THE SLEEP TRACKER RING HARRY LOVES
THE Oura Smart Ring, which Prince Harry is reported to be wearing in Australia, is a shiny state-of-the-art piece of kit.
Tiny sensors in the band track your pulse, heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate, movement (and any variations) 24 hours a day, then use this to measure your sleep quality and stages.
It sends this data to an app and offers guidance for improving your sleep, including optimal bedtimes. (Particularly useful if you’ve recently flown to Australia from the UK and are battling jet lag.)
It’s stylish, but substance is key. Its co-founder, Petteri Lahtela, based in Finland, says: ‘The reason it’s a ring is that, compared to wrist devices, we can get highly accurate access to bio-signals from your finger. There are two arteries on the palm side, and the infrared sensors in the ring access those arteries directly.’
Because it’s comfortable enough to wear constantly, he says, ‘this ring allows 24/7 access to changes in sleep and body reactions. From that, together with other signals, we derive lots of insights related to your sleep quality
and how your body responds to your lifestyle.
‘Sleep is a mirror of your day. For instance your resting heart rate over the night tells us how well you’ve recovered from the mental and physical strains of your day.’
The company does continual research with leading universities, hospitals and organisations such as the California Center for Sleep Disorders. Petteri hopes the smart ring (which offers guidance based on the data) will encourage people to take responsibility for their health.
From about £276, ouraring.com