Everyone who has ever worn a wedding band or engagement ring knows there are certain scenarios when wearing a ring isn’t ideal or safe, for that matter.

These 10 scenarios will open your eyes to some of those situations but also recommend safe alternatives.

Water activities

Boating, river rafting, kayaking, you get the idea. Water activities often involve cold water, which can make your hands contract and shrink a bit. It’s called vasoconstriction (we didn’t know the technical term until now either, so you’re good).

Basically, when you’re cold, body heat is used to protect your core, so your fingers and other parts of your body don’t get the blood flow they’re used to and shrink a bit. With a bit of water and activity, your ring can slip right off your finger.

Gardening

There are two obvious reasons for this. One, dirt and soil could easily get in small crevices and damage your ring. Two, you could easily lose your ring without noticing it. Last we checked, lost wedding rings do not have the same beneficial effect on soil that traditional compost has so if you lose your ring while gardening, it’s really just a lose-lose scenario.

Doing the dishes

We’ve all heard horror stories of expensive rings ending up in the garbage disposal. Enough said.

Cleaning with chemicals

Strong chemicals or cleaning products could damage the appearance of your ring, especially for the ladies with diamonds or precious jewels. If you have a flat band, then wearing gloves may suffice to protect your hands and ring, but if you have a diamond or other jewels raised from the surface of the ring, gloves just feel awkward.

Sports

From basketball to a myriad of other sports, people have lost their fingers while wearing traditional wedding bands. It’s called ring avulsion, and 150,000 people per year lose their finger to it.

One safe option is to remove your ring while playing sports. Another alternative is a silicone ring — which won’t take your finger with it if caught on something. This is demonstrated in a more extreme way (a monster truck!) in this video.

Working out

When you’re at the gym, the last thing you want to worry about is damaging your expensive ring or risking an injury (ring avulsion). But then there’s the scenario where you don’t want someone hitting on you, so leaving your ring off could make you feel uncomfortable. In this case, silicone wedding bands may be your best bet.

While using lotions or creams

Lotions and creams may cause unwanted buildup, dull the appearance of, or damage your wedding ring.

Baking or working with sticky foods

Dough, syrups, you get the idea. Sticky foods and wedding bands don’t go well together. Much like gardening, residue can get stuck in crevices or potentially harm precious stones.

Operate machinery

When you work in an industry that requires you to work a lot with your hands or operate machinery, such as construction, woodworking, electrical work, etc., it’s wise to remove your wedding band or replace it with something nonconductive.

Sleep

No, this is not a joke. There have been many instances where sleeping with a wedding ring on has caused injury. This scenario affects women more than men, usually because of the size and shape of their rings. Sleeping with your ring isn’t a good idea because it increases the chances of it getting caught in your hair, on bedding and waking up with scratches — some more painful or visible than others.

Taking off your ring isn’t always ideal, or comfortable. The good news? You can get an alternative like Enso Rings. They’re inexpensive and designed to be worn on every occasion. They’re also much safer than traditional wedding bands for each of these scenarios in this list. It’s definitely worth checking them out at EnsoRings.com.

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