Tech specialists tap into Gulf’s market of the sleep deprived

• Only 50% of people get 6-8 hours a night
• Sleep apps and ‘smart’ beds aim to help
• Global sleep aid industry worth $63bn

People in the Gulf are among the worst sleepers in the world, research has found – and that makes the region a rousing proposition for sleep-aid businesses such as the US pair Whoop and Eight Sleep.

A survey of 2,727 people across the GCC, published last month, found that only half manage to sleep for the generally recommended six to eight hours per night. Another 24 percent get less than six hours’ sleep, according to the YouGov/Four Seasons study.

Whoop’s own data has found that cities across the GCC are among the worst in the world for sleep: led by Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, the Qatari capital Doha, and Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Stephan Muller, GCC director for Whoop, tells AGBI there is a “critical sleep deficit” in the GCC’s “high-performance culture”. 

The Boston-based company makes wearable devices that capture data on the body’s health, with a focus on improving the length and quality of sleep.

The insights produced help people to “manage stress more effectively and avoid burnout through tailored training plans and recommended sleep schedules”, Muller claims.

Whether it is tech which tracks sleep cycles or data-driven mattresses promising to remedy snoring and overheating, consumers across the Gulf – where late nights are traditional given the heat of the day – are spending more on the chance of a better night’s sleep.

In the UAE alone, the sleep-tracking device market is projected to grow more than 10 percent year on year to AED730 million (almost $200 million) by 2030. Worldwide, the sleep-aid business is worth more than $63 billion, according to Global Information.

Eight Sleep, a New York-based maker of “smart” beds, expects the Gulf to be its second-largest market after the US within a few years. It only entered the Gulf market in November, co-founder and CEO Matteo Franceschetti tells AGBI.

Within the first three months of starting in the UAE, sales were five times higher than the average for other markets, he says.

Eight Sleep plans this year to expand to Saudi Arabia, where more than 1,000 people are already on a waiting list for its tech-infused beds, Franceschetti says. 

The beds retail for as much as $5,000 each.