Does anyone here have any personal experience with any trackers?
I don’t really care about steps, I get plenty of those. And I don’t care too much about sleep. Don’t need time or BG or any of the other things. I just want data on heart rate and HRV.
The Googles are all over the place with opinions.
I am not sure I can get past the ridiculous size of the Oura ring though. I got one of the sample sizing kits, and that thing is just so uncomfortable to me. It’s like wearing an infinity stone
I don’t wear/use any of the ones you mention, but have noticed several people recently using the Oura ring. I’ve had similar concern (no experience) about the bulkiness of it, but the folks I’ve briefly talked with have either not commented or said you get used to it fairly quickly.
I am not an expert on this, but I think HRV is best tested at consistent times and when the body is at rest. When moving around, there is going to be some natural variability. But when sleeping, the trackers can get a more accurate picture because you are not moving around as much, and not exposed to external stressors like work or whatever.
I am not 100% sure, but I think some of the trackers only test this when you are asleep for this very reason.
I don’t really know, I am just trying to learn all of this stuff right now!
I have lots of friends who really like the Oura. I didn’t realize there was a monthly subscription fee-- that seems silly. You know that I like my Apple Watch and I do use it to track heart rate while I work out. My husband swears by Garmin and has started using it to monitor heart rate as well.
The problem with using the Apple Watch is that it needs to be recharged so much!
Seriously though, I am trying out the sample ring from the sizing kit. I am getting used to it. I can get the thing on without any problem, but in order to take it off, I need to soap up my hands so it slides off easily. They don’t have 1/2 sizes, I wish they did. But I think I could get used to it, and it seems like it would serve the purpose for me.
I can’t find much info on Fitbit for HRV, I think it depends on what version you get.
But at least I know the Oura ring covers this.
Not really sure how accurate any of this is though! The most accurate HR sensors are the chest straps, but I am not going to wear that 24 hours a day. My experience with HR from any watch has always been somewhat sketchy. But maybe it’s better when sleeping and not moving around too much.
Would you say that the ring is on par with the watch for accuracy?
I have no idea on the comparison of ring to watches for accuracy. Google, of course, has lots of opinions (and even some studies!) … I know that Mark would steer you toward the Garmin, but he’s not using it for precision HR or HRV monitoring. Let us know where your thinking winds up and what you get!
I don’t know… a watch seems less obtrusive than the Oura, but I do think you can get used to almost anything. Since this conversation started, I have noticed SO MANY people in my world wearing the Oura. I’ve asked a few and they say it’s totally fine on their hands. The repeating monthly fee, though, would be a dealbreaker for me.
By comparison, I think the Whoop band is $30 a month, but I think they build it into the cost of the band for the first year. But if you have it for more than a year, I think you have to pay that again.
I don’t know how to compare accuracy though. The Whoop can be worn in different places. So if they are comparing Whoop when worn on chest compared to the ring, that is not a useful comparison, because I won’t be sleeping with it on my chest.
Here is a rough cost comparison. The fact that the Whoop band subscription is the same every year without any savings if you don’t get a new band seems kind of ridiculous.
So it looks like the break-even point is at year 2.
But then you think about it….
If you get the ring and think after 2 years you are going to be ahead, well…you have a 2 year old piece of technology which most likely is pretty antiquated after 2 years compared to whatever new hardware they come up with.
The higher level Whoop band supposedly does some type of “ECG” measurement. But I am skeptical of how much it can give you. A single wrist band compared to all the things they stick on your chest for a real ECG! Seems kind of sketchy.
Apple Watch does an ECG, with the watch in the left wrist you press the button with a right finger. This is a 2 wire reading. I don’t think much of it. It will detect AFib tachycardia and bradycardia. The last 2 don’t require and ECG just a pulse reading. It doesn’t report Right Branch Bundle Block which has shown in every ECG for 35 years.
