Why Is Your Oura Ring Glowing Red? Here's What It Means
Technology has evolved a lot in recent years. Just a few years back, health monitoring features were exclusive to smartwatches like the Apple Watch or the Fitbit. But companies are now offering almost all the health features of a smartwatch in an even smaller accessory called a smart ring. While there are plenty of smart ring options out there, such as the Ultrahuman Ring Air, Samsung Galaxy Ring, and Luna Smart Ring, the smart rings from Oura are probably better than the rest in various aspects, like durability and precise monitoring.
The latest Oura Smart Ring, Oura Ring 4, monitors various health metrics such as heart rate, sleep stages, blood oxygen, and more. However, while wearing an Oura ring, you might have noticed that sometimes it starts to glow red out of nowhere. Worry not; that isn't any sign of danger. The red glowing light indicates that your smart ring is working perfectly fine and measuring your blood oxygen level (SpO₂).
Here's why your Oura ring is glowing red
One of the key features of the Oura rings is their ability to measure blood oxygen levels. As a heads-up, the blood oxygen level test allows you to measure the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood. Having a low blood oxygen level is an indication that your lungs or the circulatory system aren't functioning properly.
To test the blood oxygen level, the Oura Ring Gen3 and Gen4 feature LED sensors that emit red and infrared light into the finger on which you're wearing the ring and then monitor the reflected light that bounces back to determine the oxygen level in your blood. If your blood has a proper oxygen level, it will reflect more red light than infrared light. And if your blood has a low oxygen level, it will reflect more infrared than red light.
It's important to note that the blood oxygen sensing feature of the Oura rings comes into action when you've been asleep for more than three hours. So, most likely, it would be the case that someone else in your house would notice the red light coming out of the Oura ring you're wearing. When you wake up and they ask about the glowing red light that was coming out of the ring, you can now tell that the ring was actually measuring your blood oxygen level.