00:00Blood pressure tracking is one of the most requested Apple Watch features possibly ever.
00:05And while the Apple Watch can't measure blood pressure directly yet, Apple introduced hypertension
00:10notifications with WatchOS 26 alongside the Apple Watch Series 11.
00:15In this episode of Setup Essentials, I'll explain how Apple Watch hypertension notifications
00:20for high blood pressure work, how to set them up, and how to make sure you're using this
00:25health feature correctly.
00:26So make sure you watch until the end.
00:32I think it's important to start with the definition of what hypertension notifications
00:36are and what they aren't so you guys have the right understanding of this Apple Watch feature.
00:42Directly from Apple, quote, hypertension is an ongoing condition that can cause damage to
00:47your heart, blood vessels, and other organs.
00:50Your Apple Watch can analyze data collected by the optical heart sensor and notify you
00:55if it detects a pattern of hypertension, end quote.
00:57And hypertension is basically the medical term for high blood pressure.
01:02So the Apple Watch is not a blood pressure monitor and it is not intended to diagnose or
01:08treat high blood pressure.
01:09Same goes for any related conditions like blood clots or strokes.
01:14Rather, based on patterns in the data the Apple Watch does collect, it can make educated
01:19guesses on whether you might have possible hypertension.
01:22The language here is really important.
01:24Possible hypertension.
01:26So again, the Apple Watch is not a blood pressure monitor.
01:30Sorry to repeat myself, I just think it's important to make this super clear.
01:34And more than that, this kind of blood pressure feature isn't like heart rate monitor where
01:39you can just get on-demand readings.
01:40In fact, you can't actually get any readings.
01:44For that, you need an actual blood pressure monitor.
01:46I'll link one in the description of this video that you can use at home.
01:50But guys, it's really important that you speak to your healthcare professional about
01:54any symptoms or guidance related to blood pressure monitoring.
01:58Now that I've gotten most of the disclaimers out of the way, let's get into actually using
02:03the hypertension notification feature on your Apple Watch.
02:07First, you'll need to check that you have an Apple Watch that supports this feature.
02:11Because unfortunately, it doesn't work with every model.
02:14It was released alongside the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3.
02:19But with the watchOS 26 update, the Apple Watch Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2 also
02:25got hypertension alerts.
02:27That's because Apple last updated the watch's health sensor with the Series 9, so anything
02:32newer uses the same health tracking hardware.
02:35If you're not sure what Apple Watch you have, you can actually check just on the underside
02:39of the watch.
02:40It's labeled, but you can also check in your watch app under About in General Settings.
02:46And if you're realizing your watch is not compatible, we got you covered to upgrade with links to
02:51the best Apple Watch deals right now in the description.
02:54Now that you know hypertension notifications are available for your Apple Watch, here's how
02:59to set up hypertension notifications for high blood pressure on your Apple Watch.
03:03On your iPhone, open up the Health app, tap your profile icon on the upper right corner,
03:11go to Health Checklist under the Features section, tap Hypertension Notifications.
03:16Confirm your age and if you've ever been diagnosed with hypertension, then go ahead and tap Continue.
03:22Tap Next to follow the on-screen prompts to learn how the notifications work.
03:26And finally, tap Done.
03:28Your Apple Watch will now, over the next 30 days, watch for patterns in your health data
03:33consistent with symptoms of hypertension.
03:35Let's talk about what happens if your Apple Watch sends you a hypertension notification,
03:39and more importantly, what you should do next.
03:42According to Apple, if you receive the alert of possible hypertension, it means your Apple Watch
03:47has identified a pattern over the 30-day period that may be consistent with hypertension.
03:52This is not an emergency alert, and it's not telling you that something is immediately wrong.
03:58Apple recommends that you take note of how you're feeling and review the notification details
04:03in the Health app.
04:04From there, the best thing you can do is talk to a healthcare professional.
04:08You can share your health data directly with them from the Health app, though you should be
04:13prepared to discuss lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, exercise, alcohol intake, and diet,
04:19since all of these can influence blood pressure over time.
04:22Apple is very clear that this tool is meant to support conversations with your doctor, not replace them.
04:28So always rely on medical advice if you have concerns or symptoms.
04:32So that's really all there is to the hypertension notification feature on Apple Watch.
04:36But using Apple Health, you can track your blood pressure with an at-home blood pressure cuff,
04:41should you want to or be asked to by a healthcare provider.
04:44Open the Health app, tap Search, then tap Heart.
04:51Under Blood Pressure Log, tap Get Started.
04:55Follow the on-screen prompts to indicate you have access to a blood pressure cuff.
05:01Select your reason for logging your blood pressure, then tap Next.
05:06You can even schedule a reminder notification to take your blood pressure if you'd like.
05:12Over time, these entries create a detailed log you can review directly in the Health app or share with your
05:18healthcare provider.
05:20Within the same Health app, tap Search, then tap Heart.
05:24Tap Blood Pressure, then tap Add a Measurement.
05:28Enter the date, time, systolic, and diastolic, then tap Add.
05:33Searching blood pressure also will bring up your log if you want to review it at any time or use
05:38it to share information with your doctor.
05:40And just like the hypertension notification,
05:43Apple is clear that the Health app's blood pressure log is meant to support conversations with your doctor,
05:49not replace professional medical care.
05:52Hypertension notifications are a great addition to the Apple Watch's collection of health features.
05:57It gives some peace of mind to know that your watch is paying attention in the background to what's going
06:02on with your body.
06:04It's one of those features that never hurts to have enabled, but could have a major impact if it catches
06:10something you didn't know about.
06:11I hope you all found this video helpful, and I encourage you to check out our other Setup Essentials in
06:17the playlist while you're here.
06:19As always, leave a like and subscribe to keep up to make sure you don't miss the next episode.
06:24And until next time, I'm Phil Rodriguez, this is Tom's Guide, and I will see you in the next video.
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