I’ve worn an Oura Ring since November 2021, was it worth it?
How it started
I bought my Gen3 ring as part of Oura Ring’s trade-in program in October 2021, I had previously picked up a Gen2 off eBay which didn’t get much use, but given they were offering a free lifetime membership (currently worth $5.99 / ~£4.90 per month) for anyone upgrading, so it seemed like a pretty good deal!
What do I have?
I have a Heritage ring in Stealth (currently $399 / ~£326.43) in size 11.
I wear the ring on my wedding (ring/fourth) finger on my right hand, although in hindsight I wish I’d gotten a size 12 so I could wear it on my right index finger. If I buy another one once the battery dies in this one completely I’ll get a size 12.
A little background on the Oura Ring
- If you’re buying today, the first month of membership is included with your purchase, then it’s $5.99 / ~£4.90 per month afterwards
- To start, you get access to your Sleep, Readiness and Activity scores
- In addition, you also get:
- In-depth sleep analysis every morning
- Personalised health insights and recommendations
- Live and accurate heart rate monitoring
- Temperature trend monitoring to try and predict periods and to identify early signs of sickness
- Membership is tied to your account, not your physical ring
- 30-day return period, although I am not sure how well this works if you’re outside the US
- Your ring also includes a charger, which is specific to your ring size. So if you want to share a charger with someone else, you won’t be able to unless you wear the same size ring
- Oura Ring quotes “up to 7 days battery life”
- If you are based in the UK (like me) shipping was $15 / ~£12.27 for standard, and $35 / ~£28.63 for express
- Payment can be made by debit/credit cards or PayPal
What size should you go for?
Before ordering your Oura Ring you will want to order a sizing kit, this allows you to find the best fit for your chosen finger.
Oura recommends a couple of steps to do this:
- Choose your finger – for the best performance and accuracy, they recommend wearing your Oura Ring on your index finger. If you prefer another, the middle and ring fingers can work as well. Avoid fingers where the base of your finger is narrower than the knuckle
- Ensure a comfortable fit – the sensor bumps inside the Oura Ring should be on the palm side of your finger, it should fit securely and comfortably around your finger base
- Test the fit – a good test is to make a fist while wearing the sizing ring, if you see a gap between the top of your finger and the inside of the ring, try a smaller size
- Evaluate the fit – your fingers expand and contract, so Oura recommends wearing your sizing ring for at least 24 hours to confirm the best fit. It also shouldn’t rotate as you go about your day
Key features of the Oura Ring
- 24/7 heart rate (HR) monitoring – it can track your heart rate, which can help you track your stress levels, recovery, and readiness for the day
- Heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring – HRV is a measure of how your heart rate changes over time, it is the variation of time between each heartbeat in milliseconds, and it is a good indicator of your overall health and well-being.
- Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring – it tracks your blood oxygen levels, which can be a valuable indicator of your overall health
- Sleep tracking – this means that you can get a detailed understanding of your sleep patterns
- Stress tracking – the ring detects and tracks moments of stress to help you identify triggers and recovery tactics so you can bounce back faster
- Body temperature tracking – it can track your body temperature throughout the day and night, which can be used to track your menstrual cycle, identify potential health problems or illness, and optimise your sleep
- Period prediction – it can predict your menstrual cycle, which can be helpful for women who are trying to track their fertility or manage their symptoms
- Workout heart rate (HR) monitoring – it can track your heart rate during workouts, which can help you track your progress and ensure that you’re working out at the right intensity
- Enhanced wellness content library – the app comes with an enhanced wellness content library that includes articles, videos, and podcasts on a variety of health topics
- Waterproof and durable – so you can wear it all day and night, even when you’re swimming or showering
- Long battery life – Oura says it has a battery life of up to 7 days, so you don’t have to worry about charging it every day
Why is the Oura Ring worth buying?
The main reason people want an Oura Ring is to track their sleep, and why not, its one of the most accurate sleep trackers on available today.
The information tracked by the ring can be used to improve sleep quality, optimise your recovery, find out what affects your sleep or readiness (e.g. alcohol) and track your progress over time.
What do I like about the Oura Ring?
