Each Ramadan, employers across the Middle East see a familiar pattern: capable professionals reporting fatigue, brain fog, and reduced focus—despite eating balanced meals at Suhoor and Iftar. While diet often takes the blame, the underlying issue is far more complex and increasingly tied to how the body produces energy at a cellular level.
According to Aly Rahimtoola, founder of Bien-Etre, the first mistake is assuming food is the primary problem.
“Your body runs on glucose from your liver for the first few hours of fasting,” Rahimtoola said. “As the day goes on, you flip a metabolic switch and start burning fat for energy instead.”
He compares the transition to mechanical inefficiency. “Think of it like a hybrid car switching from electric to petrol—natural, but clunky at first,” he said. “Your brain and muscles are learning to run on a different fuel mix, and that transition takes a few days to smooth out.”
But metabolism is only part of the story. “The fog isn’t just about food,” Rahimtoola said. “It’s sleep. Late Iftars and early Suhoors mean fragmented, shorter sleep—and that’s the real culprit behind daytime fatigue.”
Why fasting stresses the body’s energy system
At the centre of the fatigue discussion is NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a molecule that plays a critical role in cellular energy production. “NAD+ is like the delivery system inside your cells,” Rahimtoola said. “It picks up energy from food (or stored fat) and shuttles it to your mitochondria—your cellular power plants—where ATP gets made.”
ATP, he explains, is the currency the body uses to function. During Ramadan, the demand for this system increases. “Your cells are working harder to process fuel from fat instead of constant meals,” Rahimtoola said. “That puts pressure on your NAD+ system to be efficient.”
Lifestyle factors compound the challenge. “Add dehydration and poor sleep into the mix, and the whole system slows bogs down,” he said. “Result? Inconsistent energy meaning your need to use more NAD.”
Read: Ramadan fasting hours to be shorter in the UAE this year
Who feels it most and why
Not everyone experiences Ramadan fatigue in the same way. Rahimtoola points to a convergence of age, stress, and sleep disruption.
“NAD+ levels decline as you age,” he said. “By middle age, you’ve lost a significant chunk compared to your youth.”
Certain groups are therefore more vulnerable:
- “The 40+ crowd — slower recovery from short sleep”
- “High-stress professionals and parents — stress and fragmented sleep physically drain cellular reserves”
- “Frequent travelers — time zone shifts plus fasting = double load on your internal clock”
For employers, this explains why productivity dips are often uneven across teams—and why generic wellness advice frequently falls short.
Why calorie counting misses the point
Corporate wellness programmes often focus on calories, blood sugar, or macronutrients. Rahimtoola argues this approach overlooks the real constraint.
“Calories are raw supply. Cellular energy is the conversion rate,” he said. “Think of it as the difference between having a full tank of petrol and having an engine that actually runs efficiently.”
During Ramadan, he believes three factors matter more than calorie counting:
- “Flexibility — how easily you switch from burning sugar to fat”
- “Flow — whether your NAD+ system keeps energy production moving”
- “Recovery — sleep matters as much as food”
This reframing shifts the conversation from willpower and diet discipline to system efficiency—an approach that resonates with performance-driven organisations.
One challenge with fatigue is diagnosis. “A headache could be dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, or genuine metabolic fatigue,” Rahimtoola said. “You’re guessing.”
This is where Bien-Être’s at-home NAD+ test enters the picture. “An intracellular test gives you an objective data point,” he said. “It’s like checking your phone’s battery health instead of wondering why it’s slow.”
According to Rahimtoola, testing helps individuals:
- “Establish a baseline before Ramadan”
- “Identify whether fatigue is metabolic or lifestyle-driven”
- “Track whether your changes (better sleep, different food) are actually working”
For employers and insurers, this data-driven approach offers a way to move from broad wellness messaging to targeted interventions.
Rahimtoola is cautious about one-size-fits-all supplementation. “Biology doesn’t have one ‘on’ switch,” he said.
“Your body makes and recycles NAD+ through multiple pathways,” he explained. “Under fasting stress, one pathway might bottleneck while another gets overworked.”
This is why Bien-Être designed its NAD+ booster around multiple mechanisms. “A systems-based approach supports production, recycling, and protection simultaneously,” Rahimtoola said. “You’re optimising the whole engine, not just swapping one spark plug.”
Practical strategies that actually work
Beyond testing and supplementation, Rahimtoola emphasises behavioural discipline. His advice is practical, repeatable, and workplace-relevant:
- “Protect your sleep anchor: Get a core 4–5 hour block at the same time every night. Keeps your hormones stable.”
- “Smart Suhoor: Skip the sugar. Go for protein, fiber, healthy fats—eggs, avocado, oats. Prevents the noon crash.”
- “Hydrate intelligently: Don’t chug water at Iftar. Sip throughout the night. Add electrolytes (pinch of salt, soup) so your cells actually absorb it.”
- “Sequence your Iftar: Break with dates and water. Wait. Then eat a balanced meal. Massive meals = food coma = wasted evening.”
- “Move lightly: 20-minute walk after Iftar clears blood sugar and sets you up for better sleep.”
For employers, these recommendations can be embedded into Ramadan-specific wellbeing toolkits or shift-planning strategies.
Rahimtoola sees a broader shift underway in the Middle East. “Without question,” he said when asked about personalised testing. “People in the region are tech-savvy and proactive.”
He believes Ramadan plays a unique role in accelerating adoption. “Ramadan is already about reflection and resetting,” Rahimtoola said. “The region is moving from generic advice to personalised data—test, optimise, retest—is where health and longevity are headed.”
For businesses, the implication is clear: wellbeing strategies that rely on intuition and generic guidance are being replaced by measurable, personalised optimisation—particularly during periods of physiological stress like Ramadan.
