What I really like about Oura Ring – Kirsten Taylor Naturopathic Sleep Specialist and Founder of SleepDrops

After nearly 20 years of being a sleep researcher I can hand on heart say that in general people have no idea how well or badly they are sleeping. Because of this they don’t know what needs to change. I am excited to say we now have a solution.

Oura is the most scientifically validated wearable sleep device on the planet. I have thoroughly enjoyed monitoring my sleep and that of my husband. We have sleep outcome competitions. Naturally with him being married to “the SleepDrops lady” he feels he has something to prove LOL

Here’s two random nights data from my Oura ring over the last 12 months:

I love knowing how long it took me to get to sleep, how much light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep I get. My score reflects how I feel almost 100% of the time and when the Oura tells me to ‘go for it’ I do and when it tells me to ‘take it easy’ – I do. It’s like having my own personal health coach. Just enough tough love to be good for me and not be a drag!

Anything we monitor tends to get our attention and commitment to improving but until now the world hasn’t had accurate sleep data. Fitbits, smart watches and the like are all at most 60 to 65% accurate and whilst not as bad as 50/50 I still don’t think they are accurate enough to base decisions on.

Oura improved the accuracy of its sleep-tracking data with the third-generation ring. In a 2016 validation study (PDF) of the first-generation ring, Oura found that the ring’s sleep staging agreed with polysomnography—the gold-standard sleep test you’d receive at a sleep lab—only about 66% of the time. A 2021 validation study of the third-generation Oura Ring indicated that the ring agreed with polysomnography 79% of the time.

With this information we are able to make accurate recommendations to help our customers with sleep hygiene, stress management techniques and when appropriate supplementation.

The Oura Ring, has 20 different data points being reported on straight to your phone app. Concentrating on all of them at once can seem overwhelming. Naturally, we encourage people to start with the sleep data and then extend from there. Our individual customers can, at a glance, interpret their own sleep data and the app’s recommendations each morning and know how to navigate their day. If they are having trouble achieving any of the different phases of sleep, we share science based advice on how to improve that part of their sleep. 85% of people wearing Oura rings experience can improvement in their sleep!

Example of readiness score:

Our research panel connects to all the rings that opted for this extra level of support. Our team can see up to 31 metrics easily.

The Oura Ring looks and feels like a piece of jewellery. It comes in two styles (smooth or faceted) and multiple finishes (silver, black, matte black, gold, and rose gold), so it’s easy to coordinate with your clothing and accessories. I wear mix of silver/platinum and gold jewellery so I opted for black which just goes with everything. Other than my wedding band I don’t really like sleeping with jewellery but the Oura ring is so lightweight that it doesn’t bother me at all. I used to take it off during the day but with the developments they are making with the daytime stress tracking I just keep it on all the time unless I am charging it or washing my hands or doing the dishes. It is just part of my outfit now.

Speaking of stress, Oura’s HRV reading function is insightful!

Oura’s validation study (PDF) shows that its HRV measurements are 98.4% accurate when compared against an electrocardiogram. Anecdotally, the Oura Ring’s measurements of my HRV matched my knowledge of my ongoing stress. My HRV has been consistently very low for the entire year, more like a hospital monitor flat line whereas my husband’s HRV graphs show big waves like north shore Hawaii. Whilst my HRV reading is not ideal, it is affirming to have the Oura Ring validate how much stress is impacting on physical well-being and as a result I am making more of an effort to chill out!

Overall I give Oura ring a standout 10/10 for making such a fabulous piece of technology.

Join the ranks of Jennifer Aniston, Prince Harry, Kim Kardashian, Marc Benioff, Gwyneth Paltrow and other business and sports superstars who monitor their sleep every night with Oura ring and reap the benefits.

Oura rings are available to order now right here at SleepDrops

All purchases of SleepDrops supplements for the month of December will go in the draw to win 1 of 5 Oura rings.

Stock up now, Monitor your sleep, take your correct products and watch your sleep improve.

No more guess work!

Merry Christmas from SleepDrops.