- Readiness score
- Every morning I check to see what the Oura Ring thinks
- You cannot let this number decide how you feel for the day, but it’s some good guidance
- It’s most useful when this number takes a nosedive, which for me might indicate
- I’ve had alcohol
- I didn’t sleep well
- My activity might have been a little much the day or days prior
- Or I’m getting ill (it pretty much told me I had Covid the day before I tested positive!)
- Sleep score
- As with readiness, I check in to see how well Oura Ring thinks I’ve slept
- For me, this is also most useful when it takes a nosedive
- Alcohol
- Ate too close to bed
- Had too much caffeine (late in the day)
- Went to bed late
- That it’s easy to wear
- I think the Oura Ring is the most unobtrusive health wearable when compared to an Apple Watch or a chest heart rate monitor
- As long as you don’t mind wearing a ring you’ll have a good time
- The only time I take it off is to charge it when I’m using a barbell or dumbbell
- The iOS app
- The app is pretty slick
- The look and feel match the quality of the ring
- It works well and the insights and stats are easy to find and read
- I can’t comment on Android, sorry!
- They also have a web interface (called Oura on the Web) if you prefer to view your metrics on your laptop
So what are the pros?
- Readiness score
- Sleep score and tracking
- HRV (heart rate variability)
- Resting heart rate
- Easy to wear (as long as you don’t mind wearing a ring)
- Definitely comfortable to wear (or even notice) while sleeping
- I like that it tracks naps too! Always nice seeing how long I napped and what sort of sleep I got according to Oura
Are there any cons?
Of course! Nothing is perfect, here are a few of my cons:
- Can be expensive as you’re always paying for their membership for the full stats
- Accuracy – the data can be inaccurate so don’t completely rely on it
- It’s not a small ring, so may cause pain in your finger or hand, where the fingers can’t close properly
- You may also be between sizes (as there are no half sizes) so you might get one that is too big (slips around = maybe worse data) or too small (tight at certain times of the day). It’s also difficult (and sometimes painful) to remove in the morning, so you might need a little water (and maybe soap)
- Battery life – mine currently lasts for around 3 days before needing a charge. I usually put it on charge when I’m working out (as I use my Apple Watch or Myzone for workout tracking) and wear it the rest of the time. This is also likely to get worse in time
- Can’t easily wear while using barbells or dumbbells, you would also scratch the ring with the metal
- It will get marked from day-to-day wear
What could be better?
AKA what would I like to see Oura do next!
- I’d like to see an advertised replacement service (for a nominal fee perhaps) so you don’t have the anxiety of it just being a paperweight down the line when the battery is trash
- More notifications alerting you to changes in Oura’s findings, e.g. when it thinks you might be ill (without opening the app)
- The ring updates the app on its own without having to open the app (not sure if this is an iOS limitation)
- Public groups/leaderboards, similar to what Whoop has. I don’t know anyone else with an Oura so some big groups of people in the UK, or people who are into a certain type of fitness would be great
- Better HRV and sleep tracking – more accuracy
- Blood pressure tracking
- Continuous glucose monitoring
So who is it for?
Anyone who is serious about tracking their health and well-being, which might include:
- Improving your sleep
- Optimising your recovery
- Have a better idea of what causes stress
- Track things that affect your recovery, sleep and stress (e.g. alcohol)
In summary
- Overall I am a big fan of the Oura Ring
- It is my chosen device for tracking sleep, HRV (Heart Rate Variability)/RHR (Resting Heart Rate) and my general health and wellness
- It’s very easy to wear both day and night, the least friction of any health/activity tracker I’ve used
- The insights are really useful for tracking over a long period
- They may not always be completely accurate but they do provide you with insightful general trends you might not have access to otherwise
- It will also help you see what you do can affect your body, e.g drinking alcohol or how long you sleep for
- Don’t rely completely on its opinion, if the ring says you’re tired, don’t let that make you feel tired if you actually feel great!
Questions for you
- Do you have any Oura Ring questions for me?
- What do you think of the Oura Ring?
- Do you prefer one of the other rings available, or a different health tracker?
- What would you like to see in the next version of the Oura Ring?
- Leave a comment down below as I’d love to hear your opinion!
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