Research Finds Half of UAE Residents Have Trouble Sleeping
20th March 2014, Dubai, UAE – Sleep Matters, a community initiative aimed at improving people’s lives, was launched today in the UAE to help educate, inform and encourage health and wellbeing for UAE residents. The first and most comprehensive resource in the UAE for all information related to sleep, Sleep Matters is a platform to unite lifestyle commentators and the community around a shared goal – getting a good night’s sleep.
An initiative created by Intercoil International, the UAE’s leading manufacturer of premium mattresses and bedroom furniture, Sleep Matters brings together a number of influential and experienced lifestyle and healthcare practitioners – Sleep Matters Ambassadors – who believe that broadening the conversation about sleep will contribute to improving the overall wellbeing of the community.
Commenting on the launch of the online platform, Hassan Al Hazeem, Managing Director of Intercoil and a healthy sleep ambassador, said: “Through the nature of our business, we always come across people who are not only looking to buy a mattress or bed, but to improve the quality of their sleep. By raising awareness on the importance of a good night’s sleep and helping people find ways to improve their sleep, we strongly believe this initiative can have a positive impact on people’s lives.”
One of the first activities conducted under the Sleep Matters umbrella, was a comprehensive survey commissioned by Intercoil and conducted by YouGov in February 2014. The study of 425 residents in the UAE revealed that although 35% of respondents claim to sleep better now than 12 months ago, half of them still have a very poor to average night’s sleep.
According to the survey , the top factors that influence the quality of sleep, are daily life worries, stress, bedroom temperature, noise and quality of mattress followed by medical conditions, late dinner and poor diet. Significantly more of those who have trouble falling asleep claim they have ‘a lot of stress in their life’ and ‘worry easily about life in general’.
Overall, respondents sleep an average of 6.5 hours during weekdays and 7.8 hours during weekends, with around 25% of Emiratis and Arab expats claiming to sleep less than 4 hours. 89% of those who always or often have trouble sleeping claimed they “wish they could sleep better at night”.
With a majority of respondents (85%) acknowledging that a healthy sleep leads to a healthy life, two thirds of the total panel claimed that the lack of sleep affects their daily functions.
Commenting on the results of the survey, Dr. Melanie Schlatter, Health Psychologist at Health Psychology UAE said: “Nearly 90% of those who had trouble sleeping appear to be passive in their ‘wish’ for better sleep, which indicates that people just seem to put up with not feeling particularly well rested, and they don’t seem to be aware of the wide range of options available to help them.”
The Sleep Matters Ambassadors who helped bringing this initiative to life and will be contributing their time and expertise to helping the community to identify sleep issues and find ways to improve the quality of their sleep are:
- Dr. Melanie Schlatter – Health Psychologist
- Kaya Peters – Yoga Teacher and Holistic Coach
- Cristiano Falconi – Feng Shui Consultant
- Niloo Soltanpour – Pilates Teacher
- Hassan Al Hazeem – Managing Director of Intercoil
- Dr. Neda Nafei – Chiropractor
For more details on ‘Sleep Matters’ please visit the website: www.sleepmattersme.com
About Intercoil International:
Established in 1974, Intercoil International is a leading UAE based manufacturer, distributor and retailer of total sleep solutions across the MENA region. The company is a family-owned business, founded by the late Mr. Abbas Ali AI-Hazeem, and currently managed by Mr. Hassan Abbas AI-Hazeem, who is passionately committed to developing Intercoil into a globally recognised brand, achieving sustainable growth and becoming the market leader in orthopaedic sleep systems in the region. With a strong presence in 23 countries and employing 350 people, Intercoil International is committed to increasing its regional presence and expanding its production capacity. Intercoil’s brand promise is to increase awareness about the importance of a healthy sleep and to proudly promote the “Made in UAE” mark. The first in its industry to achieve the ISO9001:2000, ISO14001, and OHSAS18001 quality management certificates, Intercoil is currently ranked fourth in the Dubai SME 100 and has been awarded the Dubai CSR label for the last three consecutive years. Holding the Dubai Quality Appreciation Certificate, Intercoil International produces its own range of foam, mattresses and furniture products and is the exclusive licensee of Therapedic for the GCC and Simmons for the Middle East. In November 2013, Intercoil has been honored with the prestigious Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award, for exceptional business performance.