminders should hopefully help me to take my blood pressure daily or every other day in order to build up trends that I can then share with my doctor.
Up to nine months of battery life is provided through four AAA batteries, although I would prefer to have a rechargeable battery with USB-C charging port. Arm sizes from 9 to 17 inches in circumference can use the cuff with up to 16 users supported with each blood pressure monitor. I look forward to testing the usability, accuracy, and reporting.