Sleep is the foundation of good health, yet it remains one of the most overlooked aspects of our wellness routines. The Oura Ring Generation 3 aims to change that by providing detailed sleep insights in a form factor that’s both unobtrusive and stylish. This tiny wearable represents a significant advancement in sleep tracking technology, offering laboratory-grade accuracy in a device you can wear 24/7.
Design and Comfort
Unlike bulky wrist-worn devices, the Oura Ring is designed to be forgotten once it’s on your finger. Weighing just 4-6 grams (depending on size) and with a thickness of less than 3mm, it’s comparable to a traditional wedding band. Available in silver, black, stealth, and gold finishes, the titanium ring is both durable and stylish enough to wear with any outfit.
The comfort factor cannot be overstated—many users report forgetting they’re wearing it, which is crucial for a device meant to be worn during sleep. Oura provides a sizing kit before shipping your actual ring, ensuring a perfect fit that’s snug enough for accurate readings without being uncomfortable.
Sleep Tracking Capabilities
Where the Oura Ring truly shines is in its sleep tracking capabilities. Using infrared photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, the ring measures your heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and body temperature throughout the night. These measurements allow the Oura app to break down your sleep into stages (light, deep, and REM), providing insights that rival medical-grade sleep labs.
The Sleep Score feature aggregates this data into an easy-to-understand number from 0-100, helping you track improvements over time. What’s particularly valuable is the detailed breakdown of this score into three components: sleep efficiency, restorative sleep (deep and REM), and timing.
Activity and Readiness Tracking
While sleep is the Oura Ring’s primary focus, it also tracks activity and provides a Readiness Score that helps you determine how hard you should push yourself each day. The activity tracking is more basic than dedicated fitness trackers, counting steps and estimating calorie burn rather than tracking specific workouts (though automatic workout detection was added in a recent update).
The Readiness Score is where the Oura’s holistic approach becomes apparent. By analyzing your sleep quality, previous activity levels, body temperature, and heart rate variability, the ring can tell you whether your body is primed for a challenging workout or would benefit more from recovery.
Battery Life and Charging
The Oura Ring Gen 3 offers approximately 7 days of battery life, which is impressive given its size. The charging process is simple—just place the ring on its dedicated charging dock, and it reaches full charge in about 1-2 hours. The app notifies you when battery levels are getting low, typically giving you plenty of warning to charge before it dies.
Subscription Model
It’s worth noting that while the Oura Ring Gen 3 costs $299-$399 (depending on the finish), it also requires a $5.99 monthly subscription to access most of its features and insights. Without the subscription, you’ll only see basic metrics like sleep duration and timing, missing out on the detailed analysis that makes the ring valuable.
The Verdict
For those serious about improving their sleep quality and understanding how it affects their overall health, the Oura Ring Gen 3 represents the gold standard in consumer sleep tracking. Its unobtrusive design, accurate measurements, and holistic approach to wellness make it worth considering despite the subscription cost.
The ring is particularly valuable for athletes looking to optimize recovery, individuals with sleep issues seeking to identify patterns and triggers, and anyone who finds wrist-worn trackers uncomfortable during sleep. If you’re willing to invest in your sleep health, the Oura Ring offers insights that can lead to meaningful improvements in your overall wellbeing.