Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Latest Episodes:

#133 - Insomnia and Exercise: You Better Run Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

When it comes to insomnia treatments, there probably is no better intervention than exercise. If you are not already convinced, in this episode we will:

Discuss the benefits of exercise on various sleep parameters and insomnia specifically
Outline the amounts of exercise that seem to make the most difference
Explore the reasons why exercise might improve sleep quality and minimize the manifestations of insomnia
Evaluate the types of exercise best suited to improve sleep quality

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#132 - 2024 Sleep Unplugged Awards: The Best of What's Around Dec 30, 2024

Show notes

Believe it or not, but the 3rd Annual Sleep Unplugged "Sleepy" Awards are upon us again. What better way to close out the year of sleep than to recognize some truly exceptions individuals and organizations within the field of sleep. Join me as we celebrate some of the brightest stars in this podcast episode:
The 2024 Sleepy Award winners are:
Social Media Warrior Dr. Upneet "Neety" Chawla
(@sleeping.beauty_md)
Sleep Outsider Award Equinox Hotels
Sleep Vanguard Organization Mattress Firm
Sleep Sports Organization Los Angeles Dodgers
Sleep Podcast of The Year The SRS Podcast/Dr. Jesse Cook
(@sleepandsports)
Best Insomnia Advice Teresa (DeNike) Power (@sleepbetternyc)
Book of the Year Navigating Life with Restless Legs Syndrome
Dr. Andrew Spector (@andrewspectormd)
Sleep Trend Farewell Sleepy Girl Mocktail
Sleep Crusader Award Dr. Michael Grandner (@michaelgrandner)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#131 - Sleep Apnea Surgeries: Some Greater Awakening Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

For many people who have sleep apnea, they look to surgery as a means to a "greater awakening" which can at times, lead to disappointing outcomes. What exactly is meant by "sleep apnea surgery" and why doesn't everyone get it? In this episode we will:

define sleep apnea and how we measure its severity
discuss the adults who are most appropriate candidates
look at the various ways "success" is defined with surgical outcomes [reduction in respiratory events, health outcomes, sleep measures] and how that might be at odds with how one feels after surgery
touch upon bariatric as a form of sleep apnea surgery
list the various procedures that target the nose/nasal cavity, jaw, tongue, and throat
highlight the hypoglossal nerve stimulator/Inspire therapy and talk about patient populations that work well with this therapy

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#130 - Sleep Unplugged Book Club #2-The Sleep Apnea Hypothesis: If Everything Goes Wrong Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

Sleep apnea is the bread and butter of the sleep clinic and the most common cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. But do you really know the extent to which sleep apnea can ravage your health? Is it the cause of aging? In this episode we will:

Explore Brandon Peters' new book The Sleep Apnea Hypothesis
Dissect his question, "Are you getting older or are you getting sleep apnea?"
List the many common complaints of aging that are actually caused by sleep apnea
Touch on the many obvious sleep complaints and not so obvious complaints linked to sleep apnea

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#129 - How to Take The Perfect Nap: Lay Your Weary Head to Rest Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

We started a dialogue about napping way back in episode 17. The napping discussion continues. In this episode, we will:

Discuss reasons for napping
Revisit the current literature around performance
Look at new research on napping and cognition and memory
Reexamine the research on nap length and performance
List the components of a perfect nap environment
Touch upon the potential negatives associated with napping
Conclude by looking at napping and cardiovascular risk as well as risk for dementia

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#128 - How To Stop Taking Sleeping Pills: I Can Never Stop, I Can Never Quit Dec 02, 2024

Show notes

Insomnia treatment often involves pills and when those pills fail to solve the problem (or even if them seem to help) the desire to discontinue the pills may arise. In this episode we will:

Discuss the overall theory of sleeping pills
Highlight the use of Trazodone as a sleeping aid
Walk through strategies and useful ways to discontinue sleeping pills
Explain why individuals wean oof of medications
Touch upon the dangers and risks of discontinuing sleeping pills
Explore why discontinuing medications is difficult

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#127 - The 3rd Annual Holiday Sleep Gift Guide Extravaganza: You Just Won't Be Able To Do Without It Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

The Sleep Unplugged podcast is back to solve your holiday shopping dilemmas with some of my favorite sleep product companies. In this episode, we will explore a host of sleep-themed gift ideas and product recommendations. In this episode, we will feature the following products:

GroundingWell grounding/earthing products
Beadgear pillows and linens
Bearaby weighted blankets and unique pillows
Boka nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste
Dore and Rose mulberry silk sleep mask
Loop Dream earplugs for sleep
Luminette 3 light therapy glasses
Lunya washable silk pajamas
Mattress Firm king bed for queen price
QuietLab anti-snoring mouthpiece
Rematee anti-snoring belt
Ryze mushroom coffee and hot chocolate mix
Sleeper Hold travel pillow
Swanwick blue-blocking glasses and lighting solutions
The Sleep Solution/The Rested Child books
Yogasleep Dohm Nova noise machine and Rohm+ travel noise machine and speaker
zDen personal/pet sleep environment
Zzzquil breathing strips

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#126 - Sleep and Air Travel: Go For a Ride In The Sky Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

With the holidays fast approaching, many will take to the skies bound for destinations all over the world. Sleeping on a plane can be the difference between a pleasant Thanksgiving event and a contentious meal ending in frustration. Being prepared to sleep on a plane is an artform. In this episode we will:

Discuss the ins and outs of seat selection
Go through a comprehensive list of items to help with sleep on a plane
List some strategies for hitting the ground running when you arrive

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#125 - Weight Loss and Sleep: Nice Skinny, Roller Skate Skinny Nov 11, 2024

Show notes

There is a complicated relationship between sleep and weight, and it's worth unpacking this to some degree. In this episode we will:

Look at the data on weight loss in sleep apnea patients and how it impacts disease state
Review the reverse situation of how CPAP therapy affects short and long-term patient weight
Understand the consensus opinion about sleep deprivation and weight gain
Sort through the different data on weight gain and one theory about the mixed results

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

#124 - Grief and Sleep: Won't You Stop and Remember Me? Nov 04, 2024

Show notes

Grief is a both a common cause of acute insomnia and a massive perpetuating factor of chronic insomnia. The relationship between grief and insomnia/sleep is complex and bidirectional. In this episode we will:

Outline the relationship between grief and sleep and how it acts as a causative factor
Discuss how long-term insomnia can lead to complex grief
Differentiate different grief subsets: late life spousal bereavement, complex grief, parental grief
Follow patterns of grief: resilient, recovering, and chronic
Evaluate the treatment of insomnia as a means to combat chronic grief

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Twitter: @drchriswinter
IG: @drchriwinter
Threads: @drchriswinter
Bluesky: @drchriswinter
The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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