Oura Ring
My Oura ring offers clear insights that take a lot of the guesswork out of what’s working for me (and what’s not). It helps me see the connection between my day-to-day activities and my sleep quality, heart rate variability (an indirect measure of well-being), and more. I don’t just think that ten minutes of stretching and breathwork in the morning will improve my nighttime heart rate variability, I know it.
I also know that eating popcorn will tank it (but popped sorghum won’t).
I also use it to track and predict my monthly cycle.
Thanks to all this information, I’ve been able to make informed decisions that have significantly improved my sleep, hormone function, stress resilience and more.
In fact, when I realized how much valuable information I was getting from my Oura ring, I bought one for my husband and eventually my teenage daughter.
To read more about its pros and cons, check out this article.
Scroll down more reasons I love it.
Description
Accuracy – According to Marco Altini, the Oura ring’s readings were nearly identical to the EKG data that was taken simultaneously. I personally have found it to be very reliable in detecting elevations in my temp (both due to fever and natural hormonal shifts throughout my cycle), higher HRV after I initiated focused efforts to increase it, lower HRV when I let self-care slide, etc.
Full Night Measuring – Some devices “sample” heart rate variability one or more times per night, which doesn’t offer an accurate picture. That’s because HRV goes up and down based on sleep stage, so you need to track the whole night to get an accurate reading. The other option is to measure first thing in the morning before any activity. Oura uses a full night of data to calculate HRV, not just a few samples.
Comfort – Unlike wrist strap devices that have to be worn tightly in order to get an accurate reading, the Oura ring is able to take highly accurate readings without being pressed against the skin. The difference comes down to the light is uses to detect HRV – most devices use green LED light, but the Oura uses infrared.
Durability – Oura rings are water resistant up to 100 meters (about 330 feet), which means you can shower, wash dishes and snorkel while wearing it. It’s also relatively resistant to heat and cold. According to Oura, hot tubs, saunas, ice baths, and cryotherapy tanks are all safe. Oura’s operating temperature ranges from (-10)°C – 52°C / 14°F – 125°F. My sauna gets hotter than 125F so I take my ring off before I get in.
Airplane Mode – I try to avoid EMF exposure whenever possible, which is why my house doesn’t have wifi and I use an EMF shielding case on my phone. All HRV wearables communicate the data they collect to your phone via bluetooth or wifi, but only a few have the option to switch into airplane mode to eliminate EMFs.
With Oura, I’m able to place my ring on its charger to automatically activate bluetooth. From there, I open my phone and let the ring sync the data, then I turn the ring back into airplane mode using the app before I put it back on. The whole process takes a maximum of two minutes a day, and my ring never emits bluetooth when I’m wearing it.
