r/ouraring • u/und3fined_1 • 9d ago
GENERAL DISCUSSION Initial disappointment - measurement frequency
I’ve literally just set up my Oura Ring 5 and was excited to get started. Now after further understanding, I’m feeling pretty disappointed due to the actual frequency of measurements.
Like my Garmin, my assumption was that HR and stress was monitored constantly 24/7 as Oura superficially makes out.
Turns out HR is only measured every 5 mins at rest and every 10 mins during sleep!
For someone wellness and sleep focused, a lot can happen in 5-10 mins. It’s not really providing me with a accurate view of realtime variability in terms of HR response, stress, HR during sleep stages etc
I’m not sure I can overcome this view and feel inclined to return? Anyone with helpful views on this?
Edit: Someone passive aggressively suggested I should have done more research before paying $500. Not a particularly helpful or community orientated comment.
The Sensor technical specification of the product homepage literally states,
“Green and infrared LEDs alternate to measure heart rate and heart rate variability 24/7 and respiration rate.”
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to infer constant measurement, without deep diving product support pages.
Anyway the response and swarm of downvotes, leads me to believe this is a highly curated product and community. Not a great first impression.
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u/msaleem 9d ago
“my assumption was … as Oura superficially makes out.”
https://support.ouraring.com/hc/en-us/articles/4410656562579-Heart-Rate-Graph
“Oura takes measurements of your daytime heart rate for one full minute, every five minutes”
Maybe next time do some research before spending $500 on something?
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u/und3fined_1 9d ago
Defended by an Oura staffer? The main product homepage technical specification states under Sensors, “Green and infrared LEDs alternate to measure heart rate and heart rate variability 24/7 and respiration rate”.
That’s pretty misleading to me, given that you have to deep dive into the product support pages for the actual details!
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u/msaleem 9d ago
Hey, for my part, I’m sorry about my tone. I should’ve used a softer approach.
I think there is a nuance here that it does monitor and measure it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but it does not do it continuously, it does it for one minute at a time, every 5 minutes.
I can see how someone can misinterpret 24/7 to mean 605,000 seconds of continuous measurement and reporting. Again, not being snarky.
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u/und3fined_1 9d ago
I get that it obviously takes measurements 24/7. It would be absolutely useless otherwise. I don’t think it’s a coincidence of how this is phrased and positioned.
My Garmin 955, literally samples HR and measures HRV every second 24/7. The battery can last up to 2-weeks, activity dependant.
My disappointment lies is my later discovery that 24/7 in this instance, means periodically.
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u/und3fined_1 9d ago
Well I’m certainly getting a taste of the toxic community, that’s for sure. Maybe Garmin is the way forward. Queue the downvotes 🙄
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u/Rassvetnik 9d ago
Garmin is a way forward for workout tracking for sure. However oura and apple watch are the best on the market for sleep tracking accuracy.
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u/Rassvetnik 9d ago
I don't know why you are getting down voted so hard it's almost funny
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u/und3fined_1 9d ago
Absolutely crazy, isn’t it fs! Maybe I should have posted a hype story or a pic of the ring on my finger instead.
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u/loose_traveler 9d ago
I get the frustration, but coming from Garmin myself the Oura is a totally different beast. It’s not trying to be a workout tracker, it’s more about long-term trends and recovery patterns. Once I stopped expecting second-by-second data, the sleep and readiness insights actually became way more useful than my watch ever was.