Happy Wellness Wednesday, friends!
Today is my OURA RING PART TWO REVIEW 🙂 .
If you’ll recall, in November…
…I shared PART ONE and since then, I’ve been wanting to do a second post.
(Spoiler alert: I think I’ll have a PART THREE in the future too.)
Here we go…
I’ve had so many of you ask me if I still like the ring, still wear the ring, if I like it better than my Apple Watch…lots and lots of questions, so here we go.
So, I like my Oura Ring, but I don’t LOVE LOVE it. I still find the sleep data really fascinating, but…
These are my quick thoughts now that I’ve been wearing my Oura Ring almost four months:
(Assuming you have read PART ONE let’s jump right in.)
1: It’s no substitution for my Apple Watch.
I feel like so many people talk about “picking one or the other” between the Apple Watch and the Ring and in my opinion, they are just both very different. They both record a few of the same metrics, but in my opinion, one is a watch that also doubles as a communication device (you can call and text from it), so I just don’t think it’s an apples to apples comparison at all. I personally think one should get an Apple Watch because they need an Apple Watch or an Oura Ring because they need an Oura Ring and not “one over the other” as they’re just very different. Speaking of which…
2: I’ve grown more comfortable wearing it during the day…but I primarily only wear it at night.
I 100% think my Oura Ring would read my metrics better, give me more data and “know” me more if I wore it all day long…but I am just not in the habit of wearing an extra ring all day, so I decided to just wear mine at night. I still receive good data by only wearing it at night, but I do understand that I would receive much better data if I wore it all day long.
3: I think it’s made me think “too much” about my sleep.
This is really my biggest complaint/concern about the Oura Ring. I have always been a good sleeper. I’m not saying that I’ve always slept long enough, but I fall right asleep and stay sound asleep. Now that I “know” so much about my sleep and how it’s being measured (latency, REM, deep, time, etc), I’m overthinking sleep too much and some nights, my darn ring keeps me awake. I’m overthinking it BIG TIME and causing myself more problems.
4: I confuse how I feel with the data.
In full transparency, Andrew hates the ring. By day three he said I should stop wearing it because I will wake and feel great but look at my “score” and read that it says my sleep was under my average/less than ideal/poor/etc and then instantly feel tired. I mean, I felt great before reading that which is really all that matters buuuut the app can make me “feel” differently.
5: I don’t use all of the “tags” and such to really make mine individualized.
I think the Oura can be super specific and very nuanced for each individual especially if you use the “tags”, but I just don’t want to keep opening my app and “tagging” things all day long, so I’m not using that feature. I totally understand it would learn me better if I did, but I just don’t want to do that all day long.
I know this isn’t really a glowing review, but it’s where I am today with my Oura Ring. I like it, I just don’t love it. I like learning about my sleep quality and patterns, but I don’t think my sleep data changes enough night to night to warrant me wearing it every single day. After months of wearing it, I’ve decided (based on all of these points above) that I only need to wear mine a few nights a week in order to keep up with my sleep metrics without driving myself mad.
So, that’s where I am right now with my ring. I would LOVE to know what you think about yours if you have one. I know, I know, I KNOW that I’m missing out on many different features by not wearing it 24/7 and not using my tags, so I would love to know if you do all of those things and see a significant difference. I know people adore their Oura Rings, and I want to adore mine too. I would love all of your thoughts.
Thanks in advance! xx
Elspeth Mizner says
Thank you for the honest review! I love my Apple Watch and was thinking about getting the ring, but not sure if it’s worth it, plus i would obsess over the data too! I appreciate your honest about it!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Melissa Stahl says
I feel the same! Like it, don’t love it! Same with the sleep data. I feel good but ring says I shouldn’t and I instantly feel tired! I do like the temp readings for menstrual cycle
Jess says
I began checking my sleep score later in the day because I too was putting too much thought into it and it definitely helps! I wear mine almost all day long, I even bought silicone bands to wear when it needs more protection. I’ve gotten use to the look of it but I do add a few bands to make it look more like a stack!
