Can smart rings tell when you're dreaming? If a recent Oura patent is to be believed, they might soon be able to.
The paperwork, filed last September and published on 22 January 2026, suggests that the company is working to provide advanced insights into sleep or physiological states via its popular wearable.
Reading between the sleep cycles
The patent describes a system that uses smart ring data to learn your normal sleep patterns and detect changes in your physiological state, such as sleep stages or possible dreaming.
Sadly, the document does not actually claim that the ring can determine what you’re dreaming about in any literal, brain-reading sense.
It describes a system that aims to identify likely dream periods and then suggest or prompt the user to record dream content.
However, it doesn’t assert any technology that can decode dream content directly from brain activity.
More nudge than mind-reader
Even though patents can often be hit-or-miss when it comes to companies actually implementing them, the 'dream-reader' technology feels on-brand for Oura.
The company's smart ring, which is the most advanced sleep-tracking ring yet from Oura, is built to turn overnight biometrics into daily readiness guidance.
It already provides many sleep-related features, so adding another one that logs dreamlike states during your slumber wouldn’t feel like a huge leap for the company.
An expanding wearable ecosystem
It’s not the only Oura patent to surface recently. Another recent leak suggests a wearable system that connects multiple devices, including smart rings and smart glasses, into a single ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Oura-rival Ultrahuman is working on its smart home setup, trying to connect wearables with smart home monitors and HVAC units to create the ideal ambient temperature for sleeping.
While we might not see the Oura smart glasses for a couple of years, it's much more likely that information about dream states will soon land in the Oura app.
The latest Oura Ring 4 is currently 7% off at Amazon, selling for £325.54 (RRP £349).
[via Justia, GadgetsandWearables]
