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UAE Users Sleep Less, But More Efficiently, ŌURA Data Reveals
UAE users of the ŌURA smart ring sleep less than peers in Europe, the US and Asia yet score among the world’s most efficient sleepers.
UAE users of the ŌURA smart ring sleep less than peers in Europe, the US and Asia yet score among the world’s most efficient sleepers, according to new data from the Finnish wearable maker.
Members in the Emirates average 6.85 hours a night, just shy of the global 7.1-hour norm. Even so, they post an average sleep-efficiency score of 85.7%, outpacing markets including the US, UK, Finland and New Zealand. Sleep efficiency tracks how much of the time in bed counts as actual sleep.
The study points to a clear “night-owl” profile. Typical bedtimes land at 12:06 am and wake-ups at 7:57 am. ŌURA said the UAE holds the highest share of late-evening chronotypes in its sample at 6.67%, more than double the global rate.
Gender gaps also stand out. Women sleep nearly 30 minutes longer than men (7.07 vs 6.59 hours) and show slightly higher efficiency and more consistent REM patterns.
“Sleep quality is one of the most important indicators of long-term health, and the UAE is a standout example of protecting quality when life demands make quantity a challenge,” said Doug Sweeny, ŌURA’s chief marketing officer. He argued the country appears to be “working with the body’s natural circadian rhythms rather than against them”.
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For ŌURA, the promotion of its research coincides with a broader retail push in the Gulf region. The company’s fourth-generation smart ring — including a ceramic edition — is now sold through Amazon.ae, Virgin Megastore and Dubai Duty Free, starting at AED 1,599.
Wearables adoption in the UAE has picked up in recent years as governments in the Gulf steer preventative-health and digital tracking strategies. Sleep metrics have become a battleground for brands seeking consumers who care more about recovery than step counts.
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Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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