Oura Ring – The best tech I have!

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of tracking performance. Whether it’s miles covered, relaxing time, or hours slept, numbers have a way of grounding you in reality. The Oura Ring takes that fascination and brings it into everyday life in a way that feels both subtle and powerful. It’s not just another gadget that buzzes on your wrist—it’s a quiet reminder that health isn’t about isolated moments, it’s about patterns. So here's my Oura Ring review.

I’ve been wearing the Oura Ring Gen 3 for a while now, and what I like most is how it builds a bigger picture. It doesn’t nag, it doesn’t demand constant attention, but it shows you trends you’d never pick up on otherwise. The heart rate dips during the night, the way your body temperature shifts after a hard session, how a late night out can echo into the following morning. Suddenly, those hazy feelings of “I just don’t have it today” make sense.

The practicality makes a difference too. I’ve wear a Apple Watch almost daily (and although I swap this for something much nicer from time to time), it’s great for notifications and workouts, the daily charging becomes a chore. You end up taking it off at night—exactly when the most important recovery data is happening. The Oura Ring, on the other hand, lasts five to six days on a single charge. That simple fact means you rarely miss a night of sleep tracking, and that consistency is what unlocks the real value. Data without gaps. Patterns without interruptions. Now I've been using the ring for a year - I will say that I'm starting to see this week long use now start to move to 4-5 days without the need to charge.

That long battery life also lets you get creative with charging habits. For example, I’ve slipped mine onto its charging dock during my shower—takes about an hour and a half to reach full—and it keeps me covered for a solid week. No frantic charging scramble, just effortless upkeep. 

For me, the biggest change has been understanding recovery. Training is addictive—you want to push, to see progress, to keep the streak alive. But the Oura data has made me realise that rest isn’t failure. It’s part of the system. When the readiness score flashes lower, it’s not saying stop forever. It’s saying adapt today so you can be stronger tomorrow. There’s a certain peace that comes with that permission.

Patterns emerge the longer you wear it. You start to notice how certain habits interact. A heavy workout late in the evening? My sleep quality drops. A couple of drinks on a Friday night? My resting heart rate stays elevated, even if I fall asleep quickly. Conversely, the days I stretch properly, hydrate, and shut off screens before bed—my sleep score climbs, and the next day I feel it in my training. Those are lessons you can’t fake, because the numbers back them up.

That link between alcohol and recovery has been particularly eye‑opening. Since I stopped drinking, the difference has been staggering. My resting heart rate is consistently lower, my deep sleep duration has gone up, and my readiness scores have been noticeably higher. It’s one thing to “feel” better in the morning, but it’s another to have the data confirm it. I wrote more about that shift in this post — the Oura numbers have been a big part of holding me accountable and proving to myself that the change is worth it.

I also appreciate how the ring wraps comfort and discreteness into one. It’s waterproof, lightweight, and virtually invisible—until you pause to think, “Hey, where did this ring come from?” It’ll track your workouts (it can auto-detect over 40 activities and sync with Strava), swim sessions, even handle surprise dives in the pool or showers without complain.

It also shifts how you view effort. Training hard is one thing, but training smart is another. I’ve caught myself holding back on a run because the ring showed me I hadn’t fully recovered yet. That used to feel like weakness. Now I see it as discipline. Knowing when to go and when to wait is what separates a good routine from a sustainable one.

The Oura Ring isn’t perfect, of course. No wearable is. But it’s reliable enough that the patterns become your guide. It takes the guesswork out of health and replaces it with evidence. Over weeks and months, you end up with this archive of how your body reacts to life—stress, training, recovery, even the subtle impact of lifestyle choices. For someone like me, always on the move, that’s invaluable.

What I like most is that it doesn’t feel like tech for the sake of tech. It’s not about being the fastest or the fittest. It’s about understanding yourself better, and using that insight to make decisions that add up over time. It’s a reminder that progress isn’t just measured in the gym or on the road, but in how well you look after the machine that gets you there in the first place.

The Oura Ring has taught me that consistency doesn’t mean going at full tilt every day. It means respecting the ebb and flow, listening to the signals, and finding balance between drive and recovery. In the long run, that balance is what really counts.

I now don't know what I would do without the data - checking my morning sleep has now been my first "go to" in the morning even before checking Facebook!.

If you’ve never tried one, I’d honestly say give it a go. Pick up an Oura Ring, wear it for a few weeks, and see what it shows you. I think you’ll be surprised at how much you learn about yourself—and how small changes, guided by the data, can make a huge difference. It's also smart, durable (I've not put a scratch on my version - despite DIY, trips to the rubbish dump, building furniture, changing a tyre etc...) and something that fits your life. There is the new version 4 and I'm sure that I'll upgrade to this one soon - but honestly I'm still loving what version 3 has to offer me for now

If you think from my Oura Ring Review you would like to give it a go you can check it out at ouraring.com

Frequently Asked Questions about the Oura Ring Gen 3

Is the Oura Ring worth it?
Yes, if you care about tracking sleep, recovery, and long-term health trends. Unlike many wearables, the Oura Ring gives detailed insights into how your body reacts to training, rest, and lifestyle choices. For me, it’s been invaluable in understanding recovery and building sustainable training habits. But read my Oura Ring Review to give you a true reflection!

How long does the Oura Ring Gen 3 battery last?
The Oura Ring Gen 3 typically lasts five to six days on a single charge. Charging takes around 80–90 minutes, so a quick top-up during a shower or downtime is usually enough to keep it going without missing sleep data.

Is the Oura Ring better than an Apple Watch for sleep tracking?
Yes, for sleep specifically. The Apple Watch needs daily charging, which often means you take it off overnight. The Oura Ring is designed for continuous wear and rarely misses a night of data. It also goes deeper into recovery metrics, like heart rate variability and body temperature changes, which the Apple Watch doesn’t track as well.

Can you wear the Oura Ring in the shower or swimming?
Yes. The Oura Ring Gen 3 is waterproof up to 100m, so you can wear it while swimming, showering, or even in the sauna. It’s built to stay on your finger around the clock.

Does the Oura Ring track workouts?
Yes. The Oura Ring can automatically detect over 40 activities, from running to cycling to walking. You can also log workouts manually in the app, and it integrates with fitness platforms like Strava for a more complete picture of your training.

What’s the biggest benefit of the Oura Ring?
The biggest benefit is understanding recovery. It shows how your body responds to workouts, sleep quality, and daily habits—like alcohol or late nights—so you can make better choices. For me, it confirmed just how much stopping drinking improved my health and training.

Oura Ring Gen 3 vs Apple Watch