Blood pressure monitors  are an important tool to have at home if you are being treated for hypertension (a.k.a. high blood pressure) especially at the onset of your diagnosis. By monitoring and tracking changes in blood pressure throughout the day and over time at home, you can begin to make more positive alterations in your diet, lifestyle and medication as needed. This simple method of self-diagnosis is often recommended by doctors and can be an accurate method for tracking your progress towards lowering your blood pressure.

Choosing a Monitor
The monitor should be easy to use. The layout and design of the buttons, the display, the arm band adjustment and the readouts should be simple and self-explanatory.
Get the right arm band size. Standard is usually good for most people, but if you have a very large or very small arm then you might need to get a smaller or bigger size. Consult your doctor if you are unsure about which size to select.
Consider whether you want a monitor that can print outyour results for fast and easy recording of your numbers for future reference. Only a few models offer this feature, but for the extra cost, they could prove to be useful for many users. Otherwise, if you don't want to have to write down your results, look for monitors that have an onboard memory capacity. Then you can bring your results with you wherever you go without a hassle and they will always be in a safe place that it easy to find.
Digital Monitors Are Best
There are two main types of blood pressure monitors ; aneroid and digital. For home use digital monitors are the most popular because they are simple and convenient and most are reasonably priced.

Digital monitors are notorious for giving less accurate results when compared to aneroid monitors, the type most often used by health care professionals. Despite that, digital monitors are still the easiest to use and they are accurate enough for casual testing between doctor visits.
The arm cuff inflates automatically without having to inflate it with a bulb.
You don't have to listen with a stethoscope to the heart beats, so it's a great choice for those with hearing difficulties.
Most can record results.
The majority have an error function that lets you know if you should repeat the test.
Some machines talk, which is useful for the visually impaired.
Wrist models, although convenient, are the least accurate and they are not recommended. Manual and automatic arm band models are very similar in design, except that the manual one uses a bulb for inflation. Automatic models are the most accurate of the two and typically outperform manual models, which is why automatic models are the most common for home use.
Digital monitors run on batteries, which means that they must be replaced frequently to keep the unit functioning properly