Jewelry that collects biometric data and helps you keep track of your health habits is not new. Fitbits and Apple watches have been around for well over a decade combined, and while most people use them to track their miles or other exercises, they also hold important health data. The same can be said for one of the newest kids on the biometric block–the Oura ring.
For now, the ring can’t answer phone calls or texts like an Apple Watch, but it can take health data to another level. The Oura ring not only tracks how much sleep you get, but also how much you move, how often you stop breathing, how much deep sleep, REM sleep, and light sleep you get, and your oxygen levels and heart rate while you sleep. When you think the ring can’t go any deeper into your personal biometrics, it does. Oura also alerts you when your body is showing signs of strain which can mean anything from increased stress levels to something more serious.
Nurse Nikki Gooding credits her Oura ring with saving her life by alerting her to significant changes in her body which prompted her to seek medical attention. The woman has been wearing an Oura ring for years, but recently the ring suddenly started alerting her that she had “major signs” with a message that reads, “your biometrics show major signs of something straining your body. Take extra care today and rest if you’re feeling low on energy.”
When Gooding peeked at the readings from her ring, everything was in the red, from body temperature to HRV (heart rate variability) balance. The smart ring also gives people a readiness score based on their biometrics; Gooding’s score was consistently in the 30s to 40s since December. Readiness scores range from 0-100 with anything over 85 being optimal according to Oura.
At first the low readings didn’t concern the nurse. Everyone has an off few days, especially if you’re catching a cold or something minor. But when the ring continued to alert Gooding that her body was still showing signs of major strains consistently with constant low readings on all the biometrics Oura measures, she decided to do something about it.
The now-concerned nurse went to see her doctor to voice her worries over the change in readings on her ring. Thankfully, the doctor took the concerns seriously because shortly after visiting her doctor, she was hit with life altering news. Gooding has Hodgkin’s lymphoma and, according to her doctor, it seems the cancer has only been present for six months or less. Had it not been for her ring, she may have thought the night sweats and insomnia were hormone related instead of something more serious to consider.
The nurse now sees an oncologist and it seems her prognosis is positive thanks to catching the symptoms to the disease so early. While none of the biometric jewelry on the market is designed to diagnose users, there have been several reports of smart watches alerting people to concerning heart problems. Apple Watches go as far as to instruct users to seek medical attention if their heart is showing signs of Atrial fibrillation, known more commonly as Afib. In some cases the watch’s alert results in heart surgery and in one case a genetic kidney disease.
In all of these instances people’s lives were spared thanks to the alerts coming from their smart devices which get to know each wearers personal biometrics. So no, an Oura ring won’t tell you specifically what’s wrong, but having a piece of smart jewelry can alert your medical provider of a potential problem.
Thankfully Gooding decided to take her ring’s warnings seriously and seek medical attention. As smart jewelry becomes more intuitive, it’s likely to continue to save lives by alerting people of potential medical issues.
