Oura Ring - Best Gadget of 2018
2018 was a huge revelation in terms of something very simple. Sleep. Yes, it is the superpower and luxury that many of us take for granted. It is quite well researched that if you have to improve fitness, the triumvirate sleep-food-exercise plays a key role. All three are extremely important. (If you want to know more about sleep and its value, I highly recommend the book by Matthew Walker. It is simply the best book on this topic.)
I consume a lot of media on my devices. Netflix, Kindle, Instapaper and YouTube are my gateway drug dispensed by my iDevices. Apart from that, my work in a startup has given enough mild anxieties and things to ruminate and ponder about. I have never had trouble in falling sleep in my college days and late twenties. Now I am hovering in my late thirties, my sleep cycle has changed a lot. Long story short, my sleep was disrupted in 2018.
It was Matthew Walker, who gave a big kick in my butt with his book, not literally, on the importance of sleep. I started digging around to invest in my sleep hygiene. It was then I came across Oura ring, through Kevin Rose’s podcast. I use the v2.0 of the ring and it looks like a jewel or an accessory. It doesn’t stand out like the v1.0.
I slide in the ring 15 or 20 minutes before I go to the bed. It is quite unobtrusive and waterproof as well. I fall asleep after playing with my son or reading a book. The magic actually happens when I wake up in the morning.
Oura app gives two main things which are extremely accurate and bang on. It gives a readiness score and a sleep score. It takes multiple factors into consideration (total bedtime, actual sleep time, deep sleep, REM sleep, sleep efficiency, latency and a few other things). I have been using the device for the past 5 months and I see the readiness score being so accurate to my actual ready feeling. It gives a lot of suggestions on ideal bedtime, when to workout hard and when to take the daylight.
The quality and user experience of the devices and the app is top-notch and I dare to say, like the quality of an Apple product.
I agree, a gadget cannot “improve” my sleep. But all the efforts taken on improving the sleep (like Magnesium supplements, Melatonin or SOM Drink) can be quantified, measured and improved in a better way, with the help of a device like this.
Highly recommend it for gadget enthusiasts and fitness nerds interested in improving your sleep quality and hygiene.