My Honest Review of the Oura Ring
"How do you like your Oura Ring?"
I get this question all the time from clients, friends, and even strangers who see me wearing it. After two years of daily use, I figured it was time to put my thoughts in one place. So here's my completely honest review of the Oura Ring — the good, the not-so-great, and whether I think it's worth the investment.
What Is the Oura Ring?
Before diving into my personal experience, let me give you the basics. The Oura Ring is a smart ring that tracks over 20 biometrics related to your health and wellness.
The ring continuously monitors your heart rate, body temperature, movement, and sleep patterns. It translates all this data into three main scores: Sleep, Activity, and Readiness. The idea is that by understanding these metrics, you can make better decisions about when to push yourself and when to rest.
What sets it apart from other wearables is its form factor and accuracy. The finger provides more accurate readings for heart rate and temperature than the wrist, and the ring is comfortable enough to wear 24/7 without feeling bulky or intrusive.
Sleep Tracking That Actually Works
Let me be clear: sleep tracking is the number one reason I wear this ring and why I'll keep wearing it. I track my sleep every single night, and the insights have been genuinely game-changing for my health.
I also wear an Apple Watch daily for steps and other tracking, but I hate wearing it to bed. It's bulky, it vibrates when I get texts or news notifications, and frankly, it's just not comfortable for sleep.
The charging situation with the Oura Ring is brilliant. I only charge it for a few minutes while I'm washing my face and doing my skincare routine before bed. That's it. A few minutes of charging gives me at least a full day of battery life, and then I put it right back on before sleep.
Here's what the Oura Ring shows me about my sleep that I find most valuable:
Sleep efficiency. This metric shows how much of your time in bed was actually spent sleeping. This was eye-opening. I used to think, "I was in bed for 9 hours, so I got 9 hours of sleep." Wrong. The ring showed me I was actually only sleeping for 7.5 hours or so. That difference matters when you're trying to understand why you're still tired. If I have significantly more time in bed than actual sleep time, my efficiency score reflects that I wasn't very efficient at sleeping that night.
Sleep stages breakdown. I can see exactly how much REM, deep, and light sleep I got, plus when I was awake during the night. The visual graph shows your sleep cycles throughout the night and it's fascinating if you're into that kind of data.
Lowest heart rate. This feature shows my lowest heart rate recorded while sleeping. It tells me if I'm actually getting restorative sleep and my body is recovering optimally. Without fail, I've noticed when I have an alcoholic drink in the evening my heart rate does not lower properly in the night, meaning my recovery time was disrupted.
Movement tracking during sleep. One feature I didn't expect is the movement tracking during sleep. I'm a side sleeper who gets up for bathroom breaks sometimes, and I apparently move quite a bit during the night. But here's what was really interesting: a few months ago, I had a night where my ring showed zero movement. I went to bed and woke up in the exact same position. I must have been completely exhausted. Without the ring, I never would have noticed this.
Chronotype: The chronotype feature uses three months of sleep, body temperature, and activity data to determine my natural circadian rhythm and optimal sleep schedule, which helps me work with my body's natural patterns for better energy, digestion, and hormone balance instead of fighting against them.
The Daily Readiness Score: Your Body's Report Card
Every morning, I get a Readiness Score based on my sleep quality, heart rate variability, recovery metrics, and activity from the previous day. It's like getting a daily report card on whether my body is ready to take on challenges or needs more rest.
Today I got a 95, which earned me a little crown in the app (you get a crown for scores 85 and above). This means I should get after it today.
Cycle Tracking
I use the Oura Ring to track my menstrual cycle, and it's been incredibly helpful. It predicts when I'm going to get my period, tells me what phase of my cycle I'm in, and allows me to log daily notes about symptoms.
The ring also includes fertility insights and ovulation prediction features. However, Oura does not recommend using the ring's ovulation prediction for birth control if you're trying to avoid pregnancy.
Cardiovascular Age
I find the cardiovascular age interesting because it tells me if my heart and arteries are in better or worse shape than expected for someone my age. Currently, my cardiovascular age says I am 7 years younger than my biological age — LFG! I'd like to keep it that way.
The Accuracy Question
Over two years of wear, there have been maybe five or six times when the sleep tracking got messed up. That's pretty impressive accuracy for a consumer device. When it was wrong, it was usually off by an hour or so — saying I went to bed later than I actually did. I think this happens when my heart rate is elevated for some reason, so the ring doesn't register that I'm actually lying down trying to sleep. But honestly, six inaccurate nights out of 700+ nights of tracking? I'll take those odds.
Here's where the Oura Ring and I don't quite see eye to eye. I primarily use my Apple Watch for activity (workout, steps, calories burned) tracking since I had it first and the ring's activity insights are interesting to say the least. I workout in the morning almost exclusively. I rarely exercise in the afternoon or evening. Yet, my Oura Ring consistently tells me that my most active time is around 6:00 PM. I have no idea why. At 6:00 PM, I'm usually in the kitchen cooking dinner. This makes me question the accuracy of some of the activity metrics.
Sleek Style
The ring comes in different metals and now various colors with the new ceramic line. I think it looks sharp, although it does scratch pretty easily.
The Newer Features I'm Still Exploring
The Oura Ring keeps adding features, and there are several I haven't fully explored yet:
Stress tracking: It gives real-time stress level updates throughout the day categorized by 4 zones: "restored", "relaxed", "engaged", and "stressed".
Meal logging: A feature that lets you track what you eat directly in the app.
CGM integration: You can now connect certain continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to see your blood sugar data alongside your other metrics.
Symptom radar: This alerts you when you're showing signs of strain which can mean your body might be fighting off an infection or experiencing stress.
Advisor: An AI chatbot that helps you interpret your data and gives you actionable insights to improve your scores.
The Bottom Line: Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely, yes. Especially if you're interested in sleep optimization.
The Oura Ring excels at sleep and recovery tracking. If you want to understand your sleep patterns, improve your sleep quality, or just have reliable data about how well you're actually sleeping, this device delivers.
The cycle tracking is a nice bonus that has replaced a separate app for me. The daily readiness score gives me a quick check-in with my body's status without overwhelming me with data.
Are there areas for improvement? Sure. The activity tracking could be more accurate, and some of the newer features feel like they're still being refined. But for what I primarily use it for, sleep and cycle tracking, it's been invaluable.
The ring is comfortable enough that I forget I'm wearing it, the battery life is excellent, and the data has genuinely helped me make better decisions about my health and recovery.
If you're on the fence, ask yourself: would having detailed, accurate sleep data help you make better health decisions? If the answer is yes, the Oura Ring is worth the investment.
Written By Julia Holden
Ready to optimize your sleep and overall wellness? I help busy professionals create sustainable health routines based on their unique needs and lifestyle. Schedule your free consultation to learn how small changes in sleep and daily habits can transform how you feel every day.
P.S. If you decide to get an Oura Ring, I have a 10% discount if you use this link.