i've been using the Oura ring (gen 3) for two years: here are my thoughts

Let's jump right into it.

After almost two full years, the scratches on this thing are very noticeable. When I first got it, the gold color was crisp, and the finish was so clear and smooth. Now? It looks like a "brushed metal" finish. But here's the thing: I've worn it almost every day since I July 2021. 

It's been on vacation. 

It's been through TSA. 

It's been through countless diaper changes, showers, sauna visits, and gym sessions. 

So the scratches are to be expected, but I was disappointed when the actual color started wearing off after less than six months of use. It's only noticeable when you look at it very closely, but since I look at my hands often, it stands out for me.

For a while, I was in the habit of checking my Oura app immediately upon waking up - to the point where I was borderline obsessive about my sleep and readiness scores. Now, there are days when I probably won't check it until midday or until I notice the light sensors against my skin, reminding me that it's tracking all the fun stress data. 

Oh! Speaking of stress, this has singlehandedly been the best new(ish) feature of the ring. The insights of how my heart is reacting to certain situations has been invaluable to boosting my overall health. When they first rolled out the update, I had weeks of nonstop stressful days. This forced me to be more mindful and intentional about how I respond to stressful situations (as a parent to young children, there is no shortage of stressful situations!). Taking deep breaths and remembering to inhale/exhale through my nose instead of my mouth goes such a long way in keeping my stress levels in check. and so does drinking less caffeine, but let's not talk about that?

Here are some recent charts from the last few weeks:

  

• Mother's Day was "restorative" (thank you, fam!)
• Gabriel's birthday was "stressful" (to be expected, but he had fun, so that's all that matters)
• Our anniversary was "normal" (🥰)

The only true issue I have with this ring is the battery life. After two years, it's struggling. I have to charge it far more often than I'd like. I did reach out to Oura support and was basically told "Sorry, bestie! That sounds about right for its age," so I'm not loving the idea of a pricey piece of tech like this having such a short life cycle. 

I am waiting on pins and needles for one of the FAANG giants to release a worthy competitor in this space - hopefully it won't be tied to a subscription model for the data monitoring support.

All in all, I'd give it a solid 7/10. I've already influenced people in my life to take the plunge and get one. My score would be higher if it were better at tracking exercise and high intensity workouts, but the engineering team still has some work to do in that area.