Editor's Note: Oura Ring in 2026
Last updated: February 2026 I wrote this post back in March 2022 after wearing an Oura Ring for about three years. At the time, I had around 1,000 nights of sleep data and was still discovering patterns. Fast forward to February 2026. I'm still wearing it. That's over 1,400 nights of tracking now. The hardware has evolved (more on that in a sec), but here's what surprised me most: the ring changed my behavior in ways I never consciously decided. Take alcohol. I didn't set out to drink less. I just started noticing a pattern in my data — even one glass of wine at dinner would tank my HRV the next morning. My readiness score would drop 15-20 points. My deep sleep would get cut in half. The ring wasn't judging me, it was just showing me the trade-off. So I stopped keeping alcohol at home. Now I only drink socially, and I give away whatever bottles people gift me. That's a 4+ year behavioral shift I never planned, driven entirely by seeing my own data night after night.What's Changed: The Hardware
Oura launched the Ring 4 in October 2024, and it's a meaningful upgrade if you're buying new. Current pricing:- Oura Ring 4: $349 (Silver, Black)
- Premium finishes: $399-$499 (Stealth, Gold, Rose Gold)
- Membership: $5.99/month or $69.99/year (first month free)
- Smart Sensing: 18 signal pathways (vs. 8 in Gen 3) means better accuracy no matter which finger you wear it on
- Recessed sensors: No more bumpy ridges on the inside — much more comfortable for daily wear
- Battery life: Up to 8 days (vs. 7 in Gen 3)
- 100% titanium: More durable than the Gen 3's titanium + epoxy construction
- Better tracking: Improved heart rate zones during workouts, more accurate sleep stage detection
What Hasn't Changed
The core insight from the original post below still holds: biometric data gives you leverage over your energy and productivity. I still use my Oura data to make daily decisions. When my readiness score is in the 80s or 90s, I'll tackle hard creative work or schedule back-to-back meetings. When it dips into the 60s, I know I need a lighter day — more admin tasks, reading, maybe a workout to bump my recovery. I also pair it with RhyScience now, which tracks sleep debt and maps my circadian rhythm. Oura tells me how well I slept; RhyScience shows me when I'll be most alert during the day. That combo has been game-changing for scheduling. My peak energy hits between 9-11 a.m., so that's when I block off deep work. My natural slump is 1-3:30 p.m., so that's when I schedule calls, workouts, or reading. The principles in the post below — figuring out your optimal sleep duration, understanding recovery signals, using data to optimize your daily rhythm — those haven't changed. Gen 4 just makes the tracking more accurate and comfortable.About the Original Post
Everything below was written in March 2022 based on my experience with Gen 2 and Gen 3 rings. The specific features have improved with Gen 4, but the personal discoveries about sleep, recovery, and productivity are still completely relevant. The numbers might be different (I now have 1,400+ nights instead of 1,000), but the patterns are the same. Sleep is still the biggest force multiplier for productivity. Tracking it is still the best way to optimize it. — Original post begins below: I bought the Oura ring in March of 2019. After seeing many of my friends wear one and raving about it, I decided to see what the hype was about.Editor's Note: Oura Ring in 2026
Last updated: February 2026 Since this review was originally written in 2022, Oura has released the Oura Ring 4 (October 2024), which brings significant improvements to the platform. Here's what you need to know about the latest version:Current Pricing & Models
- Oura Ring 4: Starting at $349 (Silver, Black finishes)
- Premium finishes: $399-$499 (Stealth, Gold, Rose Gold, Ceramic options)
- Oura Membership: $5.99/month or $69.99/year (first month free with purchase)
What's New in Gen 4
The Oura Ring 4 features several major upgrades:- Smart Sensing technology: 18 signal pathways (vs. 8 in Gen 3) for more accurate tracking in any finger position
- Recessed sensors: Flush design eliminates the bumpy sensor ridges from Gen 3, making it more comfortable
- Improved battery life: Up to 8 days (vs. 7 days in Gen 3)
- 100% titanium construction: More durable than Gen 3's titanium + epoxy design
- Expanded size range: Sizes 4-15 (4 more sizes than Gen 3)
- Better accuracy: Enhanced heart rate zone tracking during workouts, improved sleep stage detection
Gen 3 vs Gen 4: Should You Upgrade?
