The Oura ring has been an amazing find and I am sharing all you need to know!
Over the past few years I have been on the hunt for something that could track things like my sleep and activity. I had been hesitant for quite some time to invest in something like this due to EMF’s that I would be exposed to. Not to mention the clunkiness of many of the options out there.
But, I also knew that if I could track these stats, I would be more likely to work on improving them. Well, I have found the answer to my dilemma and am sharing my full Oura Ring Review!
*Affiliate Disclosure: I do have affiliate links in this blog post. If you purchase something from my link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. This comes at no cost to you but is paid by the company. I do not take becoming an affiliate with any company lightly. If I am, it’s because I believe in the company and their product.
What Is An Oura Ring?
The Oura ring is a sleek and lightweight ring that will help you to take your health to the next level.
It comes in 5 colors: silver, black, stealth, gold and rose gold with a choice of two styles (horizon or heritage). It also comes in 8 different sizes.
Price will vary depending on what you choose for color and style.
While you get to pick what works for you for the style and color, the hardware and specifics of the ring are the same across the board. These include:
- Water resistant (up to 330 feet)
- Lightweight titanium (4-6 grams) that makes it very durable
- Has research grade sensors that will track your sleep, activity, recovery, temperature trends, heart rate, stress, and more
- Battery life will last up to 7 days plus you can get a full charge on your ring in just 20-80 minutes
- Comes with a size specific charger
What Does The Oura Ring Track?
I want to dig a little deeper into the full capabilities of this ring. It is able to track so much and by doing so really helps the wearer to be empowered to improve their health.
Oura states that they were founded with a singular focus:
to improve the way we live our lives. We want everyone to realize health as a daily practice — and as a foundation for a balanced life.
Here are some of my favorite stats that the Oura ring tracks:
- Sleep
he Oura Ring will give you a sleep score that will let you know how well you slept at night. It takes into consideration things like total sleep, how much time you spent in each sleep stage, heart rate variability, and more. It even gives a recommendation for when you should start getting ready for bed. And, a newer feature that will detect your blood oxygen levels while at sleep. This can indicate if you are experiencing any breathing disturbances at night.
- Activity
This score takes into account inactivity, activity level and recovery. This has so many different measurements to look at including: 24/7 heart rate, step count, calories burned, inactive times, training frequency, training volume, and more.
- Readiness
This score is an overall score looking at your health. It takes in account your sleep patterns, recent activity and more to come up with this score. Based on this score, daily goals will be adjusted.
Why Did I Get The Oura Ring?
I wanted to get something that could track my sleep but also track my daily activity as well. Sometimes I would feel rested when I would wake up, and other times I wouldn’t. I liked the idea of a ring versus a watch or wristband, less clunky.
I wanted to be able to actually see data on why I slept better some nights than others. I’ve found when I measure things I tend to do better at doing what I see works for my body. Otherwise it often feels like shooting in the dark. Hoping your body responds but not knowing what will work.
I also wanted to see what my steps were daily. I really had no idea and wanted to be able to measure them. Being able to track my HRV (heart rate variability) has also been huge too. It’s so interesting to see what might affect it.
I had hesitated for a couple years to really get anything because I was concerned about the EMF exposure. However, after researching more about the Oura ring and how it has been tested to have no EMFs while in airplane mode, I was sold.
Pros Of The Oura Ring
Small Size
I love the small size of the Oura ring. It doesn’t get in my way and the sleek design just makes it look like a stylish ring in my opinion. I’m not wearing a watch that stands out and doesn’t go with an outfit. Style wise it just made more sense to get an Oura ring since it wasn’t going to take up much room on my body. I also knew I wouldn’t sleep with a watch because it’s too clunky but I would sleep with a ring and since I wanted to get it to track my sleep this was something important to consider.
EMFs
Being able to have zero EMFs when it’s turned in airplane mode was what finally sold me on getting it. I had researched and looked at so many different fitness trackers, but couldn’t get to the bottom of the EMF question with all of them. Then I saw Tech Wellness test out the Oura ring to see if it emitted EMFs while in airplane mode and it didn’t. It does emit EMFs when it’s not in airplane mode. However, I never wear it unless it’s in airplane mode. The only time I turn off airplane mode is when I’m syncing up the data and it’s on the dock charging. This was especially important to me since I knew I would be wearing it while I slept and didn’t want to constantly be exposing myself to EMFs.
Tracks Sleep
A lot of fitness trackers track your activity but not your sleep. I love that I can see not only my activity but also my sleep. The Oura ring readiness score really helps to determine if you should pull back from lots of activity and rest or if you can do more. Since sleep is critical to health I knew that this was an important piece of the puzzle as far as tracking. It gives more of a whole picture of what’s happening with your body than just a snapshot of your activity. It lets you know the different types of sleep you got the night before and an overall score for your sleep. Plus, it lets you know each night when you should be winding down for bed.
Accuracy
The Oura ring has state of the art ring sensors that are designed for a reason around the finger. The finger gives more accurate readings, versus the wrist that so many other fitness trackers use. There is a reason doctors check your pulse through your finger for the most accurate depiction of what’s going on.
