I wore an Oura Ring for an entire year — here’s why I’m never going back to a smartwatch

A year ago, I purchased my Oura Ring 4, and it has been sitting on my left index finger every single day. My hands have perfectly molded to its presence, and I actually feel like something is missing when I take it off to charge it.

I’ve become somewhat obsessed with tracking my metrics with one of the best smart rings, and I think that can only be a good thing. But you’d never know, because the ring is discreet and has no screen to distract me, or the person I’m talking to.

With a smartwatch, our wrists demand our constant attention, but a ring takes that away while still effectively tracking metrics like heartbeats, sleep cycle, readiness and temperature. I can get an in-depth look at these metrics in the Oura app at the end of the day, so, for me, the best way to connect to my health is to disconnect from the screen.

I don’t want a screen

I may be cynical, but when I had an Apple Watch, I would always keep it on silent as I hated notifications coming through. It would constantly vibrate on my wrist, light up, and was frankly distracting.

Oura Ring 4: $349 at Amazon

The Oura Ring has helped me regulate my irregular sleep patterns by giving daily feedback on metrics. The ring can also track workouts and activity, all bundled into actionable insights to help you feel your best.

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For many people, this kind of access to the outside world is ideal and keeps them connected to loved ones. But as someone who is easily distracted, this became more of a hindrance for me. I would constantly turn my wrist each time the watch vibrated, and even though it’s just a glance, it would lead me to pick up my phone and ultimately forget about the task I was doing.

Since the Oura Ring is screen-free, I’m able to stay present in my daily tasks and remain connected to my body’s data, just minus the glowing wrist. It‘s also one of my pet peeves when I am sitting talking with someone, and they keep looking at their smartwatch. I’d even go so far as to say I find it pretty rude.

Extended battery life

Since the Oura Ring is screen-free, the battery life is far longer than that of a wearable with a screen. After all, screens drain a lot of power.

I only have to charge my Oura Ring once a week and still get all the data and features even when the power is running low. This means I get fewer data gaps where I have to take the ring off for charging.

In-depth insights

I actually purchased my Oura Ring along with the Oura subscription because I had a major surgery in 2024, and I wanted to get back to exercising while still prioritizing my recovery. This was the best choice I could have made because, since returning to hiking, running and Pilates, the ring has become my advisor.

I can get in-depth insights into my readiness when I work out. This allowed me to build the best routine to start getting strong while also paying attention to how much recovery I needed to give my body.

Oura has even been able to alert me when I’m about to get sick; when I had the flu, I knew a few days before to start taking it easy based on my temperature readings. And the temperature readings are also great for cycle tracking.

So, I won’t be taking this ring off any time soon, because staying screen-free and keeping track of my personal health now couldn’t be simpler.

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