You won’t surprise anyone with smart watches anymore: many manufacturers produce smart wearable devices and they are all quite similar.
But smart rings, as for me, are still a curiosity, although the manufacturer Oura has already introduced the third generation of smart rings.
The Oura Ring is primarily designed for sleep tracking. This is where the gadget has its strengths.
As described above, the ring is also suitable for fitness tracking to a limited extent.
It offers you a lot of features in this area and also provides more accurate data/estimations.
Got No Time to Read my full Research?
Unfortunately NO, I do not recommend Oura Ring, due to way too many drawbacks!
Primarily in my test it was not accurate at all, and also the built quality of the product is very low and feels cheap.
There is a much better option for you right now in the market, this is my #1 product to measure the oxygen in your blood and much more.
Oxiline Pulse X Pro is currently the best fingertip pulse oximeter on the market with the easiest adjustment to your smartphone.It can measure your Saturation Measurements and Perfusion Index in several seconds with 99% accuracy!
It can be used by both professional specialists and ordinary users at home.
The latch fits snugly to the finger and does not move out during operation.
The gadget consumes a minimum of energy, so it does not require frequent replacement of batteries.
Table of Contents
Can Oura Ring Measure Heart Rate Variability?
Heart rate variability (HRV) provides information about the level of stress or degree of recovery.
The Oura Ring measures the distance between two heartbeats. This gives a sequence of intervals. Of course, these intervals can be of different lengths.
Therefore, the time difference between these intervals is calculated.
Ultimately, the greater the difference in time intervals between two beats, the greater the heart rate variability.
HRV itself primarily depends on the state of your autonomic nervous system. If your parasympathetic nervous system is active, you feel calm and relaxed.
On the other hand, if the sympathetic nervous system is active, your body goes into flight and fight mode.
However, the absolute values of HRV depend on many different factors. These include, for example, your age, gender and hormonal status.
Therefore, Oura Ring always measures HRV in relation to average values. This allows you to identify different habits that affect HRV.
Ultimately, the Oura Ring’s App app can give you advice on sleep, diet, and activity.
Does Oura do ECG?
Oura Ring does ECG.
Since the Oura Ring calculates HRV by measuring the pulse, the values obtained are not as accurate as those of an ECG device.
The measurements may also be incorrect without a display, there is no way to evaluate changes in heart rate in real time, and this is critical when training.
Having missed the pulse, you can call into question the effectiveness of training, and also provoke pressure surges, which is dangerous for health.
However, since the ring is worn both during the day and at night, it is possible to monitor HRV for 24 hours.
This is a big advantage compared to ECG measurement, which is only taken once a day.
Can Oura detect sleep apnea?
The uniqueness of the gadget is in focus on sleep, rest and recovery of a person.
Obviously, a relatively massive smart ring will not suit everyone, but the manufacturer managed to squeeze out competitors.
The most important feature of the Oura Ring is, of course, the sleep tracker. In the App App you will find the following information:
- Phases of your sleep
- The duration of the deep sleep phase
- REM sleep duration
- Your latency (time to sleep)
- Your total sleep time
The Oura ring has three sensors – a body temperature sensor, a heart rate sensor and an accelerometer.
These sensors collect data, which is then converted into heart rate variability (HRV), sleep quality, and movement.
Oura Ring doesn’t just measure your sleep. It can do much more! It also tracks your heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, and your activity.
Based on the collected data, you will receive daily recommendations in the application on how to improve your sleep.
In addition, you will also be shown how rested you are for the day ahead and how high your resistance level is.
Based on the measurement results, Oura App calculates the best time for you to go to bed. The app also points you to unhealthy behaviors that can negatively affect your sleep.
However, you will not receive any specific recommendations for action.
In principle, the quality of sleep can be improved with the Oura Ring. But you have to figure out for yourself how best to change your behavior.
What do the sleep phases of Oura Ring mean?
REM sleep measurement
REM (rapid eye movement) – one of the signs of this phase means the rapid movement of the eyeballs Rapid Eye Movement.