If you already own a Gen 3, the core app experience remains nearly identical. The Gen 4's main advantages are comfort (recessed sensors), accuracy (Smart Sensing), and battery life. Gen 3 owners can wait, but new buyers should choose Gen 4.About the Membership Fee
Oura introduced a mandatory membership fee in 2021. Without membership, you only get basic Sleep, Readiness, and Activity scores. The membership unlocks:- Personalized sleep & readiness insights
- Adaptive stress tracking with daily goal adjustments
- 80+ guided meditation and breathwork sessions
- Automatic activity detection and calories burned
- Trend analysis and long-term health tracking
The Review Below
The personal experience shared below is from March 2022 and covers Oura Ring Gen 2/3. While specific features have improved with Gen 4, the core insights about sleep tracking, recovery optimization, and productivity remain highly relevant. The principles of using biometric data to optimize your energy and performance haven't changed—just the accuracy and comfort of the device. I bought the Oura ring in March of 2019. After seeing many of my friends wear one and raving about it, I decided to see what the hype was about. The Apple Watch never appealed to me because I like to wear mechanical watches and I couldn’t see it replacing that. The shape of a ring, which is an accessory I don’t wear, was appealing to me because it is small and innocuous. After the first year of wearing an Oura Ring, I’ve raved about it on The Productivity Show. It has made it into our gift recommendations and one of the top favorite purchases of the past year. However, I’ve never shared on the blog or podcast specific details of how the Oura Ring has impacted my health, energy, and productivity. So that’s what this post is all about. Here are seven things I learned about myself after tracking almost three years of data.1. How Much Sleep I Need To Feel Superhuman
In the TEA Framework, our productivity methodology, we share how Energy (E) is a major component for your productivity. Sleep is the biggest contributor to that. Before having an Oura Ring, I superficially knew the value of good sleep. When you watch a bunch of YouTube videos on sleep, listen to a few The Productivity Show episodes, and read productivity blogs you’ll see most people mention the importance of sleep. But when you cannot measure it, at least for me, it falls on deaf ears. It might go in one ear and immediately leave the other ear. I used to guess that I needed about 7.5 hours of sleep to feel good but I never knew if that was factually correct. That’s where the Oura Ring came in handy. With its sleep tracking feature, it can give you a detailed breakdown of your last night’s sleep of how much light, REM, and deep sleep you had. The more it tracks your sleep (and other biomarkers), it can learn over time what is considered good/bad sleep for you. After wearing the Oura Ring for a few years, my guess of 7.5 hours was pretty spot on. More specifically, I need 7.5 hours of bedtime which usually results in anywhere between 6h30m and 6h45m of sleep time. That’s because you also take time to fall asleep, to wake up, and throughout the night get awake too for brief periods (without you realizing it consciously). In other words, as long as I’m in bed for at least 7.5 hours, I should have plenty of time to get a good night of sleep in. Another interesting insight I got is how inconsistent my sleep quality was. Some nights I would sleep great and other nights it would be poor. Even on days when I thought I did all the right things, it could still lead to a poor night of sleep. After journaling and tracking hundreds of days of sleep, I think I figured out how to consistently have a good night of sleep. Before tracking my sleep, I would recommend having an evening ritual that’s anywhere between 30-60 minutes before bed to get yourself ready for a good night of sleep. This consistency will help you get ready for bed and a good night of sleep most of the time. Now that I have almost 1,000 nights of data, I would push it further and say that the three hours leading to your bedtime are crucial for your sleep quality (more on that later in this post). If my last three hours of the day are filled with physical activity, eating, stress, or mind-stimulating thoughts, it’s almost impossible to have a quality night of sleep. An evening ritual can help minimize the damage but it won’t be enough to set yourself up for quality sleep. Ideally, the three hours leading to your bedtime are relaxing, without eating much food, and non-stimulating. This could be lots of brain dumping (journaling), no screen time, and no bright lights. Sleep is the biggest force multiplier for productivity. When you had a great night of sleep, you feel energized to get your to-do list done, can focus for long periods, and procrastinate less. Thanks to tracking my sleep, I feel more empowered about my ability to be productive every day.2. My Daily Step Count Is Dangerously Low
Since 2011 when Asian Efficiency got launched, I’ve been working from home exclusively. The WFH life has many benefits like working in your favorite sweatshirts, not doing your hair before noon, and your fridge filled with your favorite snacks only being a few steps away…it has a few downsides too. One of the major ones is that your daily movement might be very limited. Especially if you live in a small home as I do. Everything is within reach within a few steps which means that I walk very little each day. It’s easy for me to have days where I might average 3,000-4,000 steps in a day when I’m focused on work and nothing else. To put that in perspective (source):- A server/waitress might average 12-14k steps during their 8-hour shift.
