Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Latest Episodes:

#53 - Sleep and Green Spaces: Lay Me Down In the Tall Grass Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

There has been an explosion of research looking at relationships between one's proximity to nature and sleep. During the Covid pandemic, this research seemed more pressing than ever and rates of disordered sleep and mental health problems soared. In this episode, we will:

Review the research linking improved sleep parameters and access to nature/green spaces
List the potential sleep related benefits being in or around nature may create
Evaluate the categories of benefit related to nature exposure proposed by Markevych: reducing harm, restoring capacities, and building capacities
Highlight CO2 reduction as a harm reduction method for improving sleep
Consider tress and canopy exposure as a separate harm reduction pathway
Explore the role of nature on mental health and its interplay with sleep
Touch upon the ways in which green spaces can facilitate physical activity and social cohesion
Look specifically at green space research as it relates to children and teens

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!

#52 - Finding the Perfect Mattress: The Bed's Too Big Without You Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

Perhaps the biggest single influence on your sleep is the surface that you sleep on. Choosing a mattress is a process that combines personal preference, but also an emerging body of science. In this episode, we will talk to our first guest and producer of the show Maeve Winter about her quest to find the perfect mattress for her and her boyfriend. In this episode, we will:

Discuss how one uses their current sleep experience to inform how they choose their mattress
Identify what factors matter in terms of mattress selection
Review the research about firmness and temperature and how they can improve overall sleep quality
Touch upon other factors that may be important to individuals buying a mattress: construction, materials, size, and motion-suppression , and cost
Summarize the process of going to a Mattress Firm locally, and how the uniformity of working with a Sleep Expert allows two individuals in different locations to "shop" together.

*Dr. Winter has a financial relationship with Sleep.com and Mattress Firm. The content, opinions, and views in this podcast reflect his own opinions and not those of Sleep.com or Mattress Firm.

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!

#51 - Dispatches from the 2023 SLEEP Scientific Conference: A New Sensation Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

The 2023 SLEEP meeting just concluded in Indianapolis where the greatest sleep minds come together and share the amazing academic and scientific projects and research they have been working on. I was on the ground in Indianapolis and wanted to share with you some of the more noteworthy research and data that is came out of the meeting. In this episode we will:

Look at research related to the subjective impression of sleep quality and how it relates to sleep stages
Examine how circadian misalignment in kids tends to predict more food consumption even when sleep time is held constant
Find out how lucid dreaming could be utilized as a potential treatment for nightmare disorder
Determine how factors related to male college students and sleep might be predictive of other problematic behaviors like alcohol use
Review associations between sedentary behavior and insomnia severity
Touch upon the role of sleep hygiene and couple dynamics
Explore equity and discrimination as a factor leading to poor sleep health and quality
Answer the questions as to whether or not it is better to athletically train in the afternoon or evening as a young athlete
Reflect upon what we have learned from the pandemic in terms of sleep, working from home, etc.
Look ahead toward hybrid models for clinical CBTi delivery and how they may hold the key to improving patient outcomes

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!

#50 - Is There A Case For Sleeping Pills?: I Wanted To Be Wrong Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

While we discussed sleeping pills on episode 11 of the podcast, there is a lot of unfinished business here. A recent conversation with a distinguished and highly educated colleague about sleeping pills made me question my practice and the practices of many providers. In this episode we will:

Examine the role of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia patients who do not have the resources, time, or interest in participating in the therapy
Explore the differences in sleep clinics in terms of the demand for these medications. Are these drugs mainly a tool for primary care doctors or do sleep medicine specialist rely on them as a part of their insomnia toolbox?
Review the data on the newest family of hypnotics, the orexin receptor antagonists, in particular their effects on sleep latency and decreasing wake time after sleep onset (WASO)
Discuss the absolute lack of evidence linking any changes seen in sleeping pill sleep use and improved health/performance in their users
Touch upon the proper/ethical ways in which hypnotic data should be shared with patients who are using these drugs. If a drug is helping someone who "cannot sleep" to sleep through the night, what does it mean to withhold this data?
Accepting that these medications may change sleep in very small but statistically meaningful ways, how are we as providers supposed to square these changes with the very different problems our patients bring to our clinic.

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!

#49 - Sleeping Naked: Are Your Clothes Getting In The Way? May 29, 2023

Show notes

The media loves to talk about sleeping naked. The topic carries just enough taboo to make it irresistible to readers. Given that up to a third of adults sleep in the buff, is there any real science to supports its sleep and health benefits? In this episode we will:

Examine current research about the metabolic effects of sleeping in cooler temperatures and how being naked might support these theories
Postulate how sleeping naked/in a cooler environment could increase brown fat composition leading to increased metabolism, weight loss, and better glycemic control/lower diabetes risk
Revisit the sleep benefits of colder temperatures (from Episode 25)
Push back on the direct relationship between sleeping naked and healthier skin
Discuss the role of oxytocin on sleep, stress, and sleeping skin to skin
Touch on the role of sleeping naked on vaginal health
Dive into the idea that sleeping naked improved sperm counts and fertility
Explore the ways in which sleeping naked could lead to heightened self-esteem and body acceptance
Determine if there is in fact evidence that sleeping naked promotes intimacy
Briefly review potential cons of sleeping naked

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!