Lindsey says
You are right! To really get the full picture you have to wear it all day everyday! My favorite feature is the weekly recap. So instead of focusing on each day, I use the recap to set my intention for the overall week. There are a couple of times when I know my sleep is going to be awful, and I just take off my ring to not stress over the metrics. My ring actually caught the flu coming on, which was fascinating. For menstruating women, the ring is so helpful in learning cycles. I’m a type A/overachiever so learning to manage stress throughout the day has been helpful for my overall health. It definitely isn’t a good fit for everyone, so I love hearing your review!
Julia says
Love hearing your review, particularly in regards to comparing to the Apple Watch. I too originally thought about it as “which one” but they’re completely different use cases for me. I’m also in a season of really tracking cycles and fertility (early 30’s) and my sleep is very affected by my hormonal cycles, so I do see a ton of variation night to night, and find the oura really helpful for giving context, cycle insights and predictions (I use it in conjunction with natural cycles too) and helping me learn how to get better sleep, because that is something I struggle with. Just wanted to share as someone who is finding value in the ring based on some specific factors going on in my life and health right now!
Paula Hobbs says
Thank you so much for your 100% honesty here. I’ve been on the fence about this for so long, but I just know me and I feel like it would drive me mad too. Also, I don’t think I could wear an extra ring that just doesn’t go with my every day accessories. We can always count on you for full transparency.
Alyssa Norman says
This is so helpful! Just got a watch this year and love it but I’m not super impressed with the sleep data. I was considering the ring too for some more wellness type metrics but you make a good point about stressing too much about it. There was one night my watch notified me that my heart rate and oxygen were off/ weird and I spent the whole day basically convinced I was dying or coming down with the plague 🤣 …. Even though I felt completely fine…. I like the tip from another reader about checking it later in the day, that may help!
Elizabeth Whisler says
I don’t have one and don’t really want another “thing” to keep charged, have an app for, etc. But just wondering, do you find the sleep info you get from your apple watch not in depth enough? I charge mine while I’m showering, getting ready for bed, etc. and then put it back on to sleep and it monitors things like average awake time, REM, Core and Deep sleep. Is it just not the info you are looking for? Just curious if I’m missing out on more info that I should be getting.
Mix and Match Mama says
I charge my Apple Watch every night while I’m sleeping, so I don’t wear it to bed (and don’t get those metrics). That’s why I’ve never relied on my watch for my sleep metrics.
Laci says
I hate wearing a watch and have been debating on the ring….but I don’t even know if I can fully commit, lol
Jen says
After your November post, I was intrigued and started reading up on the ring. When I saw it could be purchased with HSA money, I decided to go for it. I also don’t love it. I have very small hands and tiny fingers and the ring is so bulky and uncomfortable to wear all day! I’ve also started wearing it just at night because I do like the sleep data and the reminders to start winding down, etc. I think it has also diagnosed me with sleep apnea, so I’m compiling data to share with my doctor. But definitely wasn’t a necessary purchase and I’m glad I bought it with “extra” money.
Kay says
I really appreciate your honest review! I love love love my Apple watch and have thought about getting the ring, mainly for the sleep data as well.
But like you, I sleep well and don’t want to overthink it. You just saved me a ton by allowing me to skip the aura ring purchase ;). Maybe I’ll go buy some candles…
Mix and Match Mama says
I literally just about spit my coffee out reading that last sentence.
Alyssa says
I agree with Jess’s comment that checking the data later in the day or even a couple days later is less stressful and makes me less hyper focused on how I can improve. I also make sure to turn on airplane mode all the time except to download the info so there’s less EMF exposure.
Shelley Commodari says
If you want more metrics maybe look into a whoop. I wear the Oura ring and you are right, I am obsessed with my sleep data. My sister is very active, like you, and the whoop helps her with recovery data, sleep and other things. Something to look into if you haven’t heard of them.
kelli says
I’ve heard people say they keep it on airplane mode and download the info once a week (or whatever set amount of time)… Might be an option to not over focus on the daily. For me, I worry about my heart because of high blood pressure, so I like watching the HRV and recovery time, etc. It motivates me to workout/take walks, etc. so I can keep improving that!
