SLEEP APNEA – KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
Sleep Apnea ( a diagnosed disorder) together with lack of quality sleep, are a powerful influence on obesity through the FAT Program. GM creates an environment where rest and sleep are recognized as important aspects of a client’s health.
Connection to FAT Program
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical process from food to absorbable and useable nutrient. When compromised a series of events connect it to the FAT Program. All are connected and all responses are designed to keep the body safe.
For Client
Specific for client likely to, and not diagnosed for, Sleep Apnea
If you suffer from sleep apnea, most likely you rarely get a full, rejuvenating, good night’s sleep.
This happens because you stop breathing, sometimes hundreds of times a night, often without even realizing it. Your breathing gets interrupted because the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and cuts off the airway.
This condition affects overweight people more because their neck is heavier, and the weight of the neck then collapses the airway. Sleep apnea reduces blood oxygen to dangerously low levels, so your body is starving for oxygen. So how does this make you fat? You become chronically exhausted, which increases your cortisol levels, causes junk food cravings, and almost guarantees weight gain.
It’s a vicious cycle; sleep apnea makes you fatter, and the fatter you get, the worse your sleep apnea becomes. This is why it’s absolutely essential to get tested and treated for it in order to lose weight. (see notes below on Getting tested for Sleep Apnea)
Specific for client without Sleep Apnea BUT poor sleep habit
Not getting enough sleep keeps you tired, chronically stressed physically, mentally and emotionally. The perfect trigger for the FAT Program. You don’t heal, you crave sugary and fatty foods, and your brain sends a signal to your thyroid to slow your metabolism. You eat more, you slow down, you don’t heal and your FAT Program remains on.
GM creates a lifestyle for reducing stress and allowing for, and encouraging sleep and rest as vitally important benefit for turning off your FAT Program
For Coach
- Physical Stress – Sleep Apnea increases stress hormone, cortisol. The condition initiates it and significantly, allows it to remain chronic. Chronic stress, represented as chronic cortisol is a key trigger for the FAT Program.
- Famine: Sleep Apnea results in a lack of a vital nutrient, oxygen. With the consistent blockage of airways with Sleep Apnea, the brain triggers a protective response appropriate for starvation = FAT Program on.
- Poor Healing: it is during sleep the body repairs. As the FAT Program is closely correlated with inflammatory hormones, an initial stage of healing, lack of sleep compromises the body’s opportunity to fully heal. Most clients will present with one or many inflammatory/chronic or recurrent conditions, diagnosed or otherwise. Insufficient sleep leaves these clients vulnerable to chronic levels of inflammatory hormones. Chronic inflammation signals to the brain to keep FAT Program on.
- Mental Stress – sleep is a powerful antidote for the physical hormone of stress, cortisol. Lack of sleep allows cortisol to remain present and chronic. Chronic stress is a key influence of triggering the FAT Program.
Diagnosis of
Application Form
1. Note medical diagnosis for Sleep Apnea
2. Note medical diagnosis for inflammatory/chronic or recurrent conditions
(eg. autoimmune dx, IBS, Arthritis, Asthma)
3. Note use of natural/otc/prescribed medicines for sleep
4. Amount of weight to lose. Greater than 45 kilograms high risk of Sleep Apnea
Quiz
If indicated as a significant Trigger
Questions to ask
How long have you suffered from Sleep Apnea? Have you had it checked recently?
What are your sleep patterns?
Do you snore?
Do you feel tired?
Out of 1 to 10 where would you put your stress level?
Do you grind your teeth?
Do you dream? (people with sleep apnea tend not to dream as much because they don’t get into the theta brainwave state.)
Do you wake feeling refreshed?
Coaching Actions
Core Action Steps
Get Sleep (get checked for Sleep Apnea if required)
Do Evening Visualisation
Do Morning Visualisation
Add GM Daily Break – options: Fitness, Visualisation, other Mind/Body practice
Getting tested for Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea is fully treatable. And if a client shows signs of it (more than 30 kilograms to lose, heavy neck, poor sleep, snoring) strongly encourage to order a sleep study
First step is for client to tell doctor want to be tested for Sleep Apnea. Doctor will refer to a sleep study centre. Typically it is one night in hospital, where sleeping and breathing patterns are monitored.
In most countries, both the sleep study and the CPAP machine are covered by insurance.
A CPAP machine is the most common treatment. Worn at night, it blows air into the nose and mouth while sleeping, keeping the airways open.
Specific Sleep Apnea Action Steps
ADD healthy sleep practices: consistent time, darkened room, no electronics
SWAP GM Daily Break for rest/sleep. Use this space to encourage a daytime nap
SWAP GM Daily Break for Visualisation or Mind/Body practice eg Qi Gong, Yoga
SWAP Evening Visualisation for Deep Sleep Visualisation
DON’T eat instead of sleeping
Resources
Encourage client to attend Ask Jon with specific question(s)
GM Book: Chapter 13 Other Forms of Starvation
SG: Visualisation – Deep Sleep # 6 https://members.thegabrielmethod.com/group-visualization-archive/
SG: Ask Brian:Techniques to help you achieve a good night sleep https://members.thegabrielmethod.com/ask-brian-google-hangout-6/
What To Do When You Can’t Sleep At Night: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIQ56ntG7qk
Why Naps Make You Thin: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GjX5FZ3OuM
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