{"id":929487,"date":"2024-02-06T04:58:18","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T04:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ouraring.com\/?p=929487"},"modified":"2024-05-10T15:30:24","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T15:30:24","slug":"respiratory-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ouraring.wpengine.com\/respiratory-rate\/","title":{"rendered":"How Oura Measures Respiratory Rate From Your Finger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Respiratory rate<\/a> can be measured directly by counting the rise and fall of someone\u2019s chest or indirectly by reading it from another signal in your body, like your heart\u2019s activity. A widely used method is deriving respiration from photoplethysmography (PPG), the same light pulses used to measure heart rate in Oura and many hospital devices.<\/p>\n

How Does It Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Oura derives your respiratory rate exclusively from your nighttime PPG data<\/a> \u2013 the same signal it uses to measure your resting heart rate<\/a> and heart rate variability.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nighttime is an ideal time to measure respiration because your body is in a consistent state. During the day, many factors can influence your respiratory rate (e.g., caffeine<\/a>, emotion<\/a>, exercise<\/a>), and it\u2019s even been shown that your rate increases when you know it is being counted.<\/p>\n

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You can measure respiration in your heartbeat because your heart and lungs are closely connected by a process called respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Although it sounds serious, it\u2019s a completely normal and simple partnership:<\/p>\n