How post-Eid fatigue affects sleep and health in the UAE
The celebrations may end with laughter and late-night gatherings, but for many residents the real hangover starts the following day: heavy eyelids, blaring alarms gone ignored and a fight to keep their eyes open. ‘Ghayboubat Al Eid’ — which translates as ‘Eid coma’ — is not simple fatigue; it’s a phenomenon known and experienced widely.
The term has entered the lexicon in the Gulf region to describe the extreme fatigue that sets in after Eid Al Fitr as a result of late night gatherings, heavy meals and an abrupt departure from Ramadan routines. Though often joked about, the condition represents genuine physical and mental strain on the body, health experts say.
For many in the UAE, that experience is very relatable. In terms of how they divide Eid days, Fatima Hamad, a resident of Ras Al Khaimah, says the celebrate begins early — even though the previous nights go well past midnight. “The day is busy, filled with morning Eid prayer, family breakfasts and unceasing visits,” she said. “Most of the family ends up asleep by the afternoon from exhaustion.”
Others describe similar patterns. Umm Hamed, from Dubai, said her family tends to stay awake at night during Eid and goes to sleep after lunch until the Maghrib sunset. “We feel extreme fatigue, headaches, even pain in our eyes sometimes due to the lack of sleep,” she said, noting that going back to a normal routine can be “a bit difficult.”
Younger residents are affected as well. For Yomna Suleiman, a 15-year-old who lives in Dubai, the holiday dramatically alters what she does on a daily basis.
“I stay up later than I do normally during Eid and visit family members, friends, have festive meals together — it is a celebration after Ramadan,” she said. “It just makes the days seem a lot longer.”
The disrupted sleep schedule, she added, also makes it more difficult to stay focused and feel energetic. “Ghayboubat Al Eid is something I feel within my person, and it can be hard to get back to a sane routine,” she said. “I try to slowly shift my sleep schedule back down after the break, but that’s not so simple, especially with the school year”:
Fatigue is more than just a temporary slump, says Dr Rania Zein Eldin, Specialist in Respiratory Medicine at Burjeel Hospital Late nights, social gatherings and heavy meals on Eid follow a month of changed sleeping habits during Ramadan that can powerfully disrupt the body’s internal clock.
“Disrupted sleep and absence of a proper pattern can lead to digestive problems, weight gain, fatigue, high blood pressure, lower cognitive function and higher blood sugar,” she said.
Disruption of sleep affects metabolism, she points out, leading to increased cravings for sugary and fatty foods and decreased ability of the body to burn fat. Simultaneously, cognitive functioning deteriorates, resulting in difficulty concentrating, irritability and exhaustion.
The physical effects can also be quite noticeable. “Digestive discomfort, headaches and decreased immunity are part and parcel of this period,” she continued, cautioning that prolonged disruption could risk chronic health problems such as obesity and cardiovascular disease if not managed well.
Highlighting how the problem is actually disruption to body’s circadian rhythm, its natural internal clock, Dr Zara Ahmed, Specialist Emergency Medicine at RAK Hospital explains:
“When people wake up relatively late until 2am or 3am for a few nights, the system of the body is destabilised,” she said. “This causes hormonal changes, increased stress levels and decreased immune function.”
She also answered a common misconception: that long daytime naps could make up for sleep lost at night.
“Short naps,” she said, “20 to 30 minutes can help, but long daytime sleep often makes things worse and disrupts the sleep cycle again leading to more grogginess.”
Aside from the individual exhaustion, post-Eid fatigue can siiiip into daily life as everyone returns to their routines. Many residents say they have trouble waking up for work or school, they feel less productive and lingering tiredness can last days after the holiday concludes.
Instead of sudden shifts, public health experts say that people should ease back into their normal sleep schedules. Shifting bedtime by 30 to 45 minutes a day, getting up at the same time every day and obtaining morning sunlight can reboot the body clock.
Other practical measures are not eating heavy meals in the evening, capping caffeine consumption after noon, cutting down on screen time before bed and getting light physical activity throughout the day. Experts also recommend focusing on quality of sleep instead of quantity — particularly during the transition.
Although ‘Ghayboubat Al Eid’ is a collective culture, doctors suggest that healing is definitely feasible with small and steady changes. So they shouldn’t set themselves up to feel wrecked: Balancing Eid traditions with mindfulness around sleep and daily routines can help residents emerge from the holiday days feeling rejuvenated, not depleted.
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