The Five Best Respiratory Rate Monitoring Devices
When you have certain health problems, your doctor might recommend that you get a respiratory rate monitor that you can use in your home. Much like blood pressure monitors and even heart rate monitors, these are easy to use devices that don’t require someone to get medical training in order to use them successfully. The best part is that you can use them in your own home and they’re designed to alert you if there is a potential problem. It also provides valuable information that you can bring to your next doctor’s visit. The question is, how do you know that you’re getting a high-quality machine as opposed to spending a ton of money on something that may not be able to provide you with the information that you truly need? Fortunately, you can get a number of high-quality machines that do the job well. You just have to know which ones to look for. Below are five of the best respiratory rate monitors available, ranked from number five to number one.
5. EMAY Sleep Oxygen Monitor with App for iPhone and Android ($59.00)
As mentioned in the description, this particular machine uses an app that can be tailored to work well with either an iPhone or an Android device. That means that as a customer, you have the greatest amount of flexibility when it comes to deciding exactly how you want to use this particular machine. All you have to do is attach the monitor to your finger and make sure that it’s hooked up to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The monitor will then measure your oxygen level while you’re sleeping, along with your heart rate. It’s even capable of printing out a professional-looking report that you can then take to your doctor in order to better track your health. It’s also capable of storing up to 40 hours worth of information, making it truly valuable for anyone who is struggling with a health condition that may not be readily apparent to their physician through a regular visit. It operates on two AA batteries and couldn’t be any easier to use, even if you’ve never used anything like this before.
4. EMAY Sleep O2 Pro ($199.00)
There are a lot of things that this machine can do where others come up short. For starters, It takes measurements easily and accurately by simply wearing a monitor on your wrist. That monitor is designed to track your oxygen saturation levels, your rate of respiration and your heart rate continuously. Over time, it also produces information about how much oxygen your are taking in on a regular basis, especially when you’re sleeping. All of this is filtered into a display that looks very much like the type of medical grade equipment that you would see in hospitals which clearly gives you a readout regarding these crucial numbers. You can also print out the information so that you can either take it to your doctor or you can even send it to them via email or Bluetooth. The machine can also deliver oxygen when needed as long as it’s hooked up to an oxygen tank. You simply wear the cannula in your nose and if it senses that you’re having a problem, it will automatically allow that system to kick in so that you have the supplemental oxygen you need when you need it most.
3. Tomorotec M130 Pulse Oximeter ($28.98)
It really couldn’t be any easier than using this device. The battery-powered device simply clips on your finger. Sit still with it for about a minute and get readings about your respiratory rate and heart rate. It also measures the amount of oxygen in your blood, a crucial element when it comes to determining your overall health. This particular unit will also alert you if it detects an irregular heartbeat and it will let you know if your values are within a normal range or if there is a potential issue that you need to have checked out right away. When it comes to ease-of-use, reliability and affordability, it’s hard to beat this one. In addition, it is small enough that you can carry it with you wherever you go.
2. Masimo MightySat Rx with Bluetooth ($319.99)
This is a medical quality device that is extremely small and can be worn on your finger. It’s also Bluetooth enabled so you can immediately transmit the information to your doctor if the need arises. It’s a simple battery operated device which is designed to accurately measure your respiratory rate, the amount of oxygen that is in your blood at any given time and your pulse rate. It’s made by one of the most trusted companies in the business and it’s a device that is capable of maintaining its level of accuracy even after it’s been in use for a significant amount of time, something that a lot of devices designed for home use are incapable of doing.
1. Facelake FSP20 Spirometer ($199.95)
This device is unique in the sense that it doesn’t measure your respiratory rate in the same way that the other devices described here do. This particular device is designed to be held in your hands while you blow into it for roughly five seconds. The idea is to blow into it as hard as you can so that it can get an accurate measurement of your lung capacity. If you’re having breathing issues, this piece of information will go a long way toward telling doctors where that problem is originating. In other words, is it occurring as a direct result of a lung problem or are you having a cardiac issue that’s making it difficult to breathe? It’s important to remember that in some cases, difficulty breathing occurs as a direct result of not having enough red blood cells in your blood, as they are the cells that transport oxygen. It’s only when doctors get to the root of the problem that they can address it. That makes this particular machine invaluable because it can help doctors determine whether or not your lungs are functioning properly, information that they will use in conjunction with your respiratory rate to determine exactly what is happening in your body.