Across the Gulf right now, many residents are living with a mix of gratitude and strain.

Alert texts, unfamiliar noises in the night, and prolonged uncertainty can keep the nervous system in threat-detection mode, leaving people exhausted but wired.

In this ConnectForHealth episode, Scott Armstrong (mentl) and Maissa Al Khafajy (Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa) are joined by Dr Samira Cutts, neuroscientist and occupational therapist at King’s College Hospital London - UAE, to explain what’s happening in the brain during sustained stress, and what you can do to protect sleep without trying to force “perfect” rest.

Highlights

• Why disrupted sleep is a normal biological response during prolonged uncertainty
• What to do when alert texts spike your heart rate and make it hard to return to sleep
• How late-night news checking re-triggers the stress response and what to do instead
• Practical sleep hygiene that starts hours before bed: light, caffeine timing, and temperature
• Kids’ sleep and co-regulation: how children take cues from adult nervous systems
• Wearables and sleep tracking: why too much data can backfire
• Quick-fire advice on supplements and habits, including melatonin, magnesium, and creatine

Why tune in

If you’re waking more, sleeping lighter, checking updates at night, or feeling tired even after “enough hours”, this episode will help you understand the pattern and leave you with practical steps you can start tonight.

Chapter List

00:00 Welcome and why sleep is taking a hit across the Gulf
02:00 The science of stress, threat vigilance, and sleep expectations
03:27 What’s “normal” right now: survival mode and stress hormones
06:55 The goalposts have moved: giving yourself slack
08:10 How this translates for children: co-regulation and safety cues
12:43 What to do when alerts trigger a spike: reassurance and a practical checklist
18:39 Why checking news at night is the worst thing (and how to set windows)
21:22 Poll 1: biggest sleep issues and what’s showing up most
31:52 Trauma triggers, cognitive reframing, and creating safety in the body
38:07 Sleep hygiene that works: light, caffeine timing, room temperature

When school moves online and uncertainty drags on, our children and teenagers often look “fine” while their nervous system is doing overtime.

In this Special Edition of ConnectForHealth, we speak directly to children and teens about what many are feeling during prolonged uncertainty: being tired, distracted, on edge, and finding it hard to switch off.

Scott Armstrong (mentl) is joined by Sema Corbaci, Chief Counsel, Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa, and her 12-year-old daughter Flossie, alongside expert guest Mark Samways, Director of Wellbeing (Schools and Organisations) and Counselling Psychologist at The Free Spirit Collective in Dubai.

Together, they explore:

• Why our brains and bodies react when things feel uncertain for a long time
• Why online learning can feel harder, and how to reset expectations
• Sleep and switching off at night, plus overthinking and worry spirals
• Friendship, belonging, and staying connected without overload
• How to help a friend without taking on their stress
• How parents can talk about what’s happening without creating fear

Listen if you want calm, realistic tools for sleep, focus, and worry that actually fit real life.

ConnectForHealth is an initiative by Cigna Healthcare Middle East & Africa, supported by mentl.

As the region moves deeper into prolonged uncertainty, many people are noticing a shift: less adrenaline, more sustained stress, jumpiness, distraction, and emotional drain.

In this ConnectForHealth Special Edition, Scott Armstrong (mentl) and Alison Sharp (Cigna Healthcare MEA) are joined by Dr Jane Halsall, Chartered Counselling Psychologist at Cornerstone Clinic, to explain why this “emotional fatigue” phase can hit hard, and what individuals, families and workplaces can do to protect mental wellbeing.

We cover:

• Why week three (and beyond) can feel psychologically different
• Hyper-vigilance, emotional whiplash, and why you feel more jumpy
• Practical nervous system regulation tools (sleep, movement, grounding)
• The psychological impact of the 24/7 news cycle and media literacy
• Why focus drops at work and how to manage expectations
• How children absorb adult anxiety and how to steady the home environment

Listen now for valuable advice on how to continue navigating the regional tension.

Chapters (10)

00:00 Welcome and why “emotional fatigue” is showing up now
01:56 Why week three and beyond feels different psychologically
04:30 Logic vs emotion: when you’re coping on the surface but drained underneath
06:40 Hyper-vigilance and threat detection mode (why you feel jumpy)
08:38 Practical regulation tools: movement, grounding, and settling the body
12:22 Media literacy and the 24/7 news cycle (reducing overload)
15:00 Poll 1: what’s affecting people most right now
19:09 Why people are struggling to focus at work (and what helps)
38:35 Poll 2: what support would help most over the next 7 days
55:10 Children absorbing adult anxiety and how to steady the environment