Should You Use the O2Ring Vibration Alert?
What the O2Ring vibration alert does, why you shouldn't rely on it, and how to decide whether to leave it on or off.
The O2Ring can buzz on your finger when your oxygen reading drops below a level you set. You switch it on, pick the level and choose how strong the buzz is in the ViHealth app.
So should you use it? It depends on what you want from the ring.
What is the alert, and what isn't it?
It's a nudge. The idea is that the buzz makes you stir or shift position.
It isn't a safety monitor. Don't rely on it to wake you, and don't rely on it to tell you something is wrong.
- You might sleep through it.
- The ring might be loose and reading nothing at that moment.
- The battery might be flat.
- A reading taken while you move can be off, so it can buzz when nothing happened.
If you or your doctor think you need overnight monitoring, that's a conversation with your doctor, not a ring setting.
Why would you turn it on?
- You want to see whether a buzz gets you to roll off your back. Related: back vs side sleeping.
- You're curious whether it changes anything in your own numbers.
Why would you leave it off?
- It wakes you up. Broken sleep is a cost, and you might feel it the next day.
- It changes the night you're recording. A buzz that makes you move also cuts a dip short. So nights with the alert on aren't comparable to nights with it off.
If you're recording a baseline, or testing a habit like alcohol or a late dinner, leave it off. Otherwise you're testing two things at once.
What level should you set?
We can't tell you that. There's no setting that's right for everyone, and the level that matters for you is a question for your clinician.
What we can say:
- A higher level means more buzzes.
- If it goes off many times a night, that's worth showing your doctor, not worth tuning away.
How do you test it on yourself?
- Record a week with the alert off.
- Record a week with it on. Keep the same level the whole week.
- Compare the two weeks, and note how you felt each morning.
In PulseOxTracker you can tag the nights the alert was on, then compare tagged nights against the rest. That's a comparison across your own nights, not proof of cause.
The ring isn't a sleep study. If you snore loudly, someone has heard you stop breathing or gasp, or you're exhausted during the day, see a doctor.
Not a medical device. Does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Discuss results and changes with a clinician.