Bye Bye Oura
What I learned about myself in 5 years of wearing an Oura ring
My Oura ring broke after 5 years.
I absolutely loved it but decided not to get a new one.
The ring had a fundamental impact on how I live.
Here’s what I learned and why I’m not getting a new one.
When you first get an Oura, you check it multiple times a day.
Everything on there is interesting - from sleep phases, body temperature, your sleep-, readiness-, activity score to heart rate variability.
Where the real value starts though is after a couple of months of data.
#1 Sleep is your foundation
THE biggest impact the ring had on me is that it tangibly showed the impact of sleeping too little (= less than 8 hours).
The first change I made is to sleep 8 hours every night.
And even if the ring just made that change to my life, it was worth it.
Graph #1 » time in bed
Graph #2 » total sleep (falling asleep, waking up excluded)
Side Note: Another thing I learned is that I am incredibly lucky to fall asleep very quickly 11mins on average.
#2 Alcohol is a killer
The second thing you learn pretty quickly is the enormous impact alcohol has on the quality of your sleep and subsequently on your day and stress levels.
Instead of going or “just” one or two beers at the mid-week networking event, instead, I now consciously reach for a Heaps Normal (non-alc beer).
Disclaimer: Startmate is an investor ❤️🔥 They are excellent.
#3 The trifecta to manage your stress levels
Finally, and this learning took the longest (and I’m not great at it either), you get to learn about your stress levels.
Heart Rate Variability is a proxy for your stress levels.
High HRV = Good » you’re chill
Low HRV = Bad » you’re stressed
The trifecta to manage your stress levels (outside of personal/work stress):
Sleep - get a good night’s sleep!
Alcohol - even just one drink has big negative impact
Exercise (!)
Exercise is crucial and the impact here is lagging. You can’t just exercise once and see the impact the next day. Exercise consistently for ~2 weeks and you’ll see the impact. It is a long game of consistency.
👇 this was my peak HRV when I was training 4-5 times a week for a Half-Ironman.
👇 This is the impact of taking a 2+ week holiday for Xmas! DO IT!
Consistency across all of the above is key.
Sadly, there is of course another element in there which is personal and work stress and that’s much, much tougher to manage, nor do I have any tips here 😅
👇 Life doesn’t get easier 😵
So why don’t I get a new Oura ring?
Firstly, it isn’t cheap… I was ok spending $500 on a ring when I first got it (and I still would), but sadly there is now a $10/month membership on it too and that tips the scales to too expensive.
Secondly, I feel like I’ve learned and understood my body over the past 5 years. I’m more in tune than ever and know what to do it.
I know what is in my control, so let’s hope 🤞 life will get a bit less stressful 😅