This article was first published in January 2019 and posted on my LinkedIn account.
 
According to research, Britain is the third country in the world with the most insomniacs with the USA and Germany topping the charts. Some 90% of the people experiencing depression suffer from insomnia (both statistics from “Sleep Cottage.com”). 

Statistically, out of 48 millions registered drivers in the UK, up to 2 million are overtired and drive whilst too sleepy to be behind the wheel safely! 

Are you one of the 2 million drivers in denial who need to be persuaded they need help in the first place?*

A sophrologist's approach

As a qualified sophrologist, I am particularly interested in helping my clients with their sleep questions by exploring awareness of our sleep issues, implementing some changes to our routines and practising helpful sophrology techniques. I am also a firm believer in learning more about our wellbeing and about adopting a proactive approach in assessing our needs. 

I invite you to explore the quick method for evaluating your risk of suffering of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (also spelt Apnoea in some instances), a potentially serious condition which can impair your health and even warranty a driving licence suspension. 

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?

OSA is characterised by numerous pauses in breathing and / or shallow breathing during sleep and your upper airway collapsing causing you to stop breathing.

When this happens, your brain will automatically wake you up, usually with a very loud snore or snort, in order to breathe again. Commonly, the partner notices the OSA first as the sufferer’s snoring is loud enough to keep them awake even if in a different room.   

In Canada, it is estimated that 82% of men and 92% of women with moderate-to severe OSA have not been diagnosed. (http://www.stopbang.ca/osa/general.php).  Numbers in the UK may very well be as high as in Canada.

Why assessing for OSA is important

• For your general health

OSA when not treated can have serious repercussions for your health, including a shortened life expectancy, excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, depression, lack of sex drive… 
Medical help is required to fully assess OAS and get adequate help: nasal strips, mouth guards, special masks known as a CPAP machine or even corrective surgery (for example for a collapsed soft palate). 

• For your safety as a driver

The DVLA - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the UK body dealing with all matters of vehicle registration and driving licenses – has produced a leaflet informing drivers about the dangers of excessive sleepiness and states that they can take away licences for drivers experiencing severe symptoms**.   

The STOP Bang questionnaire (online link below)

If you have some issues with your sleep, are experiencing any number of difficulties in your daily life as a result and are reluctant or unsure as to whether you need to see your doctor, have a go at the “STOP Bang” questionnaire. 

This screening tool is used the world over: see websites of sleep clinics in all continents.*** To check where your nearest sleep clinic is in the UK, you can go on the British Lung Foundation’s site at www.blf.org.uk. 
The fairly odd name is in fact an acronym made up of the different areas you need to review for an initial assessment. 

STOP:
S is for Snoring (how loud, how long for, how often?);
T is for Tiredness (occasional, all the time, enough for you to fall asleep when you should be awake, when driving?);
O is for Observation (has someone observed you experiencing episodes of sleep apnoea?);
P is for (blood) Pressure (are you treated for high blood pressure?).

Bang:
B is for BMI (a high BMI is the most powerful variable influencing an individual risk and severity of OSA according to the American Sleep Association);
A is Age;
N is Neck (or more precisely neck circumference) and finally,
G is Gender since men are more likely to experience episodes of OSA.

Depending on the results you get after completing the STOP Bang questionnaire, especially if you have a score above 3, please discuss this with your GP who may refer you to a sleep clinic for a medical assessment. 

How Sophrology can help prevent the high costs of sleep apnea

The practice of sophrology can greatly improve your sleep quality, first of all by reducing your stress levels.
A session on sleep preparation can make you aware of what's happening during the sleep cycles and help you find instinctively how a simple physical movement can help you fall asleep again. Sophrology can help with acceptance and relaxation. 

Accepting you are experiencing sleep issues with Sophrology

The very fact of starting a Sophrology therapy course can trigger the process of: looking for practical ways to help yourself, taking steps to explore wellbeing avenues, contacting your GP if necessary and learning more about your issues generally. 

A few years ago, when I was still training, I had a “guinea pig” who had suffered from insomnia for decades. He had ignored the impact of insomnia on his busy life and the semi-permanent feeling of exhaustion experienced as a result. The moment he decided to help himself however, he made fast progress towards better sleeping habits and patterns. He got on well with some underlying principles of Sophrology such as an objective approach, a desire to enhance the positive as well as the fact of using the body (breathing, visualising, moving in certain ways) to calm the mind.

Whichever route you take however, I would urge you not to ignore your sleep issues, especially if you are experiencing OSA.

Joëlle Williams Dupuy
https://www.facebook.com/WellbeingSophro/

* “Driving with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea”, an article and accompanying video presented by Doctor Sophie West to the British Sleep Society on 17 October 2018 where Doctor West estimates up to 5% of drivers in the UK are undiagnosed.
** Leaflet INF159 produced by the DVLA https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tiredness-can-kill-advice-for-drivers
*** “Obstructive Sleep Apnea: what an anesthesiologist should know?”, Frances Ching & al, Anesthesiology 2008 and BJA 2012. Doctor Chung was primarily interested in assessing the risks of anaesthesia and OSA as well as devising some diagnostic tools to help assess patients. 
Find the test here for instant assessment: https://britishsnoring.co.uk/stop_bang_questionnaire.php

BREATHE ACTIVATE RELAX

Take 5 minutes daily to enhance your wellbeing; all you need to do is… Breathe!

