Latest news with #MutazLabib
Khaleej Times
17-03-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Shisha, cigarettes after iftar? Smoking during Ramadan poses higher health risks, experts warn
Smoking during Ramadan can be more harmful than at other times of the year. This is because of the sudden exposure of a person's body to smoke after several hours of fasting, some experts have warned. 'We usually see that people start smoking aggressively after not doing so for 12 to 16 hours,' said Dr Mutaz Labib, consultant pulmonary and critical care disease at Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital. 'So, there is massive exposure all at once as people smoke three or four cigarettes back-to-back. There is no adaptation period.' Dr Labib's comments were supported by Dr Raiza Hameed KH, specialist pulmonology at Aster Clinic in Bur Dubai. 'Many smokers try to compensate for the abstinence during the fasting period by chain-smoking after iftar,' she said. 'Deprivation of nicotine, which is the addictive factor in cigarettes, causes the smoker to chain-smoke because they need to maintain a certain level of nicotine to feed the addiction. The sudden intense introduction of toxic substances puts the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems at high risk.' During the holy month, Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking water, and smoking, among other things, from dawn to dusk. How vaping and shisha is more harmful According to Dr Mutaz, people who vape are at a higher risk of facing health complications when they smoke after iftar. 'Due to the huge amount of the smoke that they get with each puff of vaping, especially after iftar, there is a study done with spectrography methodology which showed that in one minute, the brain may get intoxicated,' he said. 'So, there are cases of people losing consciousness and developing stroke, heart attack and other serious problems. I ask patients why they want to subject themselves to such critical risk and try to convince them to pursue smoke cessation.' Dr Raiza said that the use of shishas is found to be 'particularly increased' during the month, even among non-smokers, due to an increase in family gatherings and eating out at suhoor tents. 'Smoke inhaled in one hour of shisha can equal up to 100 cigarettes,' she said. 'The effects of smoking shisha are much worse during Ramadan due to dehydration caused by daily fasting periods. Blood pressure increases, and heart beats become irregular, which can sometimes lead to life threatening arrhythmias. Nicotine induces coronary spasms, which can trigger heart attacks. There is a high risk of infectious diseases associated as the shisha pipes are not always properly cleaned.' Kicking the habit For many, this month is a springboard to quit the habit. Last Ramadan, Omer Khan, the CEO of mental health platform Helply, stopped smoking after 23 years, calling the month 'the perfect opportunity' to take the 'first big step' towards quitting. 'I wanted to stop smoking before I turned 40 and since I was already fasting for long hours, I figured — why not push through and extend that discipline beyond iftar,' he said. 'The first few days were tough, especially when the cravings hit in the evening. But I reminded myself that if I could go all day without smoking, I could go a little longer. And then a little longer after that.' He said it was the hardest mental battle he had ever fought in his life. 'It was about breaking a habit that had been part of my daily routine for more than two decades,' he said. 'I had trained my brain to associate smoking with stress relief, coffee breaks, driving, and even socialising. So, the real fight was convincing myself that I didn't need it anymore.' He said he was already enjoying the benefits of quitting and urged others to use Ramadan to kick the habit. 'I have better breathing, more energy and fresher lungs—these are things I don't want to trade for a cigarette,' he said. 'Ramadan gives people the push to quit. If you manage to quit smoking during the month, you have already proven to have the discipline to do it. The key now is to keep that momentum going.' Dr Raiza added that several studies have shown that the severity of withdrawal symptoms linked to smoking is minimised during Ramadan fasting. 'Many smokers and vapers successfully quit during the month,' she said. 'By quitting, people not only improve their health but also demonstrate their commitment to self-improvement during this holy month.'
Khaleej Times
11-03-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Ramadan in UAE: Less sleep can cause lack of concentration, accidents, experts say
Loss of sleep during Ramadan could cause several health issues including lack of concentration and even cause accidents, according to experts. One doctor explained that many people suffer from insufficient sleep syndrome during the month. 'What people are suffering from Ramadan is mostly insufficient sleep syndrome,' said Dr. Mutaz Labib, Consultant Pulmonary and Critical Care Disease and head of Sleep Lab at Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital. 'They wake up late and have sleep disruption during the month. So, in the morning, they suffer symptoms like lack of concentration, memory problems, fatigue, tiredness, laziness and urge to nap during the daytime.' He added that previous studies have shown that loss of sleep could contribute to causing accidents as people tend to fall asleep at the wheel. Many of those who fast during Ramadan, often wake up before dawn to eat the pre-fasting meal called Suhoor. Factors like special nightly Tharaweeh prayers and family gatherings often contribute to the lack of sleep among UAE residents. Data from 2024 Wearable company Whoop said that their 2024 data showed a drop in sleep performance and recovery scores during the month of Ramadan as compared to the previous month. A recovery score tells how ready the body is to handle stress each day. 'Good sleep is the key to recovery and performing well,' said Stephan Muller, the company's GCC Marketing Director. 'Changes in daily routines during Ramadan, such as later bedtimes and early mornings, affected Whoop members' sleep patterns with data showing they slept fewer hours and experienced less consistent sleep, likely playing a role in lower recovery scores.' He added that during Ramadan, recovery scores were also impacted by changes in eating, drinking, and sleep routines making it harder for the body to restore and recharge. However, he added that the strain recorded for Whoop users was lower during Ramadan as compared to the pre-Ramadan period. "Strain measures how much effort your body puts in throughout the day,' he said. 'During Ramadan, people naturally took it easier — likely adjusting workouts and daily movement to match changes in eating and sleep schedules." Warning signs Dr. Mutaz said that people should watch out for warning signs which could be caused as a result of lack of sleep. 'If you have snoring, and especially loud snoring, that's a big sign it could be something that needs attention,' he said. 'Most of our clients are brought in by their wives because if you sleep alone, no one knows whether you're snoring or not. So that is a task on partners.' He added that the tendency to have excessive daytime napping should also be taken seriously. 'When you have excessive daytime sleepiness or tiredness, you must go and see a specialist,' he said. 'During a sleep study, we attach electrodes to the brain and heart. We also attach an EMG line to measure the muscle activity overnight and place sensors in the nose and mouth to check breathing. So sleep study is really a health test. It can discover a lot of things.'
