Forget the Apple watch – the Oura ring is a smart ring that tracks your health metrics 24/7. The Oura Ring is emerging as a minimalist alternative to the Apple Watch, focusing on passive health tracking without the distractions of notifications or a screen. Gaining in popularity the ring sold over half its total devices in the past year, with many celebrities, athletes and business executives wearing it. 

Although, despite the gaining popularity many people don’t actually know what it is. 

Some people claimed that they “Don’t believe in aura,” senior Ali Puls said. Mistaking the brand name, Oura, for the speculated field of energy around a person. 

There were mixed opinions on whether people would actually want to have one. 

“I don’t want one,” Puls said. “I think it’s fake, and it doesn’t actually know some of the stuff it claims too.”

The claimed benefits seem to be an attractive pull for others.

“Yes, I would get one,” sophomore Kennadie Gibson said. “I think a lot of the health aspects are interesting to know about your overall well-being.”

Considering all the information the ring can tell, one factor was the most interesting to students.

 “I think the most interesting part of the whole ring is how it tracks how much sleep you’re getting and the certain phases of sleep you’re in,” senior Trentyn Braun said. 

Although one notable opinion about the most interesting aspect was surprising. 

“The most interesting aspect is definitely the name of the ring,” senior Hudson Adams said. 

Despite the rising popularity of the ring among college students, doctors are also using the ring to track the health of their clients. 

“My sister’s doctor recently made her get an Oura ring to track her blood information,” senior Maddie Mae Bratton said. “She has eight different auto immune diseases such as Lupus. Her Oura ring directly sends all of her health information to her doctor, so when something is off balance it alerts the doctor to help.”