Summer tends to be a good time for us: physically active, feeling more positive and energized...
As with our body, so with our mind! 

Take advantage of  your relaxed frame of mind, follow the 3 simple steps below
to “work out” happy triggers throughout the summer for enhanced wellbeing.  

​
 Breathe in the “here and now” - 1 minute

Counter-intuitively, putting ourselves in the present moment can help deal with the past (letting go of not-so-pleasant memories) and face the future with more confidence as we practice detachment.

• Breathe normally  for a few “rounds”; notice how shallow or deep your intake of air is, how long you take to let the air out, what parts of your body move with your breath.  Concentrate, follow the air mentally throughout your body. 
• Take deeper and slower breaths in, all the way down to the belly, experience the stretching the ribs sideways and in the back, feel the diaphragm depressing and pushing the belly out; pause ever so slightly before breathing out,  pushing the air all the way up from the belly, past the chest, the throat and out.  Count the tempo: is the exhalation slighty longer?  Or not?  Observe your expanded breathing (4 to 6 times).
• Resume normal breathing; no judgment, simply noting the present moment.

    Activate your Happiness trigger - 3 minutes

There have been many studies showing that the body does not differentiate between a “real” and an “invented” experience.  Some refer to the brain’s “plasticity” to explain the fact we can influence the way we feel with our thoughts and change our reactions to challenges accordingly.

• Breathing normally, picture happy thought in your mind,  real or imaginary, past, future or present, a comedy, a comic book, laughter shared with friends, a moment of joy…  It can be very simple like a funny shape made by a cloud or the fact that first coffee tasted so good…  Feel an interior smile radiating throughout our body.
• Associate a word, a mental picture that this happy thought for example, picturing the sun may trigger you to think “warmth and energy”.  Think strong, positive words and phrases.  Vocabulary is important.  If sun = sunburn, moderate this vision by concentrating on the positive aspects of that extraordinary energy (e,g, growing crops) or move to another idea.
• Retain that word / phrase, “breathe it in”, a deep and slow breath in, all the way down to the belly; hold your breath, “radiate” that word or phrase, expand that happy, positive thought throughout your body.  Breathe out, forcing the air audibly out of your body pffffffff, feeling grateful for the positive feelings. 
• Repeat the step above another couple of times, breathing in positivity, happiness, funny ideas, pausing for expanding those words / phrases / ideas and relaxing on the out breath, feeling thankful.

   
Relax that body - 1 minute

We are often incredibly tense in the way we stand, sit, work, play computer games…  Every now and again throughout the day, take a pause from your activities and check how your body feels. 
Do you need to relax those shoulders, stretch that neck bent over a tablet, shift those buttocks in your seat to make you more erect and relieve your lower back? 
Be your own best friend and check your body is at ease.  Take a breath in, change position, settle. 
It will help you keep an alert, focused mind too!

The last part of our Happiness Workout takes this process of checking our body a step further by stretching all our muscles whilst holding our breath.  It will be a doodle in no time….

• Breathe in deeply and hold your breath with your lungs as full as possible.
• Whislt holding your breath, tense all the muscles you can think of (name them in your head if it helps) , tensing from the scalp down, the forehead, the jaws, the mouth, the chin, the neck, the shoulders, the arms, the chest, the belly, the buttocks, the legs, the calves, the feet…. You can raise your hands and lock your fingers above your head to help this process; you may choose to also raise your lower legs 90 degrees if sitting down to give your legs a good stretch.
• Breathe out and relax your whole body, releasing tension; if it helps, imagine the tension flowing out of your body, dripping down your arms and fingertips, spreading out from your legs and feet to be absorbed by the ground.
• Do this sequence - In Hold Tense Out - 3 times in total.

 
Remember your Ps and Q!
Implementing change requires Practice and patience and Thank Yous to yourself

A little Sophrology goes a long way
 
Is 1st of December your day to list festive “chores” (starting with card writing, onto food shopping, present buying and wrapping, all the way to partying)?  Let sophrology ease your way to a pleasurable festive season and make December the most relaxed of the 12 months of 2015!
Start with a deep breath, right now, as you read this.  Sitting with your back straight and supported, your feet flat on the ground, take a couple of minutes to practise your December deep breather.  Breathe in through the nose, feeling the breath go all the way to the belly which rises and expands, usually on the count of a slow 1, 2, 3, 4.  Breathe out through the mouth on the same count or slightly longer as we tend to exhale more slowly.  Then hold your breath counting slowly 1,2,3, 4 or more, blanking your thoughts, just being present to the breathing. 
Do it again, slowly and maybe taking a little longer.  And again, each time focusing on the movements of your belly, expanding then contracting, your ribs stretching, the air coming out then into your nostrils, going down to your lungs, all the way down. 
As you breathe in, think of the POSITIVE aspects of Christmas and the enjoyment of joyful anticipation.  As you breathe out, let this feeling of joyfulness settle inside you.  If you want, you can close your eyes to help you practise positive visualisation. 
 
Try up to 5 or 6 deep breaths altogether.  When you feel ready, have a little stretch, a big sigh or two and open your eyes.  Now you can start on that list!
 
Remember: Don’t forget your breathing and to bring on your positive loving!