But I also see your points and agree that I think both watch and ring are helpful, but not equivalent. 🙂
Erin H says
I go back and forth on mine. Some of the data I still don’t understand – like HRV balance – mine is almost always fair or pay attention and I have no idea what that means. I’ve googled, but I still don’t know if it’s bad. Ha. And sometimes the bulkiness of the ring bugs me during the day. I try to wear it all day, but I’ll end up taking it off when I get home from work. I do always laugh when it tells me I’m particularly stressed after dealing with my 6 year old having a meltdown or getting mad at me about sometime. Yes, ring, I am stressed!
Krista S. Steenbergen says
Thank you for the honest review! I have been considering an Oura ring but I LOVE my Apple Watch so much!
Natalie says
I completely agree above with everything! I like my ring but I don’t love it. I will say, one of my favorite features is the insight it offers into my cycle. It has been very helpful to know my temperature and when I am done with ovulation and to know exactly where I’m at with each phase.
Mix and Match Mama says
I have asked any and every person I’ve seen wearing one “out in the wild” about what they think and so many women have told me this exact thing.
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for this review! I echo so much of the above – especially that I become too data obsessed with the metrics – the sleep ones the most. I loved learning that my deep sleep happened so early in my night but then I would worry about how much I was getting and honestly we can’t do a whole lot to increase the deep sleep. I have stopped using my ring because I got what I needed with the initial data but didn’t want to keep tracking.
Kacey says
This is super helpful!! Thank you for your honest review!… not that I expect anything less =)
Sherri says
I bought one mostly to learn about my sleep. For me, it’s super accurate and luckily I don’t overstress it. I wear mine all day but I do not use the Tags either. It has made me realize I truly needed to prepare myself for sleep and go to bed earlier. I have the Apple Watch too but tend to pay more attention to my ring.
I like the idea of the silicone bands and added to make it look better!
Charise says
I have both an Apple watch and the Oura Ring. I’ve found myself checking my watch stats far less and utilizing the Oura app far more. I feel like the ring tracks sleep significantly better than the watch. I also love being able to see the stressed points in my day and try to correlate those with what might have been going on that day(especially days where there was something specific that caused it!).
Katie says
Yes, I have the exact same thoughts as Charise. Would the ring ever take the place of my Apple Watch? Nope. But in parts of total health where I do need work, like managing stress and monitoring sleep, I love those features. Especially the stress, when it shows me how much stress happens in a day I’m like “Whoaaaaaa time to do some deep breathing!” And that’s something I would never get from my watch.
Rhoda W says
I with Andrew! LOL
Michele M says
I received an Oura ring as a Christmas gift and your assessment is totally spot on for me! Sometimes I will wake up feeling good and check my sleep stats and I’m immediately tired based on the results! I also find if my resilience score is high, my sleep score is low, which doesn’t make any sense! I still wear mine all the time, but I can see myself eventually just taking it off for good! I still and will always love my Apple Watch though!
Jessica says
You are the third person I “know” that has given a less then stellar review just this week alone. I have gone back and forth multiple times on getting one. I’ve been resistant due to its size, the thing looks huge and because I’m afraid I’ll get caught up in the data. Thank you so much for your honest feedback. I think I’ll remain ringless for now.
Carrie says
Hi Shay! I’ve been reading your blog now for over a decade (!!), but I don’t think I’ve ever commented before. I’ve been a huge fan of the Apple Watch for years, but cannot tolerate wearing it while I sleep. I’ve been going back and forth about whether or not to get the Oura this past year, as I have been making sleep more of a priority in my life. I am wondering if you use the Sleep Number app metrics in any way and, if so, how do they compare to the metrics collected through your Oura ring? We recently purchased a Sleep Number bed but it has not yet been delivered. From the demo, it seems the Sleep Number can collect many of these same metrics. Thanks for any feedback you can provide, Shay!
Mix and Match Mama says
Well goodness, Carrie…THANK YOU! I am so blessed that you’ve been a part of this community for such a long time. I am so so happy you commented! (Please do it again!). So, I don’t personally think the Sleep Number data is nearly as specific or helpful or maybe even as accurate as the Oura ring. We’ve transitioned three out of the four kids over the years into Sleep Number beds (Mades is the only one without one at this time), and I do like to check and see what time they actually go to bed/how often they get up/things like that on my kids’ beds, but for myself, I really don’t gather much of the data for me.