- A nurse might average 6-8k steps during their 8-hour shift
- A police officer might average 4-6k steps during their 8-hour shift
3. Going from “What is HRV?” to being obsessed with HRV
Before I had the Oura Ring, I’d heard the term “HRV” before but I never understood what it was. People would mention it’s a super metric to monitor for your health and longevity. For everyday folks, it doesn’t mean much when you say, Heart Rate Variability. It’s never mentioned in our education or by our doctors so it’s an obscure measurement for most of us. After almost three years of tracking, I’m now obsessed with HRV. I understand now how important this metric is. I have to admit that the first year of wearing the Oura Ring I wouldn’t pay attention to this metric. I was mostly focused on my sleep, step count, and Readiness Score (more on that in the next section). As someone who was already aware of the importance of these metrics, I was still learning a lot about them and how it affected me. That in itself was an education and I simply didn’t make the time to learn more about other metrics. Once I got a grasp on my sleep score, Readiness score, and step count that’s when I could focus on other metrics. So I started to focus on HRV because I heard so much about it. If you’re unfamiliar with Heart Rate Variability, here’s what it is (source): Heart rate variability is a measure of variation in time (milliseconds) between your heartbeats. HRV provides a snapshot into how your body is balancing between the two branches of your autonomic nervous system: your sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”). Normal HRV can range anywhere from below 20 to over 200 milliseconds, depending on various factors such as age, gender, physical fitness, and genetics. I recommend you read this page on HRV by Oura Ring to get an idea of what HRV is. The short version is that it helps you get insight into how balanced your nervous system is. The more balanced it is, the longer you live and the healthier you are. It’s a great indicator of your overall health status. Typically, the higher the better and you want this metric to trend higher over time. When it’s out of whack, it’s a sign that something is off and that the nervous system is stressed. This could be:- Dehydration
- Consumption of alcohol
- A late night meal or workout
- Illness
- Acute and prolonged stress
- A hot bedroom at night
- Jet lag and inconsistent sleep patterns
- Overtraining
4. The Power of Algorithms
One of the interesting characteristics of today’s browsing experience is that websites personalize your experience. When you go to Facebook.com, you’ll see a different front page than I do. The same thing is true with search results on Google.com. An algorithm is running in the background to give you what it thinks you want to consume. This also happens on the apps we use. What you get recommended in various apps is very personalized and it’s an algorithm feeding you what might interest you. Algorithms are becoming more prevalent in how we navigate the world. Obviously, the Oura Ring has tons of algorithms to measure and score your biomarkers. One of the most useful ones I’ve found is the Readiness Score. It’s unique to the Oura Ring and it’s an overall score of your health on a scale of 1-100. When I first got the Oura Ring I had no clue what it was and how accurate the score was. Fast forward to today and I’ve found the most useful metric to monitor. It’s so powerful and accurate that it’ll affect how I plan my days. When I wake up, one of the first things I do is check my Readiness Score. If it’s over 70, I continue my day as planned. I feel energetic enough to do anything I want without pushing myself. If it’s over 85 (which is considered excellent), sometimes I push myself to walk 15k steps or get a second workout in for the day. I might work longer hours because I know I’ll have so much energy to do things and I want to capitalize on that. However, if it’s between 60 and 70 I’ll rearrange my day to be less intensive. That range usually is an indication that my body is stressed and I’ve found that I’m not productive on those days. I’ll skip or move my workout to another day. My deep work gets moved to another day and I'll tackle more light activities for the day. My expectations for the day are lower than normal and I plan on incorporating more recovery-based activities like stretching, going to the sauna, going for brisk walks, and such. If it’s really bad (under 60), it’s either because I’m getting sick or I had a poor night of sleep. If it’s the latter, I’ll try to go for a 90-minute nap in the afternoon to make up for it and that usually fixes that. I’ll have a second wind to be productive. Otherwise, it’s a sign that I’m getting sick. When there’s an important deadline, I might push myself to get it done and I have a whole protocol to get things done while I’m sick. But most of the time I’ll call in sick and rest up. As the Oura Ring is able to track more data, it gets more accurate (makes sense) and the Readiness Score is a reflection of that. I’ve found it to be so helpful that if they stripped all other metrics, I would still want to have the Oura Ring. It’s that useful.5. Which Drinks Affect Your Sleep
