Smart ring, worn by Prince Harry and hailed as the UK’s ‘secret weapon’, can detect whether you have diabetes, flu or Covid… by tracking how well you sleep
A wearable health tracker hailed as the UK’s ‘secret weapon’ could help predict whether you have diabetes, a new study has found.
Researchers found that sleep monitoring data measured by the Oura ring – unique among trackers because it is a ring worn on the finger – can also detect illnesses such as flu or Covid.
Fans of the fashionable Finnish technology already include Gwyneth Paltrow, Cristiano Ronaldo and even Prince Harry.
The scientists, who monitored the sleep patterns of more than 30,000 Americans, identified five main types of sleep, which they called sleep phenotypes.
They discovered how often a person switches between phenotypes could help predict health problems.
Prince Harry made waves around the Oura ring in 2018 when he was caught wearing the titanium jewelry during a trip to Australia. The Duke of Sussex wore the black band on his right ring finger during the first three days of outings in Australia alongside Meghan Markle
The Oura ring has become an addition to England’s arsenal at the European Championships. Several players have also used the ring during training. In the photo Marc Guehi, dressed in Finnish technology
Professor Benjamin Smarr, co-author of the study and expert in data science at the University of California San Diego, said: ‘We found that small changes in sleep quality helped us identify health risks.’
The Oura ring, launched in 2013 by Oura Health, a Finnish technology company, cOmen with a hefty price tag, starting at £299 and costing up to £549.
The company claims the ring is the first wearable designed to paint a truly holistic picture of your health.
On social media, users obsess over their sleep and stress scores and admit to making dramatic lifestyle changes, such as giving up alcohol or overhauling the way they sleep, for better results.
Wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow, 51, has shared photos of herself wearing the ring several times
The ring contains three sensors: small infrared lights that measure heart and breathing, while an accelerometer tracks movement and a body temperature monitor signals fever and predicts women’s menstrual cycles.
While an Apple Watch, Garmin or Fitbit record much of the same data, Oura claims it’s a ring that sets it apart.
Its location – the index finger is recommended – means it picks up signals directly from the heart to provide better data than can be collected from the wrist, he claims.
As part of the study, scientists tracked more than five million nights of sleep from 33,152 participants and recorded how often they switched between phenotypes.
They found that they could detect up to ten times more information about people who had a fever than without the ring.
Kim Kardashian, 43, previously shared a photo of her Oura ring’s biometrics to her Instagram Story and later challenged the brand to a sleep quality competition
For flu and Covid this was three times and five times more information respectively.
The device also provided twice as much information about sleep apnea and diabetes.
Writing in the diary, npj Digital medicineThe researchers said: ‘People with diabetes and sleep apnea are more likely to stay in insomnia-like sleep clusters.
‘There are significant differences in the distribution between the months leading up to and the weeks surrounding the diagnoses of Covid, flu and fever.’
Professor Edward Wang, co-author of the study and an expert in mobile health sensing at the University of California San Diego, added: ‘We found that the small differences in how sleep disruptions occur can tell us a lot.
Launched in 2013 by Oura Health, a Finnish tech company, the Oura ring comes with a hefty price tag, starting at £299 and going up to £549. The company claims the ring is the first wearable designed to provide a… to paint a truly holistic picture of your health
‘While these cases are rare, their frequency is also telling.
‘So it’s not just about whether you sleep well or not, it’s the sleep patterns over time where the most important information is hidden.’
However, the researchers acknowledged that the study had “several limitations,” including only those who already owned an expensive Oura ring.
The results were also based on participants self-reporting their ring data, which meant ‘some “healthy” periods These may include unreported conditions.