What to Do After Getting a Hypertension Alert From Your Smartwatch

For years, smartwatches have helped us monitor our health. From tracking how many steps we take each day to measuring our heart rate, our watches have helped us stay healthy.

More recently, many smartwatches can measure our blood pressure, letting the user take a reading as and when they need to. But now, thanks to FDA approval, users can receive a notification if their smartwatch detects signs of hypertension. 

This guide from Beurer North America explains how this feature works and what you should do if you receive a hypertension notification.

What Is Hypertension?

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, occurs when your blood vessels experience too much pressure. Blood pressure readings take two measurements into account — the pressure on your blood vessels as your heart beats (systolic blood pressure), and then when your heart is relaxed (diastolic blood pressure). 

Blood pressure measurements are given as “systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure.” To be diagnosed with hypertension in the U.S., a reading of 130/80 mmHg must be measured on two separate days. 

Hypertension is a common condition that affects over 1.4 billion people aged 30-79 around the world. While it is manageable, high blood pressure can be dangerous or fatal if left untreated. Many people are unaware that they have hypertension, which is why it can often go unaddressed. 

How to Know if You Have Hypertension

Hypertension can affect anyone, although some factors increase your likelihood:

• Age: As you age, your blood vessels will stiffen and thicken, increasing the risk of hypertension.
• Genetics: Hypertension can run in families, as some genes can increase the risk of the illness.
• Weight: People who are overweight or obese are more likely to experience hypertension.
• Diet: Regular alcohol and caffeine consumption and high-salt diets can increase the risk of hypertension.
• Lifestyle: People who aren't physically active, are regularly stressed or experience poor sleep quality are more likely to develop high blood pressure.

The only sure way to know if you have hypertension is to take a reading with a blood pressure cuff. If you have extremely high blood pressure readings of around 180/120 or higher, you may experience symptoms of hypertension, which include chest pain, severe headaches and difficulty breathing.

However, people with hypertension below these levels often don't exhibit any symptoms. Until recently, you would have to be conscious of the risk factors and symptoms or take your blood pressure to learn that you may have hypertension.

But now, your smartwatch might be able to give you an early warning that you have hypertension. 

Which Smartwatches Send Hypertension Notifications?

Currently, the Apple Watch is the only smartwatch that can provide hypertension notifications. Following FDA approval, Apple first launched its hypertension notification feature in September 2025. It's now available in over 150 countries.

However, only some Apple Watches can use this function. Hypertension notifications are available on:

• Apple Watch Series 9.
• Apple Watch Series 10.
• Apple Watch Series 11.
• Apple Watch Ultra 2.
• Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Users will also need to ensure their Apple Watch has the latest version of watchOS installed for this feature to work. They'll also need an iPhone 11 or newer model with the latest version of iOS installed on it. Finally, the user must be at least 22 years old, not pregnant and not diagnosed with hypertension.

Other smartwatches can measure your blood pressure, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and the Huawei Watch D2. However, these watches can't send hypertension notifications. 

What You Should Do if You Get a Hypertension Notification

Apple expects over 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension to receive a hypertension notification within the first year. So, many people will likely wonder what to do when they receive this notification.

1. Keep Calm

The first thing you should do when you receive a hypertension notification is stay calm. Just because you've received a notification, it doesn't guarantee that you have high blood pressure.

2. Check and Monitor Your Blood Pressure

Your next step should be to use a medically certified, FDA-approved blood pressure monitor to check your blood pressure. These devices are more accurate and can provide real measurements when you need them. Monitor your blood pressure using this device for the next week, and consult your doctor if it reads as high. If it reads as low, mention the notification to your doctor at your next checkup so they can perform any additional tests they might deem necessary.

3. Make Lifestyle Adjustments as Needed

If you do have high blood pressure, you might try making some lifestyle changes to reduce it, such as eating a low-sodium diet, exercising more regularly and cutting alcohol and caffeine. You should also try to get a good night's sleep every night and avoid stressful situations as much as possible. Your doctor can advise you on specific dietary, exercise and other lifestyle adjustments, or they might prescribe a blood pressure medication if necessary.

How to Accurately Log and Track Blood Pressure

If you receive a hypertension notification and want to track your blood pressure for the next week, it's important to make sure you measure and monitor it accurately. 

First, you need to choose a medically approved blood pressure monitor that you can use at home. Once you have this, you can take your first blood pressure reading. 

When you take your blood pressure, don't exercise, smoke or drink caffeine for at least 30 minutes beforehand. You should empty your bladder, too. Place the cuff over your upper arm, ensuring there's no clothing between the cuff and your arm. Sit upright with your feet flat on the floor and your cuffed arm resting on a flat surface at heart level. 

Follow your monitor's instructions to take a reading, and make a note of the results. Wait a minute, and then take a second reading and note this down, too. Your blood pressure monitor may have a memory tracker, but it's always useful to also make a note on paper or on your phone. 

Take and record measurements at the same time each day for the next seven days.