Did you know that certain drinks will negatively affect your sleep? I was oblivious to this until I started tracking my sleep. Some nights I would have amazing sleep and other nights, for no obvious reasons, my sleep score would tank. Over time I noticed my sleep score would go down because I went out the night before. I had a suspicion that alcohol would be the root cause. Lo and behold…it was. Anytime I had a drink within 3 hours before bedtime, my sleep score would be negatively affected. The more drinks, the worse it would be. My heart rate would be elevated, my body temperature would be higher than normal, and my REM and deep sleep would be shorter. All of these led to worse sleep scores. One time I tried to have only one sip of a cocktail and it still negatively impacted my sleep. My body is that sensitive I guess! To put it in context, I consider myself a social drinker. At home I never have a drink, it’s only when I go out for dinner or a night out. I might average 2-3 drinks a week. So I thought I was doomed. I accepted that anytime I would go out for drinks that my sleep and Readiness Score would be sacrificed. Part of me was very sad about that and didn’t want to accept it. I started researching anything I could do to have a drink and still sleep well. This rabbit hole led down to learning about NAC and glutathione. They’re anti-oxidants that you can buy as supplements over the counter that help you detox. They’re often found in IV bags. You might have seen people get IV drips at the Las Vegas airport to help them recover from a hangover. The magic ingredient is glutathione that helps with that (among many other things). So I started taking glutathione and its precursor NAC before going out for drinks. After trial and error, I found out that for every drink, I needed to take one capsule of glutathione and my sleep wouldn’t be comprised as much. My sleep wouldn’t be perfect but it severely limited the damage. I also tried to have drinks earlier in the evening so that my body would have more time to digest them before I went to bed. Combined with glutathione that seems to be a winning strategy. For example, I could have my last drink at 6 pm and go to bed at 11 pm and generally be fine the next day. This is not always possible but if I’m the one organizing the get-together I would sneakily keep that in mind. One day, my friend introduced me to Clase Azul. It’s a high-end tequila and I love me some tequila (and mezcal). It tasted so good with a hint of vanilla and I only had one glass. I remember going home realizing it was within 3 hours of my bedtime and I was out of glutathione. Mentally, I was ready for my sleep and Readiness Score to be sub-optimal the next day. When I woke up checked my score, I saw my scores went up compared to the day before. I was shocked. “WHAT?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?” Is Clase Azul some magic potient? Going forward, anytime I went out, I started ordering Clase Azul and noticed my sleep not being disrupted at all. I thought I hit the jackpot. Another time, someone poured me a glass of Malbec. I knew from my experience that red wines and Malbecs would negatively affect my sleep. So you should have seen my facial expression when I woke up the next day and my sleep and Readiness Score weren’t impacted by that glass of wine (that I had multiple of). I immediately texted my friend to ask for the specifics of that bottle. Over time I’ve learned that certain brands of liquors, spirits, and cocktails don’t affect my sleep. It’s a work in progress and I keep a weekly journal of my Oura Ring insights to discover what works for my body and what doesn’t. I have a running list of my favorite drinks that are Oura Ring friendly and this is a very freeing feeling to be able to have drinks and not feel like it’s negatively impacting my health or having to sacrifice anything. At some point, I want to try a continuous glucose monitor to take this a step further and thanks to the Oura Ring it has given me a headstart on insights that are empowering.6. Timing Matters
