![]() These new technologies would have to advance considerably to allow us to use them medically.” Another reason he says the ring cannot be totally relied on to monitor symptoms of COVID-19 is that this virus has so many asymptomatic carriers. “It may play some very minor role,” he says, “but I can’t see at this moment that it has significant value in identifying COVID-19 specifically. David Hirschwerk, an infectious-disease specialist at North Shore University Hospital, stresses that while it’s “conceivable that it could provide clues that someone is ill, such as a raised heart rate or temperature, it does not replace diagnostic testing” for the virus - especially because the symptoms it picks up could be indicators of any number of ailments. The Oura is also the only device that blends all its statistics into an algorithm that then generates a “readiness score” for the wearer’s day ahead (think of it as a human equivalent to the iPhone’s battery-percentage indicator).Īs for the ring’s use in detecting symptoms of COVID-19, Dr. The other devices track HRV too, but Oura claims to do it better because the thinner skin on the finger makes it easier for the ring to consistently detect the wearer’s blood flow (this is the same reason doctors place a pulse oximeter on patients’ fingers).īeyond its unique shape, the biggest thing the Oura has that the other devices don’t is a gauge of body temperature, through which it can warn wearers about the potential onset of a flu or fever. The Oura also tracks your heart-rate variability, which shows how your nervous system is functioning. (Obviously, the Apple Watch has lots of unique features that none of these devices have, but for the sake of this article, we’re focusing on its health-tracking ability.) Just like those devices, the Oura ring is water resistant and works in tandem with an app to display statistics like your step count, active and passive calorie burn, sleep quality, and respiratory rate. Speaking of Fitbit, you may be wondering what specifically the Oura ring offers that it and other health-tracking devices, like the Apple Watch and WHOOP wristband, do not. “People don’t like to sleep with things on their wrist.” “A few years ago, I spoke with Fitbit’s lead sleep scientist, Conor Heneghan, and he told me the most challenging thing was getting people to wear it at night,” says Khosla. Seema Khosla, the medical director at North Dakota’s Center for Sleep, says that because it’s a ring, the product is far more likely to be used consistently than trackers worn on the wrist. Still, the experts did agree that for those who subscribe to the type of data-driven lifestyle that such health-tracking devices support, the Oura - the only expert-vetted, ring-shaped tracker on the market - represents one of the most impressive, least-intrusive health trackers in terms of its design. But even though the data the ring provides are actionable, most of our experts say the device wouldn’t be more helpful in identifying cases of the often symptomless COVID-19 - or even provide better insights about how you sleep than you can get from free apps or common sense. They say the most helpful thing about the Oura ring is that it can provide your doctors with far more details about your recent health than they would normally access during a visit, which can, in turn, help better determine if that high heart rate they’ve just measured is due to a new condition, the anxiety that comes with living through a historic pandemic, or your rushing to get to the appointment. Their feedback was surprisingly consistent. To find out, we consulted seven experts, including infectious-disease doctors, sleep scientists, tech journalists, and Oura users. ![]() Which got us wondering: Is this thing really any better than other health trackers on the market, and does it do any more than, say, a thermometer or pulse oximeter would to help you self-monitor for possible symptoms of the disease? ![]() But once the league said it would provide Oura rings to all its athletes (who are not required to wear them, though), interest exploded in the gadget as a potential way to detect symptoms of COVID-19. Before the league’s announcement, the pricey, futuristic ring seemed little more than the latest accessory for folks you’d expect to traffic in pricey, futuristic rings - billionaires, royalty, longevity doctors, tech CEOs. It’s not a mask or a face shield but a “smart ring” from Oura, a Finnish company that debuted the gadget in 2018 as a way for people to track their vital signs (including heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature) and sleep patterns. When the NBA announced its plans last month for safely resuming league play, the new guidelines noted that athletes would receive a new piece of gear ahead of their return to the court. ![]()
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