Wearable technology refers to personalised devices designed to be worn to track and measure an individual’s health.
The industry is rapidly growing with the introduction of fitness trackers, smartwatches, smart rings, and other smart jewellery and wearables.
Finnish health tech company Oura Health launched the Oura Ring Gen3 in 2021, six years after the first instalment’s release. It announced a fourth-generation version of the ring on October 3.
OPINION
The rapid rise of wearable technology has led to a proliferation of unique health-tracking devices. The advent of smartwatches in the 2000s has since paved the way for other forms of jewellery to be turned into health-oriented wearables such as smart rings,smart bracelets, and even smart earrings. But what’s it like to wear one?
I received an Oura Ring for my birthday last year. An unassuming device, it has sat on my right index finger for the past 16 months, running unnoticed for most of the day.
But in the background, the smart ring collects data tracking “deeply personal health metrics and insights”, proclaims Oura’s website. The finger is said to provide “the most accurate reading of over 20 biometrics that directly impact how you feel”.
I’d had my eye set on one of these for some time, although I found myself at odds trying to justify whether it would be worth the steep price tag (the Oura Ring starts at US$299 [$490, excluding GST]).
Most wearables are a considerable investment. Samsung’s recently released Galaxy Ring starts at US$399.99 ($656), while the new Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $749 (or $469 for the Apple Watch SE 2).
The Oura Ring provides "round-the-clock insights into sleep, fitness, and stress for wellness". Photo / Oura
Yet the things that impact one’s sleep and readiness for the day are often misunderstood, and it’s easy to dismiss signs to slow down or adjust a routine when life is moving quickly.
Monitoring and measuring indicators of my health and wellbeing means if something is off, I’m sure to know about it.
Wearables are still somewhat of a niche market that seem largely driven by an appeal for individuals wanting to create a sense of control and enhance the resilience of their health and wellbeing in the face of an increasingly uncertain world.
But, like other things we wear (clothing, jewellery, shoes) these devices are chosen based on taste. Smartwatches have always felt too gaudy and indiscrete for me to warrant a purchase.
The emergence of different forms of wearables verges into the realm of personal style and fashion. The Oura Ring is less obtrusive, as it blends into the rest of my jewellery, and has become the go-to wearables choice for celebrities and influential people - Kim Kardashian, Prince Harry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Mark Zuckerberg are just a few of the big names who have incorporated the ring into their wellbeing routine.
Before I started using the ring, I was curious as to whether there’d be any benefit to understanding my health on such a detailed level, given warnings that wearables could lead to more harm than good with the constant tracking of vital signs forging a “catch-22 situation” that could instead unnecessarily increase anxiety and stress.
The data at my finger tips proved a lot to take in, with the overload of personal information feeling quite acute at first. But as soon as I got the hang of it, the numbers began to make more sense.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a visit to South Melbourne Beach, Australia, in 2018. The Prince can be seen wearing an Oura Ring on his right hand. Photo / Getty Images
Sleep was the one thing I’d really wanted to improve, with the numbers laying bare how dire a night of poor sleep could be for the following day. Aspiring for perfect scores became a challenge much less motivated by how I felt and more by the prompts issued to me on my screen.
But I also came to learn that setting yourself up for a good sleep is not solely determined by the hours you set aside for rest each night – it involves paying attention to your activity, stress, lifestyle and vitals each day to ensure you’re balancing each of these with the appropriate amount of relaxation and recovery that your body needs.
So what are some things I’ve come to learn while using the ring over the past year?
Healthy sleep requires a delicate balance
Something I’ve struggled with for most of my life is maintaining a good sleep routine – falling asleep at the same time every night and staying asleep is not my superpower.
I used to use the Sleepcycle app, which monitors your sleep via your phone and listens out for disturbances. But Sleepcycle is limited in that it can only hear what is happening through the night, and doesn’t offer many insights beyond telling you when you awoke and what sounds were picked up (although this feature can be quite hilarious for the occasional sleep-talker).
The Oura Ring presents a different way of understanding your dream state, giving a “holistic view of your overall sleep quality” by tracking seven contributors to a good night’s rest and creating a daily Sleep Score based off general sleep standards for adults.
Data covering my total time asleep, efficiency, restfulness, REM sleep, deep sleep, latency, and timing – which all impact your body’s readiness for the next day – is combined to make the personalised score, which can then be dissected to see what’s helped (or hindered) my sleep.
I began to spot patterns between certain behaviours and my sleep stats. Eating too late at night means it takes longer for my heart rate to lower, which I can visually see impact my recovery and sleep quality. If I fall asleep too quickly (in less than five minutes), the ring picks up that I’m likely overtired and factors it into my Readiness Score – another holistic indicator of my overall health – implying I should take more time to rest.
