Oura ring and health anxiety: some tips

I’ve been seeing an increasing number of posts about Oura and health anxiety, so I thought I’d share my two cents. I have a chronic illness, and I’ve been struggling with health anxiety on and off for many years now. Health and activity trackers with screens (like smartwatches) are a big no for me because I keep checking them obsessively, especially my heart rate. Recently I seriously considered cancelling my subscription because I felt like I was becoming too obsessed with my data, but overall, I find Oura very useful for managing my health and sleep, so I decided to keep it, but use it better. Some tips for managing health anxiety while using Oura:

1. Disable Symptom Radar: this is a big one, and I did this months ago. Minor and major signs have caused me sooo much anxiety, and most of the time, it was nothing. If something’s wrong, I feel it. If I don’t feel it, I really don’t need a device telling me that. If something is seriously wrong, my heart rate, HRV, and temperature will indicate it anyway, so why add another layer of anxiety?

2. Don’t check the app right after waking up: it’s very tempting to see your readiness and sleep scores right away, but let your brain and body decide how you feel first. I feel way less stressed since I’ve started checking my scores 3-4 hours after my day begins.

3. Heart rate and stress are just data, and not necessarily accurate: the more I check my stress, the more stressed I am. My body experiences a lot of physiological stress because of my illness, but it is what it is. I also get these occasional high heart rate readings, but that could be the ring moving around, false data, or simply just an occasional high pulse, which is fine. I probably had many episodes of high heart rate throughout my life which I didn’t know about, and I’m still here.

4. Check the app only 1-2 times a day: data is useful, but checking it multiple times a day won’t change a thing about how you feel. I usually allow myself to check it around noon and again in the evening when I add my activities.

5. If it’s too overwhelming, just put the ring down for a few days: I realized how obsessed I had become when I decided not to wear my ring for a night. But then I did it, and the sun still rose that day, haha. Ever since, if I feel obsessive, I just put it away for a few days, and it’s fine. Even if it’s very useful, it’s still just a gadget.

Obviously, what works for me might not work for someone else. Health anxiety is hard to manage, especially with so many health devices out there. Be safe and mindful, and make sure to seek help if anxiety is affecting your quality of life!