How to Turn on Hypertension Notifications

Hypertension notifications may not be automatically enabled on your Apple Watch. To enable them, just follow these steps:

1. On your iPhone, open the Health app.
2. Tap the profile icon.
3. Under “Features,” tap “Health Checklist.”
4. Tap "Hypertension Notifications".
5. Confirm your age and whether you’ve ever been diagnosed with hypertension, then tap “Continue.”
6. Tap “Next” on each prompt to learn how the notifications work.
7. Tap "Done" to finish setting up notifications.

You also need to ensure that Wrist Detection is turned on for this feature to work.

Concerns With Hypertension Notifications

Smartwatch hypertension notifications have the potential to warn people that they may have hypertension. However, some experts worry about overreliance on this feature. If users rely on their Apple Watch to tell them that they have hypertension, they may build a false sense of security and ignore other warning signs. They may also choose not to check their blood pressure with medically approved devices and instead trust their Apple Watch to monitor their blood pressure.

Apple itself states that not everyone with hypertension will receive a notification, which shows that it's not a foolproof feature. Its accuracy can be lower in particular situations, such as during activity or if the user has certain medical conditions. Sometimes, the device's calibration might just be off. 

Despite this warning, it's still likely that people will rely on it as their sole measure of hypertension.

Another problem is that people can receive a notification even if they don't have hypertension. This can cause undue worry and stress until the user can check in with their doctor or use a medically approved blood pressure monitor.

Finally, the feature can't be used if you're pregnant, as it can't reliably adjust to the physiological changes your body undergoes during pregnancy. However, many people may not realize this and continue to rely on the feature even after they become pregnant. This can lead to either false or missed alerts. 

How Does a Smartwatch Check Hypertension?

Apple Watches have been able to track heart rate for many years by using an optical heart sensor. As your heart beats, the watch uses light to measure changes to your blood vessels. It then calculates your blood pressure by analyzing photoplethysmography (PPG) signals. 

Users can't spot-check this feature. Instead, it works in the background and assesses your blood pressure over a rolling 30-day period. When it detects consistently high levels of blood pressure, it will send you an alert.

It's important to note that this feature isn't intended to replace cuff-based blood pressure readings. Rather than being a diagnostic tool, the Apple Watch's hypertension detection tool is designed to be an additional check, which may inform the user that their blood pressure could be high. Apple explicitly says that users should verify the alert with a third-party medical device.

Why Does Early Hypertension Detection Matter?

Like many medical conditions, it's much better to know sooner rather than later if you do have hypertension.

Organ Damage Prevention

Since hypertension affects your blood vessels and your heart's ability to pump blood around your body, it can affect many of your organs, including your:

• Heart: Hypertension can cause coronary heart disease, heart failure, metabolic syndrome and an enlarged left heart.
• Brain: Dementia, strokes, cognitive impairment and transient ischemic attacks have all been associated with hypertension.
• Kidneys: If hypertension damages your blood vessels, it can lead to kidney failure, and can be made worse by diabetes.
• Eyes: Hypertension can cause retinopathy, choroidopathy and optic neuropathy, all of which can damage vision.

Not everyone who has hypertension will develop these illnesses. However, if left untreated, all of these complications are possible. By detecting and treating hypertension early, you can greatly reduce the chances of them happening. 

Improved Quality of Life

People with hypertension can develop complications that might impact their daily lives. Beyond the serious effects due to organ damage, hypertension can cause many physical side effects, such as fatigue and reduced stamina.

Hypertension can affect your mental health, too. While stress can be a contributing factor to hypertension, high blood pressure can increase anxiety and stress in turn. 

Catching hypertension early can put your mind at ease and minimize its impact on your daily life.

Extended Lifespan

Known as “the silent killer” since it's often asymptomatic, hypertension causes millions of fatalities each year, many of whom are unaware that they even have the condition. Lower systolic blood pressure in middle-aged individuals could contribute to a lifespan over four years longer than those who have higher blood pressure. 

By catching hypertension early, you give yourself the opportunity to take action. 

Reduced Medical Costs

In 2019, hypertension cost the U.S. around $219 billion. That same year, people with hypertension had medical expenses that were $2,759 higher than those of people without hypertension. 

One of the main causes of this cost increase isn't the treatment of hypertension itself, but the treatment of the complications it causes. That's why diagnosing hypertension early and managing it can decrease health care costs. It's estimated that self-measured blood pressure monitoring programs could reduce health care costs by $7,794 per person over the age of 20. 

When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention for Hypertension

Hypertension usually affects you slowly over a long period of time. However, your blood pressure can occasionally spike quickly, and if it rises too much, you may need to seek immediate medical attention. 

A rapid and dangerous increase in blood pressure could cause:

• A heart attack.
• Chest pain.
• Blindness.
• Memory loss or confusion.
• A stroke.
• Shortness of breath.
• Loss of consciousness.

If you experience any of these symptoms as a result of high blood pressure, you'll need immediate medical attention. 

Next Steps After You Receive a Hypertension Notification

Hypertension notifications have the potential to alert millions of people to the possibility of hypertension. While this technology isn't perfect or designed to replace medically approved blood pressure cuffs, it could save lives, cut health care costs and lead to a healthier lifestyle for many people around the world. 

If you receive a hypertension notification, remember to stay calm, check your blood pressure with a medically approved blood pressure monitor and check it every day for seven days. If it measures as high, speak to your doctor.