The Oura Ring measures sleep contributors and creates a personalised Sleep Score to help visualise how you slept.
When I have a bad sleep, it’s easy to find out why. Now, I try not to eat after 8pm to give my body time to wind down at night and get to bed early when my scores are low so I can avoid hitting a stump in my day. Both changes are preventative actions that have helped my overall sleep quality improve and become more consistent.
Turns out you can put a number on stress
Although we may aim for it, it’s practically impossible to consistently go about everything you do at your 100% best, every single day. Having a low Readiness Score indicates when I need to take care and what I need to be mindful of.
Oura rolled out a Daytime Stress measure on the latest rings last year, while it added a Resilience feature in January, looking at “daytime stress levels, daily restorative time, and how well you recover during sleep” to determine “how effectively you’re balancing your stress load with recovery throughout the day and night”.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a stressy person.
Part of it lies in wanting to perform at my best, other parts of it border on striving for perfection while working in busy and ever-changing environments. My experience in dealing with stress and physical symptoms of anxiety meant I was interested to see what actually happens inside my body when these moments occur.
A dip in my two-week heart rate variability (HRV - aka stress) signals something is putting strain on my body, a high body temperature indicates when I’m starting to come down with something, and of course, poor sleep negatively affects the day ahead – and therefore my Readiness Score.
What I’ve come to take away is there are a myriad of factors that contribute to optimal performance, and not every day will be one to smash records, so following Oura’s advice has made it a good tool to avoid burnout and help zero in on any potential issues.
Oura's Readiness Score provides a holistic overview of one's health so you know, at a glance, how ready you are for the day ahead. Photo / Oura
I’m a lot more active than I realised
10,000 steps daily is supposed to be the magic number that we should work towards.
I always thought this ideal was pretty difficult to achieve in reality, especially if you have an office job, work from home, or just don’t have the time to walk from A to B.
So it came as a shock to learn I either hit or hover around the 10,000-step mark most days, even when I’m sitting at a desk or doing housework.
Every single step – whether you’re heading to the kitchen, bathroom, or gym – accumulates over the day, and the small movements in my overall routine usually help me reach that daily goal.
Oura’s Activity Score measures your daily movements using a 3D accelerometer, incorporating metrics like training frequency, training volume, and recovery time to set goals in line with your readiness. Using this data helps me decide whether I should smash that high-intensity workout or take a rest day.
Oura’s mantra of “health is wealth” can make its visualisations addicting to follow. Their smart ring functions less as a fitness tracker and more of a personal health and wellbeing assistant, constantly analysing information from your body and keeping tabs on long-term health trends and changes.
Wellness resources like meditation guides and breathing exercises can be accessed through the Explore page, Pregnancy Insights provide education and tracking tools for expecting mothers, and their most recent update examines heart health with metrics to predict cardiovascular age and work out your cardio capacity.
The Oura Ring functions less as a fitness tracker and more as a personal health and wellbeing assistant. Photo / Oura
My health data has become invaluable for doctors’ visits and allowed me to better understand the way my body works. The upfront cost may be off-putting, but overall, Oura gives me a better sense of security and control over my health and wellbeing.
If you’re serious about sleep, lead a busy and active life, or have a genuine desire to pay extra attention to your lifestyle, the Oura Ring covers all the bases.
However, it’s important to recognise the limits of wearable devices.
Tracking one’s health can lead people down a slippery slope, with an obsession over stats making it harder to turn away from the numbers and focus on the present. There’s a fine line between wanting to look after yourself and placing too much weight on personal insights, which are easily prone to natural fluctuations that can be exacerbated by them being quantified on screen.
The data accrued is best kept at arm’s length – it’s empowering to have access to these metrics, which can motivate healthy habits, but they shouldn’t define all your decisions and set the standard for your day ahead.
After all, I’ll still choose to indulge in a late-night meal every now and then or get some exercise in when I’m tired after a long or stressful day, as I know both actions will boost my mood. Finding the right balance and listening to your body’s natural signs is the key to getting the most out of wearables while ensuring you still feel fulfilled with your daily choices.
The Oura Ring Gen3 starts at US$299 ($490, excluding GST). The first month of Oura Membership is free before being priced at US$6.99 ($11.50) a month. The new Oura Ring Gen4, announced earlier this month, comes with a new design and increased accuracy and starts at US$349 ($573, excluding GST).
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based digital producer and editorial assistant for the Herald who covers lifestyle, entertainment, and travel.
