I am obsessed with sleep. I’m her type of girl who works eight hours a night, usually going to bed by 10pm and using tried and tested duvets and pillows to ensure the best sleep possible. But after I started wearing my fitness girlfriend tracker to monitor my snooze quality, my sleep patterns actually deteriorated until a sleep expert told me to stop wearing them.
Sleep tracking is becoming more and more popular, and the best fitness trackers have built-in sleep features via sensors to help you track your sleep stages and make changes to get better quality sleep. sleep trackers and smart rings are also growing in popularity.
I started using the Oura Ring, a fitness and sleep tracker, over a year ago, and I quickly realized how well I was sleeping because the ring’s sleep metrics were more accurate than anything I had seen before. or how well you slept. The ring is lined with sensors that measure biometric data 24 hours a day, along with stats like resting heart rate, body temperature, sleep stages, and HRV balance (heart rate variability – a key indicator of heart health). provide.
Since its birth, the ring has gone through multiple changes and the sensors have been improved to provide more accurate data. Oura released the third generation ring last November with the latest heart rate sensor and new his SpO2 (blood oxygen level) sensor.
At first, it was a handy tool to see how long I slept the night before, but after a few months, I woke up every morning and was hooked on the data and advice my ring gave me via the Oura app. I always wanted to hit that golden 8 hour mark and get a high score in overall readiness.
But the day I log into the app and my sleep score and average score is low, my mood and outlook for the day is completely changed. A wave of exhaustion hit me and I started to worry about my to-do list, wondering why there are only 24 hours in a day.
The Oura ring first caught my attention after seeing it worn by celebrities like Prince Harry and Gwyneth Paltrow. A simple silver band hugged the celebrity’s finger and provided the sleep stats I was craving. I wanted to join their exclusive sleep club.
But instead of helping me sleep better, the ring just caused anxiety. The quality has gone down even more.
“Take the ring off for a few nights and see if you can sleep well,” said Guy Meadows, Ph.D., a sleep physiologist for the Sleep School website and app, of sleepless nights worrying about my data. After that, he finally gave me some advice.
He went on to state clearly that I shouldn’t be awake, worried about how much or how little sleep my sleep tracker is recording. I need to know if I’m asleep,” Meadows explained.
But like any bad habit, I was hooked – how could I know my resting heart rate while I was sleeping if I stopped wearing the ring? If you have enough energy to go to the gym?
After another few weeks of restless sleep, I decided it was time to take the ring off and go cold turkey for a few nights – and I slept like a baby. I’ve noticed better focus at the gym, better diet, and better performance at the gym.
The Oura ring is now on my bedside table. I deleted the app, but never look back. I know some of the best sleep trackers can help you improve your sleep quality, but honestly, I slept perfectly well before investing in a sleep tracker. Maybe I slept a little ravenously.
I still forget to track my sleep stats. I’m sure most people aren’t as obsessed with their stats as I am.
