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Comment by atldev | Hacker News Reader

I like my Oura ring and find it one of the least fussy fitness trackers I've used. To me, the battery question is more about time between charging. I can travel for a week on a business trip without taking the charger, no problem. The sizing issue is real and as I dropped weight, the ring became loose and would fall off. I've added a small eva tab on the inside to increase friction and reduce risk until I buy the next version sized down.

The most important metric to me was the sleep score and related components. I've noticed my performance (mentally and physically) is tied to sleep in a huge way. I was skeptical that it would capture sleep metrics accurately, but after about a year of use, I can say without question that the number it presents as my sleep score is a very good proxy of how good I feel throughout the day.

My goal for this past year has been to focus on improving sleep health and for that, the ring has been a very useful tool.

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> The most important metric to me was the sleep score and related components. I've noticed my performance (mentally and physically) is tied to sleep in a huge way. I was skeptical that it would capture sleep metrics accurately, but after about a year of use, I can say without question that the number it presents as my sleep score is a very good proxy of how good I feel throughout the day.

For so many things, the absolute number being correct doesn’t matter, what’s more important is having _a_ scale that iou can use to chart against whatever you want. A “sleep score” doesn’t need to be accurate as long as it’s measuring the same thing (and that thing is the correct thing). Calorie counting is the same - it doesn’t matter if I think my breakfast is 500 calories but it’s actually 600 - as long as I consistently enter it incorrectly and measure my weight, I know I need to reduce my portion size somewhere.

Agreed. It has been consistent enough that I can make a pretty accurate guess each morning based on how I feel. With a consistent scale, I can work on the components (timing, duration, and other factors like alcohol, etc.) and I've made big improvements over the year.

> I can make a pretty accurate guess each morning based on how I feel.

So you don’t actually need the ring? :)

This is actually a serious question: I would want to use a smart ring for the things I can’t tell by myself. But then I also can’t judge the accuracy and consistency of the corresponding measures.

I can estimate a portion of rice within about 5-10% without a scale, but I needed the scale to learn what the portion was in the first place.

same thing applies to the ring!

I feel the same way about my Garmin watch's sleep tracking, but one thing I haven't been able to do is use that data effectively. It's an accurate after the fact representation of my sleep, but it doesn't tell me anything that my own body isn't telling me in terms of how I should adjust my sleep patterns/habits.

Do you find you change your behavior at all based on the sleep tracking?

Yeah, I found its made me much more aware of and focused on eating early, getting to sleep early, staying on a consistent sleep schedule, etc.

I like my oura ring but I find its terrible for fitness tracking. It takes nowhere near enough readings to actually get an idea of what zones my heart rate is in. I have a Wahoo Tickr that I use when I cycle or play tennis and the difference between it and the Oura ring is huge.

I have sleep apnea. I have noted discussions online where people have used oura data to tune their cpap. I was wondering if anyone had used a smart watch for the same. I read that Garmin had worse sleep tracking, but more opinions would be handy

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