Heather Murray says
I’ve been anxiously waiting your oura time review! I’ve been debating getting one. I think I’ll hold off. I have an older Apple Watch, maybe I’ll upgrade that to the 10! I love my Apple Watch.
Wendy Stapleton says
Hi Shay, thanks for your honest review! I do agree the coolest thing about the ring is it’s ability to measure my monthly cycles. Learning about temperature fluctuations is amazing. It even forecast my catching COVID! I’m curious, what are the metrics that stress you out? If the ring is telling you something that might not be positive (too little sleep, awake periods, high or low temp, low HRV), isn’t that a good thing? It is a result of knowing these indicators that allows you to make a change. Just curious. Thanks!
Becky says
I’ve had the oura ring for about a year, and I really like mine. I’m able to see how things like alcohol and eating too late at night affect my sleep and HRV so it has motivated me to rarely do these things. My sleep and HRV have improved as a result. I also can see the effects of resting, meditation, etc on my stress level.
Angela Shields says
I’ve been wearing mine since Thanksgiving. I bought mine after you got one 🙂 There have been two times in the last few months that my ring has said I was under a major strain. I started taking more vitamin c, d and an anti viral supplement. Both times it has kept me from getting sick because I was able to support my body before I ever start feeling bad. Both of those times people I had been around came down with the flu. Super thankful for that feature. I totally get waking up feeling great and then feeling different after I read my readiness score. I’ve done that a few times. Another feature that I have loved is watching what I consume late in the evening. I have to watch my caffeine or it affects how much DEM sleep I get which is where you repair your muscles and your brain flushes out toxins. I will go from 7 minutes of DEM to 50 minutes just from watching my caffeine after 5 pm. If we eat a big meal late it affects my sleep score too. I was curious if the movement data is similar to the Apple Watch. My ring will give me a lot of movement points for washing my hair but my legs aren’t moving.
Holly says
I’ve had an Apple Watch for a decade and wore it every. Single. Day. Until I got my Oura Ring in December.
Over a year ago I disconnected my watch from my phone. I am a SAHM who Homeschools my 2 kids and during that time I don’t want emails, phone calls, or texts. However still loved wearing my watch but basically I was using it to get my activity in and check the time. I just became done with being so available to Everyone.
I became super interested in the ring after hearing a heart doctor rave about it. As I have heart issues and am on meds I was super interested in the data it provides.
It’s helping me live a healthier lifestyle by telling me when to go to bed. It is taking data on my Heart Rate and Spo2. It’s letting me know when I’m stressed or even who stresses me out or what topics. I even like the that I can immediately click on a meditation to do. And the way it tracks my cycle game changing. I also worked in healthcare and I find all the data super interesting.
I agree with you Shay they are not the same. If you want to texts, make phone calls, receive emails and keep track of your activity Apple Watch ALL. THE. WAY.
If you are on a health journey which includes taking a break from all the internet socials and primarily keeping up to date with your own personal health Oura Ring is it.
My Apple Watch will be passed to my tween so we can track, message, and phone her without giving her a phone yet.
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank YOU so much for all of this feedback!! xx
Emi says
Hi Holly. I also have heart issues (ARVD). Can you elaborate on how it is a good way to monitor/track heart issues?
Holly Hopkins says
Hi Emi,
It gives great heart rate data. Your resting heart rate and HRV. It gets to know you by how you tag different activities. It tells me when I’m stressed which I have learned can be caused by a simple phone call or subject. It makes a graph of your heart rate in a 24hr period. It also does cardiac health walking assessment and gives you a cardio age. I suggest searching Oura Ring Cardio on YouTube.
Emi says
Thank you so much!
Deena says
Thanks for the review! I was debating on getting one because I was having a lot of trouble getting back to sleep. I ended up getting a couple of sleep books from the Plano Library and got a strong message from both not to worry so much about how much sleep you get. I didn’t end up doing anything special but not stressing made all the difference to me. I still take a low dose of Melatonin (1-2 mg) once in a while when I know something big is coming up but don’t have trouble the rest of the time.
Heather says
Thank you for your insight! I have the Apple Watch based on your recommendation and I LOVE it!! I think I’ll skip this one for now.
