Who: Gabrielle B., 30, Philadelphia
Oura Member since: November 2020
Surprising Insight: With the Oura App and Membership, Gabrielle was able to spot a decline in her sleep quality, which signaled her to check in with herself, and her healthcare team, to manage her depressive symptoms before they got worse.
Disclaimer: The Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent medical conditions/illnesses.
You were a Natural Cycles member as well as an Oura member — tell us about your experience integrating the two apps.
When I saw the partnership announced on social media, I was so excited! I’ve used Natural Cycles since May 2017 on the birth control setting, and have really enjoyed it. However, I struggled with consistently measuring my temperature trends in the morning. Sometimes I would forget or get up to use the bathroom before I took my temperature. So the Oura integration was absolutely perfect. Since I set it up, I haven’t missed a single day of data.
Learn more about the Natural Cycles and Oura partnership and available discounts.
The NC° app shows Gabrielle’s temperature variations as either “excellent” or “very good” for both phases of her cycle. Plus, she’s measured her temperature 100% of the time since integrating Natural Cycles with the Oura App.
For any woman of reproductive age, for any woman who’s interested in gaining insights about their health, I think this collaboration is just the best thing. Especially with everything that’s going on now in our country with reproductive rights, empowering women to understand their own health better is so crucial. It’s not something that we’re really well educated about. So the health knowledge to me is invaluable.
I also work in healthcare, and it’s amazing to give this much information to people so they can self-educate. And then when you go to the doctor, you have more quality questions to ask and information to give them which can help treatment — whether you’re going to your gynecologist or mental health provider. Information is power.
READ MORE: How Oura Data Can Help You Understand Your Menstrual Cycle
What other health insights have you learned from Oura?
I’ve dealt with chronic anxiety and depression throughout my life, and I’ve noticed some patterns in my Oura data. For instance, if I notice that my HRV (heart rate variability) is trending lower than usual, it can be a signal that I’m starting to dip into a bit of depression. My total sleep time and sleep efficiency also drop, and my restlessness goes up. If I notice those trends, it’s a signal to me to check in with myself.
Another example: Last fall I began a series of treatments for my mental health. In my Oura App, I noticed an upward trend of pretty much all of my sleep stats after those treatments — and they sustained. Then a couple months ago, I noticed my sleep stats starting to drop again. That prompted me to check in with myself and reach out to my team, and I started back up with some maintenance infusions. Oura has helped me see these patterns before it gets so bad that I feel unable to do anything.
Gabrielle’s monthly trends of her Sleep Score showing how it improved after starting a series of treatments last November. In July, Gabrielle noticed her Sleep Score started to decline again, which helped signal her to check in with her depressive symptoms.
The #1 lesson you want to share with others?
The importance of sleep! I think society in general is just catching on to the value of quality sleep — we’ve had this rat-race mentality, with people priding themselves on not sleeping much. And I know for me personally, I’ve really been able to see how much it impacts me when I don’t get good sleep and how it impacts the way I feel day to day. It’s huge.
What’s Your Oura Story?
Everyone’s story is unique, and we’d love to hear yours. Share your story here.