My Oura Ring Review

Hey, y’all!

I don’t know about you, but anytime there is a health and fitness gadget, I tend to get fomo and save up to try it. Last year, the Oura ring is something that was constantly being mentioned on podcasts and Instagram accounts that I follow, so naturally, fomo kicked in for me.

What is it?

For those of you that haven’t heard of an Oura ring, is basically a ring that looks like a nice piece of jewelry that can help monitor different functions, such as your sleep, activity, and recovery.

I tend to ask for bigger purchases like this for my Christmas gift so more than one person can go in and gift it to me. I ended up with the Gen3 model as my Christmas present (2022). Oura recommends wearing the ring on an index finger. My sweet husband underestimated my size and I ended up having to trade it out for a size bigger…no big deal. Oura only lets you trade your ring one time, so if you’re unsure of your exact size you need, I highly recommend ordering their ring sizing kit, which is a really cool services in my opinion.

The first few weeks I really loved my ring. I’m constantly exhausted and it gave me a sleep and readiness score after tracking my sleep each night. While I was sleeping, my resting heart rate was consistently elevated and I did a lot of tossing and turning. With a few adjustments of pre-sleep habits, I have been able to improve my sleep score from the 70-80 range up to the 90s.

A big perk is the temperature tracker. It’s able to track whether or not your temp was elevated while sleeping, which can alert if you are getting sick, when you ovulate, and when your period may start. It was all pretty accurate…and, just an FYI, ladies, the Oura ring is able to be synced with the Natural Cycles app as well.

Another great feature is the way it can track your heart rate. One day at work, I was feeling pretty anxious and stressed, having noticeable chest pains, and my friend said, “hey, check that ring of yours to see what’s going on..” and my pulse was rocking a solid 150…eesh.

This is an example of one day’s data - it’s incomplete because I was unable to wear my ring the entire day.

The honeymoon was cut short…

So, with all of the things this ring could do, you would think I would love it, right? Sadly, not so much. I loved my ring…for about a month and then I didn’t. It was great - until it wasn’t.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of why I’m rehoming my ring, the first reason I didn’t care for it as much as I thought - the step tracking was inaccurate. I basically have a computer/desk job and it counted all of my typing as steps. There was often 3000-4000 step difference between my phone tracking my steps and my ring. Could I take my ring off while typing, sure, however, that could make my temp tracking and other data inconsistent and therefore, inaccurate.

About 3 weeks into wearing the ring consistently throughout the day and night, I noticed pain throughout my whole right hand. Weird, right? I thought so too. So, I took a break from the ring for about a week and my hand started feeling much better. I gradually started wearing the ring again strictly throughout the night. About a week later, I woke up in the middle of the night due to a deep ache throughout my whole right hand. The ache lasted a good few days, making it difficult to type at work. The finger joint on which I wore the ring felt extremely inflamed and arthritis-like - not fun at all.

So, instead of nightly, I started wearing it only a few nights per week. The bad thing about this, is due to not being able to consistently wear it, it wasn’t able to do a great job anymore picking up patterns and giving me accurate information, such as my sleep score.

I tried wearing it on my left hand for a while and felt the same pain, so I stopped.

In June, my family and I took a quick trip to do the Manitou Incline trail in Colorado. I wanted to wear my ring in order to track my steps to see how far we hiked in order to compare the distance to my phone. I put it on Saturday morning and kept it on until Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon, my family and I went to the zoo - by the time we got to the car, my right hand was swollen, red, and extremely stiff feeling, so much so, I turned the car seat warmers on just to stick my hand in between my thighs and the seat, hoping to get some relief. I also got a paper towel soaked in ice water and wrapped my hand and alternated between cold and heat the whole way home.

As you can see from my left hand and right hand, my right hand is swollen and red. It felt awful too.

So, you may be thinking I’m crazy. Initially, I did too until I found this Reddit thread. Apparently, I’m not the only person who has experienced this phenomenon. Honestly, I had an Apple Watch about a year ago and had the same conundrum with it giving me a deep wrist ache, which is why I sold my watch.

What could be the cause?

My guess is the Bluetooth function and EMFs (electromagnetic fields) being emitted constantly during use.

There has been some research that suggests EMFs and Bluetooth devices have potential harmful effects on the human body. Studies show that prolonged exposure to EMF radiation emitted by devices such as cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, and Bluetooth-enabled gadgets may lead to adverse health effects, (and scary ones…) including increased risk of brain tumors, fertility issues, and neurological disorders. A review conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency EMF as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," indicating the need for further investigation. Furthermore, prolonged and close-range use of Bluetooth devices has raised concerns about potential risks, especially for individuals who wear Bluetooth-enabled devices close to their bodies for extended periods.

This episode of the Designed to Heal podcast provides information on some of the potential harmful effects of using products like the Oura ring that emit constant EMFs and Bluetooth functions.

While the research is not conclusive on exactly how EMFs and Bluetooth functions impact the body, my own personal experiences and the reviews of other people are enough for me to know that I, personally, need to steer clear of devices like the Oura ring.

I did read a thread where some people suggested turning off the blue-tooth capability and only syncing it when it’s not being worn to your phone - honestly, this just gives me a headache thinking about having to constantly adjust it’s settings and isn’t worth the hassle.

Would I recommend the ring?

Possibly - if you are someone that can tolerate wearing an Apple Watch, then you will probably be fine considering the ring is much smaller. The functions of the ring really are incredible. Tracking your sleep and temperature alone without having to really think about taking certain steps to do so are beneficial, especially to women who track their temperature fluctuations throughout the month.

However, If you are someone that is sensitive to pretty much everything, I would definitely NOT recommend the Oura ring. It’s way too costly with a limited return window to feel such an awful ache that lasts days after use.

What do you think?

I would love to know if you plan on buying an Oura ring for yourself to try. If you already use an Oura ring, I would love to hear your personal experience, even if it’s completely different.

Be blessed my friends!

Sources: IARC, National Toxicology Program, Bioelectromagnetics Society