I keep thinking of things I would love for you to blog about- one idea I had was your (and maybe Andrew’s, if he has them) goals that Peter Attia talks about in Outlive. 🙂
I also want to say that your wellness Wednesdays (and your wellness focus in general) has really got me working towards my wellness. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it! Your Pastor talked in his series about people that encourage you and you are definitely one of those people for me, even though we’ve never met! 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
Wow, Heather, thank you so much. I am so thankful that you’re on this wellness journey with me. I love any and all blog topics. Please, please, please keep them coming!
Eryn Morel says
I only wear mine at night because I hate rings (don’t even wear my wedding ring everyday) but love the data. I overthink everything so agree that now I know too much about my sleep. I thought I slept great but ring says I didn’t. My biggest issue too is getting enough sleep. Always hovering in the 6 hour mark instead of 7-8. I do LOVE that it tracks my cycle. I know so much more about my cycle timing and temperature, etc. which I’m hoping will benefit me while I go through perimenopause and menopause. Pretty much the only reason I still wear it.
Anita Mraz says
I love your honesty! I am feeling the same way about our new sleep number bed. The numbers are making me crazy! I need to be done looking and just go back to sleeping well like I always do 😊
Suzy says
I 100% agree about the data kind of messing with your head! I was so concerned that my HRT was lower than it should be and stressed so much that it became worse! I quit wearing mine almost a year ago….and I don’t miss it!
Jennifer Whitten says
Thanks for your honest review. I can always count on you to give good honest opinions on products and books, and I love that about you!! Plus, it’s always interesting to see others feedback on a product I own and use.
I got the Oura ring 3 weeks ago, and I’ve had an Apple Watch for years. I agree that they are different and I’ll for sure keep wearing both.
I actually love the data my ring is giving me. Last week it predicted that I might be getting sick and I was like nope, I feel totally fine and then within 24 hours I was down for the count with Norovirus. So that made me pay more attention to that feature.
I also was obsessing about the sleep data, so now I don’t check it until much later in the afternoon so less chance of it influencing how I feel for the day.
I’ve found that adding the tags and confirming the exercise data it has captured is really giving me a better picture of my overall health. My doctor is going to review the data with me at my physical next week, and I’m hoping it is helpful.
Mary C says
I’ve been wearing my Oura ring for about a year now and I love it. I come from the perspective of having never worn an apple watch and having zero desire to ever wear one. Some people think the ring is bulky, I don’t notice an issue with that at all. I hate watches which is why I would never wear an apple watch. I saw people on TikTok say the gold color will fade or peel off, I have not had that issue, I wear it all day long and take it off for showering or washing my hands despite it being waterproof. I think this helps keep the gold intact. My main interest in getting the ring was for my sleep like many others mentioned. I sleep terribly so I actually feel like the ring validates how I am feeling, it doesn’t stress me out. I never look at the app first thing in the morning. Some days I don’t even open the app, I just go back and look at the data later. I love the week in review update that they share, I pay attention to that more than anything else. I use the tags as a way to mark significant sleep numbers. If my numbers were not great for sleep I will tag if I drank alcohol, had a late dinner, or my dog kept me up late. If I had a great night of sleep I tag if I used CBD or melatonin. I consider the tags more beneficial for my long-term data and not day to day.
Kerry says
A thing I’d say you didn’t cover was the cycle tracking (I know you don’t have one, so totally understandable that it’s not on your radar). The primary reason I got the ring (I’d avoided getting it for the reasons below for years) was to figure out where I’m at in my cycle for HRT (I had a surgery that stopped my periods, but I still cycle). It’s really amazing for showing you data about where you’re at in your cycle, so that’s the #1 feature to me. I agree with a lot of your points – I def worried about my sleep to the point of keeping me up when for the first few months I had it and have let the sleep data effect how I feel. I have to be really intentional about paying attention to how I feel.
Jeanette says
I was thrilled to read this post b/c it helped confirm how I was feeling…. I returned mine. I asked for it for Christmas and I really wanted to keep it. I couldn’t justify keeping it when I had to wear protective covers over it everyday at work, and there was no way I was going to wear a very expensive piece of jewelry strictly to bed. I didn’t feel the analytics were always correct and I already know I wake up multiple times a night 🤪. You are the first person I have heard give a real review, thank you.