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Dr François Duforez, sports and sleep doctor
This Sunday, the skippers participating in the Route du Rhum 2022 will set off for a solo race. During this intense period, their sleep will be put to the test. But how do they manage their sleep on the high seas? Doctissimo takes stock with Dr François Duforez, sports and sleep doctor who coached skipper Charles Caudrelier and other teams.
Route du Rhum: among skippers, sleep is golden
Among maxi-catamaran skippers, the race lasts on average 7 days and they will a priori sleep on sleep sequences between 10 and 40 min, explains Dr François Duforez. The reason: it is necessary for those who own this type of multihull to maintain control so as not to capsize. “Their sleep is special because they are boats that are very fast but dangerous to pilot”, specifies the sports and sleep doctor. That’s why they have to stay awake day and night.
It sometimes happens that in skippers, hallucinations occur due to lack of sleep. This was the case for Charles Caudrelier. “I felt like I was on a horse when I was steering and meandering through the trees. I was doing zigzags at the helm”confided the skipper to our colleagues from France Télévisions.
“In order for Charles Caudrelier to have a better quality of sleep – even if these precious moments of sleep will be short – we have set up a special berth in his maxi-catamaran. This allows him, when he is lying down, not to wake up during the 20 to 40 minutes he has to sleep because there are so many shocks that from time to time, the skippers get ejected. So we installed a shape memory berth in which he is wedged like in a sarcophagus, which which protects him from blows and being ejected,” says the expert.
“We also took measurements at sea and ashore to find out what the ideal sleeping times were for Charles, where he could take a nap during the day. Depending on the weather conditions and what he has to do , he will have time slots where he will be able to take naps between 10 and 40 minutes”, added the sports and sleep doctor.
On the other hand, for skippers in Imoca – Vendée Globe boats (another type of multihull), Dr François Duforez explains that “It’s different because the race is longer and they don’t have the problem of the danger of capsizing. They go slower than the maxi-catamarans”. “The race will last several days and being in sleep deprivation for 10, 12 or even 14 days is complicated”, added the expert.
Still according to Dr. François Duforez, these skippers will be able to take naps that last a sleep cycle, that is to say between 1h15 and 1h45 of sleep. In this sleep cycle, there will be deep sleep and REM sleep. On the other hand, they also take naps as soon as they can from 10 to 40 min.
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Breathing exercises to fall asleep as quickly as possible?
“To fall asleep as quickly as possible, there are breathing techniques – whether apnea, cardiac coherence or sophrology. These methods allow you to get into a quick and restorative sleep”, explains Dr. Duforez. Among skippers, these techniques are widely used because sleeping as quickly as possible and on command is vital.
“What we teach skippers and what is simplest is square breathing. This consists of blowing for 4 seconds, I don’t breathe, I inhale for 4 seconds then I don’t breathe …Each side of the square is 4 seconds so in total it’s 16 seconds. Then, once in this mental square, you breathe very gently for 5 seconds and then inhale for 5 seconds. This is called cardiac coherence.”explains Dr. Duforez.
In short, the expert specifies that each person has a different rhythm. Instead it can be a 3-5, 3-5. “It can be 3 seconds inhale, 5 seconds exhale and so on… Instead of making a square, they make a rectangle”concludes the sleep doctor.