DUBAI // People living in the Middle East have little awareness of how to sleep properly, according to a specialist in lung conditions.
Dr Amro Al Astal, a leading pulmonologist at the American Hospital Dubai, added that Ramadan heightens the problem.
During the holy month, people adopt bad habits such as sleeping long hours during the day, staying up all night and smoking shisha in the evening.
Although those who sleep in the day during Ramadan might get the recommended six-and-a-half to seven hours rest, Dr Al Astal insisted it was not quantity, but quality, that counted.
"The problem with Ramadan is people now tend to sleep as long as they can during the day," he said. "This makes our sleep cycle out of scope because we are programmed to sleep during the night and to be awake during the day."
Dr Al Astal recommended three to four hours of "solid" sleep during the holy month between 11pm and 3am, saying the benefits of sleeping at night included feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
But while people were aware of the hazards of changing their sleeping pattern, they did so anyway, according to Salman Zahid Qureshi, a comedian from Pakistan. "Most people, even if they are aware, they just don't care during this month, sadly," he said. "Most think what they are going to do because of the short working hours is stay up late at night.
"Along with this whole shisha culture, they think it's OK to do that and sleep in the afternoon. They feel like they won't feel the fast that way."
Mr Qureshi admitted that this year had been particularly tough on his sleeping pattern.
Longer working hours and living with his brother, who has a newborn baby, have put an end to his afternoon naps.
"I'm getting to bed at about 1am, getting up at 4am, then trying to get some sleep at 5am, so it's all over the place," he said.
Sleep was a very important process, emphasised Dr Al Astal, who works at the hospital's sleep centre. He said the consequences had a lasting effect throughout the day. "If we don't get enough sleep we are tired the next morning, we are less productive, we are more nervous and we are short-tempered. We have to sleep to counteract all these things."
But for some people, knowing these facts was still not enough.
"Given you are required to function and go to work during Ramadan, it is important to have that sleep be consistent and throughout the night without having such disruptive patterns. That can be hard for me," said Marwa Medhat, an Egyptian.
"Nap-wise, they shouldn't be more than 30 minutes to one hour long because it makes you lazy and messes your sense of productivity. "
Occasionally, sleeping until shortly before she has to break her fast, Ms Medhat often had trouble getting back to sleep, her energy levels having risen after eating.
"I console myself in the benefits of constraint and practising my patience, refraining from the gluttonous tendencies of our culture today," she said.
People need to be more aware of their sleeping habits before it is too late, Dr Al Astal said.
"Sleeping is not granted. Some people go to sleep, wake up and they don't feel how complex this process is until they get problems with their sleep."
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Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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- Keep an open mind
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
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