With all the latest tech gadgets and wearables, you may have asked yourself if investing in one is right for you in order to be more aware of your health. The many options specialize in different aspects of health and have become synonymous with certain health goals or health measures due to their data features.

My favorite is the Oura Ring. It has my vote time and time again as my favorite wearable, especially for women, because of its insights into fertility, cycle syncing, and hormone fluctuation, sleep optimization, and HRV and nervous system balance.

The Oura Ring

Labeled as the “Revolutionary Smart Ring,” the Oura Ring is worn on your finger–typically your pointer finger–and their business ethos is about learning more about your body cues and providing holistic insights to health. With science-backed research and experience, Oura provides data that is incredibly accurate and easily accessible on their app. The Ring gives you your daily personalized health scores in order for you to make life or health adjustments accordingly. It takes the guesswork and stress out of sustained wellness.

Reasons I love the Oura Ring

Hormones and Cycle Tracking

Did you know your body temperature fluctuates as your hormones do? In this way, you’re able to track which cycle phase you’re in in order to help determine fertility and chances of conception by taking your body temperature in the morning.

I got my Ring after years of taking my temperature every morning to track my cycle phases. Oura does the work for me now, making my fertility awareness method (FAM) more accurate and helping me adjust my workouts and recovery based on my cycle.

Sleep Optimization

There’s no other way to say this: if you’re not sleeping well, your health will suffer. To do a deep dive into your sleep, Oura tracks REM, deep sleep, and heart rate while sleeping—essential insights for recovery & performance.

With Oura, I’m able to track the trends of the nights when I don’t sleep well and the nights when I do. I can adjust my sleep hygiene by focusing on my sleep environment, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, supplementation, evening walks after dinner, and limiting blue light exposure.

For more information on sleep hygiene, check out my previous blog, “Ways to Optimize Your Sleep Hygiene.”

HRV and Nervous System Balance

HRV (heart rate variability) measures the balance between “fight-or-flight” and “rest-and-digest.” To be more specific, the “fight-or-flight” response is our sympathetic nervous system, whereas “rest-and-digest” is parasympathetic. A little deep dive to compare these two natural bodily responses:

Sympathetic nervous system:

Being in “fight-or-flight” makes our bodies very reactive: heart rate increases, pupils dilate, blood flow to muscles increases, glucose (energy-giver) increases, inflammation increases, and digestion decreases, among others. In other words, our body is sensing a threat and is prepared to move, and move rapidly in order to protect you. With constant stimulation (example: scrolling on social media), poor sleep, high amounts of caffeine, high emotional stress, and chronic stress are all major contributors to being in a sympathetic state.

Parasympathetic nervous system:

Ah, our parasympathetic nervous system. This is where our bodies feel relaxed, where rebuilding and restoration occur, and bodily systems work together. It’s where our bodies feel safe. Simple ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system: deep breathing (breathwork), yoga, time in nature, connecting with a close friend or family, and engaging in relaxing hobbies.

Think of sympathetic and parasympathetic as if they were on a balance beam–when there is a greater amount of one activity, the other is decreased.

Oura helps me be aware of the moments when my stress is high and when I need to reset my nervous system. I want to note that stress is natural and even beneficial to the body, but when it is in excess is where things like chronic inflammation, mental health disorders, cardiovascular issues, sleep disturbances, immune compromises, and digestive issues can occur. I’m able to see my stress data and stress resilience data in real time, making me feel extremely knowledgeable and in tune with my body's cues.

Other cool features? Steps, activity, blood O2 levels, and more!