Why UAE Women Are Sleeping Better Than Men (and What We’re Doing Right)

According to the latest findings from ŌURA, women in the UAE are quietly outperforming men when it comes to sleep.

On average, women clock 7.07 hours of sleep per night, compared to 6.59 hours for men – a difference of nearly 30 minutes that adds up meaningfully over time.

But it’s not just about duration.

The ŌURA UAE: The State of Sleep report reveals that women also experience stronger sleep efficiency and more consistent REM patterns – two critical markers of restorative rest. In fact, despite averaging just 6.85 hours of sleep per night overall, UAE residents achieve some of the best-quality sleep in the world, with an impressive sleep efficiency score of 85.7%. In other words, less time in bed doesn’t necessarily mean less rest – it means better alignment, consistency, and recovery.

If the data tells us what kind of sleepers we are, Oura’s exclusive UAE event set out to explore why – and how we can work with our bodies rather than against them.

Pamela O'Hagan was Raemona's Roving Reporter for the prestigious evening, which took place poolside high on the 75th floor of the SLS Hotel, and has since experienced the magic of Oura, firsthand.

Designed as an immersive, multi-sensory experience centred around one simple idea: Oura set out to demonstrate how better sleep isn’t built on rigid routines or unrealistic rules, but on understanding how our senses influence rest.

Pamela explains: "Each attendee was assigned one of the five senses via a wristband, before being guided through a curated journey that translated Oura’s sleep science into something tangible.

• Sight came with full-body infrared light therapy by Rejuv, featuring restorative lamps, chairs, and face masks aimed at deep physical recovery.

• Smell took a more creative turn with a mini bakhoor-making workshop led by Ooh La Lab, where we learned about calming scent profiles linked to relaxation and sleep – and left with our own personalised blend to take home.

• Taste was both educational and playful, with a dedicated decaf coffee station to avoid compromising sleep, alongside a blind taste test of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tinted waters (humbling, given I got two wrong).

• Touch focused on nervous system regulation, with Maison Privee leading a hands-on session exploring how touch and pressure-point techniques help move the body from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest.

• Sound brought everything together through a mini sound-healing session, designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and leave us feeling grounded, calm, and genuinely ready to rest.

On her Oura (and sleep) journey since the event, Pamela says:

"On this side of the world, we are late sleepers, late risers, and apparently very good at it. The UAE scores well on sleep quality and also has more night owls than the global average (by almost double!). Late nights, a keen love of coffee, busy diaries… It all checks out.

"I’ve been wearing the Ōura Ring 4 (in Rose Gold, no less) for a week now and let’s just say my bedtime habits are no longer going unnoticed. Sleep, stress, food timing. All exposed.

"I’m only seven days in, but I am already being held accountable. By a ring. And I think you should too!"

Check out Pamela's post on Instagram for more.