When you see the numbers 10,000, 8, or 2,000, it’s very possible that your brain may have already attached specific words to them—10,000 steps, 8 hours of sleep, 2,000 calories. The figures have become rote associations with the fitness and diet practices we should maintain for a healthy lifestyle and are some of the most common statistics that fitness wearables or apps focus on. But they’re far from the only way to measure our wellness. In fact, just concentrating on hitting certain numbers can isolate an important figure in any health journey: the body. When they get caught up in the numbers, people stop listening to their own bodies and figuring out how to feel calm, energized, and focused based on their individual needs. The Oura Ring is an accessory that measures sleep and activity markers, but its similarities with other wearables ends there. It takes a unique approach to measuring body signals and helping users interpret their insights. This approach could help push back against a diet- and performance-obsessed culture that too often leaves many with long-term injuries, stress, and body-image issues.
Somewhat ironically, the first step to loosening the grasp of impersonal statistics could be to obtain more consistent data. A wearable with a more accurate and personal baselines will be better equipped to tell when something has gone awry, or when that person is rested and ready. To achieve this, the Oura Ring is designed to be a constant companion for whatever life brings. Made of waterproof titanium and sized to be worn on a user’s finger on choice, it’s comfortable to wear 24/7. The preset step count, sleep hours, and calorie numbers don’t apply to everyone, so the ring calibrates to each person’s body signals — delivering detailed data about your sleep stages, resting heart rate, body temperature, and more. And the ring form factor is a deliberate choice. It's not only more subtle and comfortable, but it's also more accurate when compared to wrist wearables. Its sensors, which rest on the palm side of your finger, include an accelerometer, NTC temperature sensors, and infrared sensors—measuring your movement, body temperature, heart rate, and more. They can sense temperature changes as tiny as 0.1 degree Celcius, and in a study by the Finnish Occupational Health Institute’s sleep laboratory, the Oura Ring’s ability to detect total sleep, sleep onset, and sleep stage breakdowns went toe-to-toe with those of medical-grade instruments.
This level of sensitivity is key to really getting to know each individual user. Health signals, like body temperature, fluctuate naturally all the time, but the Oura Ring picks up on any unusual variations— helping it deliver better, more personalized insights. A data dump of how many hours someone is sleeping each night doesn’t tell them how many hours they need to feel energized. The Oura Ring combines that information with recent activity levels and other indicators to offer more dynamic sleep quality and energy level insights. We feel different everyday, so shouldn’t our daily insights be different? The Readiness Score—which takes into consideration factors like the previous day’s sleep and activity, resting heart rate, and body temperature — is the first thing that appears on the Oura App each morning. This unique score puts the Oura philosophy into action by offering clear, simple guidance on what each person’s body might need on a day-to-day basis to help them feel their best—emotionally, mentally, and physically.
This is where Oura takes a radical philosophical departure from most fitness tech: it puts rest at the forefront, knowing that if health is a daily practice, then it starts with good sleep. Sleep, of course, happens to be one of the most neglected wellness practices. The CDC has estimated that about a third of American adults are generally not getting the sleep they need. Even a person who is hitting a high fitness goal everyday does so at the risk of overtraining and/or injuring themselves if they put recovery on the backburner. The good news is our bodies send some measurable signals when they’re physically fatigued: our resting heart rate may change, or we may not properly and fully recover from a workout or stressful event. Oura can sense if these markers vary from a user’s baseline and, more importantly, offers actionable guidance on how to get back to a better place. This can have a positive domino effect on harder-to-measure wellness factors, like mental health and women’s health. Oura makes a case for a more holistic health approach; it’s not about pushing ourselves at all costs to reach arbitrary goalposts. It’s about trusting that our bodies know when they need a break. They’ll let us know how they’re feeling and when they’re ready for a good challenge.
Perhaps most crucial to offering people better health insights is finding a way to acknowledge that everyone’s lives and needs are different. “Personalized” data, as we often think of it now, is barely personal, let alone helpful. And yet most wearables today ask users to put themselves into limited fitness categories and aim for the same goals as anyone else. Many wearables can’t detect activities that don’t fit into easy-to-detect categories like running; others need to be activated so they know an exercise session is starting. But our days are often made up of all kinds of activities, big and small. The Oura Ring accounts for all types of dynamic movement with its automatic activity detection. The ring’s 3D accelerometer can pick up on low-to high-energy activities, and users can increase accuracy by inputting specific low-impact activities, like yoga, with a connected Apple Health or Google Fit app.
When tools approach health more intelligently and compassionately, it encourages a more empowering wellness culture. When people know why they feel how they feel, they’ll know when to step it up or when to take a moment and slow down—getting the most out of every day instead of constantly comparing themselves to everyone else. By carefully pinpointing the most meaningful body signals, the Oura Ring better serves users whose specific needs haven’t traditionally been considered in wearable design. People who have periods, for example, can better understand the changes in their body throughout their cycle. Those experiencing illness can take their insights day by day and feel empowered to understand what helps them feel best. And those who want to understand their mental health with the same precision they do their physical wellbeing—which should be everybody—can better manage their stress and anxiety. There’s no reason a wearable shouldn’t appeal to the likes of NBA players, busy professionals, and older folks who want to keep up with their grandchildren. The Oura Ring happens to, quite literally, do all of the above, and it’s leading us into a future where health statistics are highly personal and deeply human.
This story was produced by WIRED Brand Lab for Oura Ring.