This phase of sleep is especially important for the recovery of the mind and body. In this phase of sleep, we not only dream, but also transfer our impressions into long-term memory.
Therefore, this phase of sleep is especially important for our creativity and in order not to forget what we have learned .
In general, REM sleep accounts for 5 to 50% of all sleep. However, the duration can vary from night to night.
Most people spend about 20-25% of their time sleeping in REM sleep. However, with age, the proportion of REM sleep decreases.
Deep sleep measurement
Deep sleep is our most restful phase of sleep.
At this time, our body can regenerate, and muscles can recover.
When we are in deep sleep, our blood pressure as well as our heart and breathing rates are especially low.
At the same time, our arm and leg muscles are relaxed. At this time, it is not so easy for us to wake up.
The duration of deep sleep depends on the specific night and the person. On average, deep sleep makes up about 15-20% of total sleep duration. However, with age, the duration of deep sleep decreases.
Latency – how long does it take us to fall asleep?
The time it takes for us to fall asleep is called latency. This is the time when we lie awake in bed until we finally fall asleep.
Ideally, this time should be 15-20 minutes.
If you fall asleep very quickly, and the time to fall asleep is, for example, only 5 minutes, this may be a sign that you are not getting enough sleep.
Can Oura Ring detect heart problems?
Your resting heart rate is an important indicator of your level of recovery. It shows how often your heart beats per minute.
This way, the app will be able to understand how rested you are and give you tips on how to spend your day better.
However, Oura Ring will take a few weeks to collect enough data about your active and rest days.
Only with sufficient data available can an optimal resting heart rate be calculated.
A resting heart rate that is slightly below average is seen by Oura as a sign that you are in good shape throughout the day.
On the other hand, a particularly low or high heart rate indicates that you should take a rest day.
Can Oura Ring detect Low Saturation and Covid?
The Oura Ring is one of the few devices that can measure your saturation level and body temperature. This feature is especially interesting in times of Covid-19.
Because infection is often accompanied by an increase in body temperature.
Initial research has already shown that Oura Ring can recognize Covid-19 infections faster.
In 93% of cases, the ring showed signs of low saturation and fever 3 days before the onset of the first symptoms of the disease.
Even if the course of the disease in those infected proceeded without symptoms, the ring in many cases could show the onset of the disease.
This is especially interesting in the case of Covid-19, as the disease is asymptomatic in about 40% of cases.
In this way, Oura Ring can make a significant contribution to containment of the virus, as cases can be detected at an early stage, and sick people can be quarantined at home.
FAQ
Does Oura measure oxygen?
Yes Oura measures oxygen.
It is an elegant new generation smart ring that has received modern chips for tracking the level of oxygen in the blood, the female cycle and 24-hour heart rate tracking.
The ideal solution if you do not like overall smart watches on your hand and do not like to be distracted by notifications.
Does Oura Ring take your blood pressure?
Yes, Oura Ring supports measuring your pressure.
In addition it can measure your sleep cycles ,saturation, sleep, heart rate, body temperature, steps, calories , oxygen desaturation index, ECG, heart rate variability, and blood pressure of course.
Does Oura count steps?
With a 3D accelerometer, Oura Ring can measure your movement and activity.
Combined with your personal data such as age, gender, and height, the ring can not only count calories burned, but also the number of steps taken.
In addition to the number of steps, the distance traveled in miles or kilometers is also displayed.
Does Oura track exercise?
The Oura Ring not only measures heart rate, heart rate variability and sleep, but also calorie consumption, exercise.
At 4 am, the smart ring starts counting your total calories burned.
The number of calories burned is the sum of all the calories you consume during the day.
Daily activity data shows how active you have been compared to the last 7 days.
However, with regular training, you may well get a warning from the ring.
You will receive a message telling you to take it easy for the day. This can be a little annoying.
Is Oura or fitbit more accurate?
Oura Ring is more accurate device because it provides accurate data than Fitbit, Oura Ring counts more accurate the steps.