One discovery I made is that meal timing has an impact on your sleep. If I have a large meal before bed, my sleep and Readiness score go down quite a bit. Why? My body is focused on digestion rather than recovery during the sleep phase. Ideally, when you sleep your body is trying to do all of its magic (healing, repairing, recovering) and not digesting food. In the Oura Ring, digestion of food during sleep will result in elevated heart rate and body temperature. Your total REM and deep sleep are also shorter than your average. Through several experiments, I’ve found that I can eat around 200-250 calories before bed without it affecting my sleep. I do avoid sugary foods as I don’t want to spike insulin late at night and anything caffeinated for obvious reasons. Anything more than 250 calories typically shows up in the Oura Ring app as comprised sleep. Ideally, my last meal is more than three hours before bedtime. The more hours the better. Typically I finish my dinner at 6 o’clock and sleep around 10 or 10.30 pm. That gives my body enough time to digest and give my body full focus for recovery during sleep. One interesting observation I’ve made is that I have over 800 calories of food in one sitting, I feel sluggish afterwards. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner – it has the same effect. I want to avoid it most during dinner because it might impact my sleep. I’ve seen over and over again that when I have a big, fatty steak at night with side dishes (that’s easily over 800 calories) my sleep that night is terrible. Even if I have 3+ hours to digest. For some reason, my body is very slow at digesting steak and big cuts of meat. So I try to avoid eating big steaks at night (even though I enjoy them so much). At AE we’ve talked for years about having an evening ritual to help you fall asleep. The Oura Ring showed me that lowering your heart rate as you get ready for better helps with improving your sleep score. It makes sense. The lower the heart at night, the less energy is required for the body to relax and start recovering during sleep. I could never explain this until I saw the data in the Oura Ring. The Oura Ring can detect whenever you’re resting (typically when your movement is low) and it’ll show you in the app your lowest resting heart rate. I’ve learned over time that if it’s in the 70s, I’m too alert and I need to actively focus on lowering it. I could do the legs up the wall stretch to calm myself down and/or use the Apollo Neuro to do that. However, when I see my lowest resting heart be in the 60s, then I know I’m relaxed and that I’ll likely have a good night of sleep (when my lowest resting heart rate is usually low 50s or high 40s). Everyone is different in this sense so observe what ranges work best for you. The final aspect of timing that’s related to this for me is social interaction. As an ISFJ (introvert), when I’m around a group of people late at night, it takes me forever to fall asleep. My brain is engaged, my heart rate is up a little, and when I try to sleep right after I come home it never seems to work. When I do fall asleep, it takes a long time for my heart rate to calm down which results in a lower Readiness Score. So to combat that, I have to remind myself to follow my evening ritual even if I come home late. I’m the type of person that will always wake up at the same time no matter what time I go to bed. So I used to think that skipping my evening ritual will result in more hours of sleep (true) but the quality of sleep was terrible. Recently, I flipped it around. If I came home late, I forced myself to follow my evening ritual (takes about 30-45 minutes) and then go to sleep. I might have lost about an hour of sleep but the quality of sleep (my sleep efficiency in the Oura Ring) was higher compared to when I didn’t follow my evening ritual. If there’s a takeaway from all of this, it’s this: what you do in the last 3 hours before bedtime affects your sleep. Ideally, relax and avoid social interactions, exercising, and big meals.7. Misc Insights
Every Sunday when I do my weekly review, one question I ask myself is: “What Oura Ring insights did I discover?” For the last 18 months, I’ve kept a log of what I’ve discovered. Some of this might only make sense if you have an Oura Ring and others might be helpful to some of you. In no particular, here are some:- L-theanine + magnesium are the best supplements for great sleep for me
- Anytime I do a float tank, my REM sleep that night goes through the roof (2h+)
- Using the Theragun for 5-10 minutes on my upper body helps me sleep better at night
- You can jump +20 in Readiness score by sleeping 9+ hours
- Taking glutathione and NAC (precursor to glutathione) before drinking helps prevent hangovers
- Turn on the fan during the night if I had drinks to help cool off my body faster for better recovery. My body temperature at night is always elevated when I have had drinks.
