Oura currently focuses on sleep debt, which is extremely valuable. However, I’d love to see a feature that also recognizes sleep surplus or “sleep banking.” This would show when a user sleeps more than their baseline need, creating a temporary buffer for upcoming challenges.

Why This Matters:

Life is unpredictable—sometimes we face intense work periods, international travel, or major life events that disrupt sleep. Being able to proactively build a sleep reserve before these times would help users manage energy, recovery, and resilience better.

Scientific research supports this concept: studies show that extra sleep before sleep restriction improves cognitive performance, reaction time, and mood during demanding periods. While the benefits are temporary (usually lasting a few days), they can make a significant difference when “life happens.”

Tracking this in Oura would empower users to plan ahead, reduce stress, and feel more in control of their well-being.

Suggested Implementation:

Display positive sleep surplus alongside sleep debt in the insights dashboard.

Include trends over the past 7–14 days to show if the user is building or depleting reserves.