Oura Ring, a wearable health tracker, can help you get to the bottom of your sleep, fitness, and stress. But one girlfriend warns that the device may tell you something you don’t want to hear in a now-viral TikTok.
In a video with over 396,000 views, TikToker Eli Markovic (@elimarkovic) shares a clip of her and her boyfriend sitting across from each other at a restaurant. She zooms in on a silver Oura ring on her boyfriend’s pointer finger.
On-screen text reads, “My man bought an Oura ring… tell me why it always tells him he’s stressed out when he’s with me. Oura count your days.”
“Anyone else have this issue?” she asks in the caption.
How does the Oura Ring track stress?
While Markovic worries that this reading means her boyfriend doesn’t enjoy her company, that might not be the case. The Oura Ring tracks stress by monitoring heart rate, body temperature, and motion.
Viewers point out that not all stress is bad stress—and the Oura reading likely isn’t a bad sign.
“It shows as stressed because heart rate goes up,” one viewer assured Markovic.
“It might be that he’s happy or excited,” another said.
“I think you make him nervous,” a third added.
“Not all cortisol is bad cortisol,” a fourth explained.
Apparently, Oura Ring has heard these concerns before. In a blog post, the company explains that a stress reading may indicate that you’re just excited, alert, or engaged.
Partners weigh in
In the comments, partners who own health trackers share how their device reacts when they’re around their significant other.
“My Garmin watch does the same thing when I’m with my gf. Will tell me I’ve had a stressful period of time lol,” one said.
However, other boyfriends poke fun at Markovic, jokingly warning that she could be stressing him out.
“Just lets you know the ring works,” one said.
“Hey, don’t blame the tech because it works, just saying!” another wrote.
“Alright, guys, so how do we tell her…” a third added.
@elimarkovic anyone else have this issue 🙂 #ouraring ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
The Daily Dot reached out to Markovic via email and TikTok direct message. We also emailed Oura Ring for further comment.
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