In February 2025, my SIBO symptoms hit hard. I knew something wasn’t right. In April 2025, I got an Oura Ring.
My Oura Ring didn’t diagnose SIBO, and it’s not supposed to. But having it during my SIBO and gut healing journey has been an invaluable tool. I know how I feel matters more than the numbers. Still, seeing my body under strain, even on days when my scores looked good, encouraged me to look deeper into why. My ring was concerned.
A SIBO breath test is what confirmed it.
Here’s what my numbers looked like and where they are now. I explain what each number means at the end.
My Oura Timeline
April 12, 2025: 57, Pay Attention. This was right after I got my ring, and it was my lowest score. My resting heart rate jumped to 64 that night, when it had been around 54 to 56 on the nights around it. Oura’s message: “Give yourself some extra time.”
June 19, 2025: major signs. My Readiness score was optimal, but Symptom Radar still showed major signs of something straining my body.
August 24, 2025: 80, Good. Same story. My readiness looked good, but my resting heart rate was above average.
November 8, 2025: biometrics under strain. Symptom Radar showed major signs on Thursday and again on Saturday. My respiratory rate was elevated at 16.6 breaths per minute, and my HRV was decreased at 43 ms.
November 21, 2025: 67, Fair. This was the day my elemental diet ended. My body temperature was still elevated, and Oura told me to take it easy.
November 30, 2025: 93. Nine days later, after a nap, Oura gave me a 93 with the message “Rest helps.”
Where I Am Now
Now my readiness is consistently Optimal. On Saturday, October 17, I got a 95, and Oura said, “We had to double-take.”
Then a 93 on October 23, “Above and beyond,” and a 94 on October 24, with an optimal HRV balance.
Here’s a recent night in full: readiness 95, resting heart rate 51 bpm, HRV 43 ms and body temperature −0.3°F from my baseline. My sleep score was 91, with 9 hours 13 minutes of total sleep, 1 hour 55 minutes of deep sleep and 2 hours 27 minutes of REM.
Then
- Readiness: 57, Pay Attention (April 12, 2025)
- Resting heart rate: 64, up from around 54 to 56
- Symptom Radar: major signs (June 19 and November 8, 2025)
- Respiratory rate: 16.6 per minute, elevated
- HRV: decreased (November 8, 2025)
- Body temperature: still elevated (November 21, 2025)
Now
- Readiness: 93 to 95, Optimal (October 2026)
- Resting heart rate: 51 bpm
- HRV balance: optimal
- Body temperature: −0.3°F from my baseline
- Sleep: 91, Optimal
What These Numbers Mean
- Readiness score: Oura’s 0 to 100 score for how ready your body is for the day. It’s built from things like your sleep, activity, resting heart rate, HRV and body temperature. 85 to 100 is Optimal, 70 to 84 is Good, 60 to 69 is Fair and below 60 is Pay Attention.
- Symptom Radar: looks for changes in your overnight data, like body temperature, breathing rate, resting heart rate and HRV, that may mean something is straining your body. It shows no signs, minor signs or major signs.
- Resting heart rate: your lowest heart rate during the night. Higher than your usual can be a sign of stress or illness, or even a late meal, caffeine or alcohol.
- HRV (heart rate variability): the tiny changes in time between your heartbeats, measured in milliseconds while you sleep. Compared to your own baseline, higher HRV is linked to good recovery, and lower HRV is often linked to stress or illness.
- Respiratory rate: how many breaths you take per minute while you sleep. It’s usually very steady night to night, so a change from your normal stands out.
- Body temperature deviation: how far your nighttime temperature is from your own baseline, which Oura shows as 0.0. Illness, strain or your cycle can push it up.
Every number is compared to your own baseline, not to anyone else’s.
What I Learned
My ring showed me my body was off, even on days my readiness looked fine. Now it shows me something else: my body is recovering.
If you’re in the thick of it, start with my SIBO symptoms and my UH-OH, SIBO story.