Temperature
Oura ring can detect when you might be coming down with something with their temperature reading. This helps you to know when you might be needing to pull back and rest up. This is huge for me as often I might not even realize I’m coming down with something until I really have it full force. It’s a subtle way of reminding me to relax, get a little bit more sleep, bolster up my immunity and take a step back. This also is great for detecting phases of a women’s menstrual cycle, which can be invaluable!
Tracks HRV
It tracks your HRV(heart rate variability) unlike any other tracker out there. It’s been so eye opening to see when my body is in fight or flight or when I am stressed. It has made me so much more aware of what can make me feel stressed or anxious. I can pinpoint what brought me into a stressed state and then practice getting out of it. Such a great resource for overall health and well being as so many diseases start I believe with stress!
Long Battery Life
I love how long the Oura ring battery life is. It really lasts for such a long time and isn’t something I need to charge every night. The battery can last up to 7 days without charging it, however, I never go that long. Plus, it only takes 20-80 minutes to charge it, depending on how low the battery is to begin with.
Readiness Score
This is another great feature of the Oura ring. It takes a snapshot of your sleep, HRV, temperature and activity from the day before and determines where your body is at. Then they give you a score that lets you know how ready you are to take on the days stressors or challenges. The scale is based on 0-100. 85-100 being optimal, 70-85 being good, 60-69 being fair, and 0-59 being pay attention. If you have a score of 85+ it’s a good sign you could do a little extra movement, tackle a new project or challenge. If it’s below it’s a good reminder you might need to step back and rest.
Easy To Use App
The app is easy to use and has all the information and features you need right there. It makes syncing up the phone easy to do and easy to see the information without having to get on a computer.
Waterproof
The Oura ring is waterproof up to 330 feet. So you don’t need to take it off while bathing or washing the dishes. This is a game changer since it’s easy to lose rings when you take them off and it’s just annoying to have to think about taking it off all the time.
Tracks Activity
Not only does Oura ring track your steps, but it also has a list of activities you can add to your activity tracker manually. It will alert you when you have completed an activity and you can verify what it was. It also gives you an activity score and lets you know if you met your activity goal or not. You see a snapshot of your steps, whether you met your personal goal and your total burn- how many calories you burned. Plus, what your steps equate to in miles.
Cons Of The Oura Ring
Not Seeing Data Right Away
The one downside to having it in airplane mode while wearing it is not being able to see data in real time until I put the ring on the charging dock and turn on bluetooth. This can make it inconvenient to see where I’m at with my activity.
However, it’s not that big of a deal to me. As I’ve worn the ring I start to recognize what will be a good activity day and what won’t be based on what I’ve seen before in my data and how my day went.
I know people who have Apple watches like seeing their data often right away. But that’s the small price you pay to have it in airplane mode. Of course if you don’t care about EMF exposure you could wear your ring and have the bluetooth on all the time and be able to see the data on your phone right away when you sync it up.
Must Put It On Doc For Airplane Mode
You can’t put the Oura ring on airplane mode unless you have it on the charging dock. This is probably my biggest complaint. I wish I was able to put it in airplane mode and take it off easily without docking it first. Again, not a big deal if you don’t care about EMFs since you wouldn’t be turning on airplane mode but for me it can be annoying at times. Still love the ring but that’s one thing I wish they would change.
Conclusion: Is The Oura Ring Really Worth It?
I 100% think the Oura ring is worth it. I’ve had it for 6 months now and it’s really elevated my health and brought so much awareness around my sleep and activity. In the past I wouldn’t have had data to see but now I’m able to track what works for good sleep and how I feel. The same is true for my activity. I’m able to see where I’m at and what I need to improve on. Plus, the small, sleek design is perfect for my lifestyle!
Oura Ring FAQ’s
Does Oura Ring have a monthly fee?
Yes, there is a monthly membership fee. Currently they give the first month’s membership free with purchase and after that it is $5.99 per month.
Is the Oura Ring accurate?
Yes, the Oura ring is accurate. It has even been used in independent studies at UCSF, UC San Diego, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the US Army, and the US Navy – with more studies in the works. A few examples of these studies that backup Oura Ring’s accuracy include:
- A research team at UCSF shared results from their TemPredict study that showed the Oura Ring’s continuous temperature monitoring could be used as an effective tool to monitor for fever and thus early illness detection.
- A study at UC San Diego is using the Oura Ring to look specifically at patterns in heart rate, heart rate variability, temperature, respiratory rate, and sleep and their correlation with the onset of pregnancy. They are also looking at if they can be used to help predict different pregnancy outcomes and progressions.
- In a study at West Virginia University, a team of researchers looked at how accurate consumer tools are at measuring heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). The Oura Ring’s infrared photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor was as good as clinical-grade ECG and consistently outperformed other PPG tools.
What finger is best for Oura Ring?
It is recommended to wear the Oura ring on your index, middle or ring finger for best readings. I wear it on my index finger.
Can you shower with Oura Ring?
You can shower with the ring on. I choose not to as I don’t want any extra wear and tear on it – hoping it lasts me a LONG time!
Let me know your thoughts on the Oura ring below!
If you liked this post, check out these past posts below:
- Best Protein Powder (Pregnancy Safe)
- Ninja Creami Recipes (Healthy + Tasty)
- Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher Review
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