The Oura Ring Is the First Wearable Tech That's Actually Worked for Me

This is a love story about a woman and a ring — but not one with a diamond.

Editors’ Picks are the Fashionista team’s true (#notspon) fashion and beauty obsessions, handpicked by professionals who see it all. 

When I was in high school, I was obsessed with health tracker apps and fitness watches (only in their early days at the time), which would do things like count my steps, measure energy burned and track sleep hours. Most of all, they sold a promise of helping me be healthier, having more energy and simply feeling better day-to-day. 

But they also never really worked for me: I ended up losing the watch (a very sad day), and never built the necessary habits to get the benefits of using these apps. By college, I gave up. (I tried an Apple watch, and respectfully hated it. While beautiful, the constant buzzing on my wrist drove my notification angst through the roof.) Fast-forward a few years, and the Oura ring has won over my heart, health and habits all at the same time.

Back in November, Oura gifted me one of its signature rings. The brand aims to woo potential customers (and recipients like myself) with its flashy tech features, like its ability to track my sleep cycles, measure my blood oxygen and keep tabs on my heart rate. I doubted something so stylish yet small could back up this big talk. Here’s how it got me: Your readiness, activity and sleep are all given a score out of 100 each morning. It’s like waking up to a report card of your health, and nothing motivates me like not seeing straight A’s.

Other features I like: a mobile notification for when exactly I should get in bed, an activity score that encourages me to un-glue myself from my laptop and keep moving and, perhaps what I expected to appreciate the least, a readiness score that helps with how I feel daily, tracking my body temperature and resting heart rate. 

The Oura ring may not tell time or nag you at every notification, but it’s a subtle gadget that’s actually fashionable, offers helpful information and only needs to charge every five-to-seven days. To me, it achieves what other fashion-tech has failed to do. 

Yes, it’s pricey at $349, plus a $6 monthly subscription without which you lose a lot of the ring’s best features. But, like most people, I want the most benefits with minimum effort, and the Oura ring has given me that. And did I mention how stylish it helps me look?

Oura Horizon Ring Gen3, $349, available here.

Please note: This product was gifted. Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making. 

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Source: Fashionista.com