The result was that I started sleeping like I did before the pandemic.Īnd my time with the Oura and the other devices taught me a simple but powerful lesson: The best sleep tracker is the one you can ignore. It served as a gentle but persistent reminder about the importance of good sleep habits while keeping me from obsessing over them. In short, I began using Oura as a long-term companion that became part of my everyday routine. The Oura used my sleep trends combined with my heart rate variability (the consistency of the intervals between each heart beat) to suggest that I needed rest more than I needed another hard workout. It detected, for example, when I had eaten a late-night snack (and suggested I might try eating earlier). I found the Oura’s app robust, and it fed me useful information. Which meant that I went to Oura’s app not when I was prompted by something that caught my attention on a device’s screen, but when I had the time and inclination to really absorb the Oura’s granular sleep information. On the data front, the Oura has no display-it doesn’t even tell you if it’s charged-so I could pretend it was a dumb device. Its low-key personality makes it a genial everyday companion. It’s sized like a piece of jewelry, and I found it comfortable enough to be worn 24/7. It’s a gossamer-light band made of titanium that’s just a bit bigger than a wedding ring. This elegant device was my Editor’s Choice, largely because of how easily it slips into the background. Which led me to a revelation: A couple of days after I was done, I looked down at my fingers and realized I had simply forgotten to take off the Oura Ring ($300 and up). Most devices then roll that info into a sleep score.Īfter consulting with five sleep specialists, I settled on six trackers to evaluate, wearing each of the devices at the same time for 14 consecutive nights:Īfter I was done with the two-week-long evaluation, I was pretty happy to take off the devices and get back to sleeping in just my pajamas. Today’s consumer-grade trackers are relatively inexpensive, rechargeable devices that may use your movement and other metrics such as your heart rate to log your sleep duration, sleep stages, or the number of times you awaken at night. There’s even a term for it: coronasomnia. That has taken on added momentum as more Americans like me report sleep problems amid the disruption of COVID-19. Wearable sleep trackers are part of a $30 billion sleep improvement industry that includes everything from sound machines to sleep drugs that promise sounder slumbers. Since I’m a tech editor at Consumer Reports and self-professed gear geek, I planned a deep dive to find a device that would help me better understand my out-of-whack sleep patterns. Premium content recommendations are not available in all locales and may be in English only.After trying the easy stuff, such as buying a squishy down pillow I liked at Marshalls, I decided to turn to technology. §Daily Readiness requires a Fitbit Premium membership. ‡‡Irregular heart rhythm notifications are only available in select countries and with select Fitbit products not intended for use by people under 22 years old or with known atrial fibrillation. Cancel before membership ends to avoid recurring fees. Purchase of the Bundle will exclude you from redeeming the 6-month Premium membership included with your device purchase. Only one Premium membership + 2-year protection plan (the "Bundle") per customer and for new and returning Premium members only. This feature is intended only to help users monitor and keep track of certain information. This feature may not accurately predict your menstrual cycles or related information. Fitbit does not guarantee or warrant that this feature can be used to achieve particular results. ◆◆◆This feature is not intended to be used for contraceptive or other medical purposes. ◆◆Notifications and app alerts are available on-device when your phone is nearby. Premium content and features subject to change. Content recommendations are not available in all locales and may be in English only. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call emergency services. If you have any concerns about your health, please talk to a healthcare provider. It is intended to provide information that can help you manage your well-being. This feature is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and should not be relied on for any medical purposes. ***The Health Metrics dashboard and the metrics displayed in the dashboard are not available in all countries. Cancel before end of trial to avoid recurring fees. Must activate trial within 60-days of device activation (requires valid payment). **New and returning Premium members only.
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