- I always wake up at the same time (6.30am during fall/winter season, 7.30am during spring/summer season) no matter what time I go to bed.
Conclusion
The Oura Ring is a powerful wearable device for measuring biomarkers. It has given me many insights I had always hypothesized but could never verify with data. Now I can. I enjoyed writing this post because it allowed me to synthesize all my insights, lessons, and data into something I can reference myself. I hope you found this helpful. If you don’t have an Oura Ring yet, click here and get yourself one. If there’s one wearable device I can recommend, it’s this one. Once you have it, keep a log of your lessons and insights somewhere. I put mine in Evernote and discover what works and doesn’t work for you.
Is the Oura Ring worth it?
The Oura Ring is worth it if you're serious about optimizing sleep, recovery, and overall health. At $299-$549 (depending on model) plus $5.99/month membership, it's a premium investment. It excels at sleep tracking, readiness scores, and trend analysis. However, if you only want basic step counting, a cheaper fitness tracker may suffice. Best for data-driven individuals who will act on the insights.
What is the Oura Ring membership fee?
The Oura membership costs $5.99/month (or $69.99/year if paid annually). The membership is required to access most features including sleep insights, readiness scores, activity tracking, and health trends. The first month is free with ring purchase. Without membership, you only get basic ring functions and limited data.
Does Oura Ring track heart rate continuously?
Yes, Oura Ring Gen 3 and Gen 4 track heart rate 24/7 using infrared PPG sensors. It monitors resting heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and tracks heart rate during workouts and throughout the day. The ring is particularly accurate during sleep and rest, though it may be less precise than chest straps during high-intensity exercise.
How long does the Oura Ring battery last?
Oura Ring battery lasts 4-7 days on a single charge, depending on usage and features enabled. Most users get 5-6 days with typical use. It charges in 20-80 minutes using the included charging dock. The ring will send battery alerts when it drops to 25% and 10%, giving you plenty of time to recharge.
What's the difference between Oura Ring Gen 3 and Gen 4?
Oura Ring Gen 4 (2024) features improved accuracy with recessed sensors for better skin contact, more sensors (18 signal pathways vs Gen 3's 7), enhanced battery life, and upgraded algorithms for sleep and activity tracking. Gen 4 also uses a new Smart Sensing platform that reduces battery drain. Gen 3 is still available at a lower price but doesn't have the latest sensor technology.
Can I shower or swim with the Oura Ring?
Yes, the Oura Ring is waterproof up to 100 meters (328 feet) with a water resistance rating of 10 ATM. You can safely shower, swim, and wash hands while wearing it. However, avoid hot tubs, saunas above 80°C (176°F), and high-pressure water jets as these can damage the ring's sensors or finish over time.
I loved this whole article. Thank you. Especially the alcohol part. So important along with caffeine. And did NAC and glutathione as well!
Wow, Ive used OURA for 4 years. My insights into health had become stagnant. Finding your excellent excellent information has truly inspired me once again. I feel significantly more empowered to profit from my own data. Thank you for sharing. Mike