Wearable technology like smart rings and smartwatches allow you to track your fitness and health, helping you form better habits and make more informed decisions. There are many good wearable devices for sleep tracking, and in general, these devices provide reliable data about your personal sleep habits. This includes the time it takes to fall asleep, the time spent in different stages of sleep and how often you wake up at night, as well as biomarkers such as heart rate and blood oxygen level.
But if you’re looking for the best type of wearable to help improve your sleep, go for a smart ring. While smartwatches tend to have a higher level of features and more accurate fitness tracking, when it comes to sleeping, smart rings can do several things that smartwatches can’t, including offering fewer distractions. While there are pros and cons to each, and there is some overlap in functionality, smart rings are better than smartwatches for sleep tracking overall for one key reason: comfort.
Why smart rings are better for tracking sleep
Both types of wearable devices provide detailed and accurate data, so there’s not much difference between a smart ring and a smartwatch for sleep tracking on this front. However, a smartwatch is relatively bulky and can be uncomfortable to wear while sleeping. On the other hand, it is easier to adapt to having a ring on your finger. Wearing a smartwatch to bed also means having a screen strapped to your wrist all night, which can lead to sleep-disrupting distractions.
That said, smart rings have one major drawback. Unlike smartwatches, they usually require a subscription to access comprehensive information about your health. For example, without a $5.99/month Oura subscription, your app will be virtually empty except for sleep and activity scores (numbers that mean little without additional data), guided meditations, and some tutorials. Since these devices can be expensive – Apple Watches start at $249 for the SE 3 model, while the Oura Rings cost $349 and up – this added expense may be the deciding factor for you.
After all, you’re being asked to pay for the information your ring already tracks. Still, this data can be useful, and the convenience of a ring might be worth the extra cost. Overall, if you have the money for both, these wearables each excel in specific areas; smartwatches are better for fitness, while smart rings are great for sleep tracking. However, because they follow many of the same parameters, porting both is largely redundant. Ultimately, if you’re trying to figure out how to get a better night’s sleep, go for a smart ring.