#48 - Sleep and Pain: When It Hurts So Bad May 22, 2023

Show notes

Chronic pain is a disabling problem that could affect as many as 1 out of every 5 adult Americans. It is a costly and tragic collection of disorders that often has limited and disappointing treatment options. Could sleep be a central mediator of chronic pain? Could it be a pathway for treatment? In this episode we will:

Contrast the relationship between pain causing disturbed sleep with the condition of disturbed sleep itself causing pain
Examine study numbers showing the high incidence of disturbed sleep in patients with chronic pain
Consider that while many patients with disturbed sleep have concurrent depression, a much higher cohort complains of disturbed sleep
Revisit a 2006 study I highlighted in my first book that shows increased pain indices following relatively trivial reductions in total sleep and REM sleep
Extend this concept as it relates to high incidence of chronic pain in military veterans with sleep disorders/disturbances
View the relationship through the lens of a 2022 Harvard study confirming a relationship but stopping short of endorsing causation
List ways in which sleep considerations could be utilized to improve pain conditions

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!

#47 - Sleep and Mouth Taping: Our Lips Are Sealed May 15, 2023

Show notes

Now that lettuce water and melatonin spray has had their moments, mouth taping seems to be the latest sleep social media trend that everyone is talking about. What does the evidence say about the practice? Is it legitimately helpful? In this episode, we will:

Examine the functions of the nose in the respiration process (filtering, humidification, etc.)
Attempt to quantify the scope of nocturnal mouth breathing, both in the sleep apnea and non-sleep apnea population
Rank to incidence of mouth breathing based upon sleep stage
Contextualize the role in increased nitric oxide via nasal breathing
Evaluate the scope of sleep apnea and snoring improvement based upon mouth taping and how it relates to other treatments
Discuss the role of mouth taping and CPAP compliance
Touch upon the role of mouth taping and oral health
Break down the relationship between ADHD and mouth taping, and the influence of sleep-related breathing disturbances in this proposed relationship
Go through the list of considerations related to the practice of mouth taping

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!

#46 - Choosing the Right Pillow: Send Me The Pillow You Dream On May 08, 2023

Show notes

It would be tough to argue that one of the most important factors that influence your sleep is right under your nose (literally, depending on what position in which you sleep). Our pillow plays a big role in our sleep comfort and quality. In this episode we will:

Touch upon when kids should begin using pillows for their sleep
Look at evidence suggesting that few people give deep consideration to their pillow and of those who do, the majority may still be making the wrong choice
List the various pillow fillings (feather, wool, latex, etc.) and their relative strengths and weaknesses
Determine which pillow types tend to create the most spinal support
Lay out the factors that go into pillow fitting
Understand the supportive and comfort goals of a well-fit pillow
Dive into the factors that tend to influence pillow purchases
Discuss other uses of pillows besides head support
Go through some disorders that can be improved with proper pillow selection.

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!

#45 - Are You A Good Sleeper Or A Bad Sleeper?: It Was My Attitude May 01, 2023

Show notes

Our identity as either a good sleeper or a bad sleeper plays an outsized role in the development and persistence of insomnia in individuals. In this episode, we will:

Explore the origins of our sleep identity
List the common ways individuals decide whether or not they are "good sleepers"
Introduce the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS) Scale, and how its components offer insight into the dysfunctional thinking that often characterizes insomnia
Contrast the use of the DBAS with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
Consider how the ESS helps to identify drive to sleep and what that means to have a high, or a low drive.
Strategize how to use elements of the DBAS and the ESS to begin to construct a new foundation for sleep identity, an identity that is one of a good sleeper.

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!

#44 - Shift Work: I Got No Time For Livin', I'm Workin' All The Time Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Maybe the Rush lyric should have been, "I've got no time for sleepin'" because a huge population of people in this world participate in some form of shift work, and it takes a heavy toll on sleep, health, and the bottom line of their employers. In this episode we will:

Examine the inherent sleep deficit that comes with shift work
Determine how much sleep the average shift worker is losing
Debunk the idea that staying on night shift actually creates a true biological adjustment
Explore the work-related consequences of shift work sleepiness
Highlight the unequal 'double burden' women engaged in shift work assume
List the medical consequences of shift work
Define the medical disorder Shift Work Disorder
Evaluate the countermeasures and interventions that can lessen the impact of shift work

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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