Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Latest Episodes:

#23 - Light and Sleep: The Legend of Blue Light Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

When it comes to healthy sleep, plays a huge role. The discussion often vilifies light, in particular blue light, but is it always bad? In this episode we will:

Discuss light's role in the regulation of our circadian rhythm and by proxy, sleep.
Understand the anatomy of how light interacts with the eye/retina, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the pineal body, and eventually creates melatonin suppression
Understand how blue light came to be acknowledged as the fundamental light color of this process
Differentiate light quality and light intensity and further differentiate light intensity at the source (lumen) and destination (lux)
Find out that even small amount of light or sustained light at night (LAN) can disrupt sleep and diminish health
Explore how lighting that capitalizes on these characteristics can promote sleep and also support wakefulness.
Learn about products meant to diminish light and enhance light
Touch upon the practical/research implications of light pollution and light manipulation in novel environments (submarines)

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!

#22 - Holiday Sleep Gift Guide Extravaganza Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

With the holidays around the corner, I have reached out to my favorite sleep product companies as well as my favorite sleep experts to get product recommendations, discount codes, and all kinds of weighted blankets, ear plugs, cooling units, and sleep hoodies to try out. Buying gifts for people this time of year can be difficult, so I'm making it easy for you. Who wouldn't want a gift that encourages better sleep. In this podcast we will look at the following:

Ayo circadian lighting
Bearaby weighted blankets
Chilipad/DockPro bed cooling unit
Dēp Slēpwear cooling bed clothing
Dodow sleep/breathing device
Hatch sound machine
Muse meditation device (Interaxon)
Oura Ring sleep monitoring device
Ostrichpillow travel pillow
Pavlok shock alarm
QuietOn sleeping earbuds
Sleepys with Reactex cooling pillow
Somnox sleep robot
Swanwick blue-blocking glasses
ThisWorks sleep spray
Umay digital eye relaxation tech
Withings ScanWatch Horizon sleep/fitness watch

*I have no financial relationship with the companies listed above but may have received products to trial/demo.

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!

#21 - Sleep and Food: You Sleep What You Eat Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Nutrition and food are big topics within sleep circles. What can I eat to support great sleep? In this episode we will:

Learn about the amnio acid tryptophan and what food contain high levels.
Debunk the myth that turkey contains high levels of tryptophan, and thus is the reason why you fall asleep after eating turkey on Thanksgiving
Outline the steps in melatonin synthesis, beginning with tryptophan being facilitated by calcium and insulin levels in the body
List the various enzymes and chemicals that catalyze the steps of melatonin synthesis, and the nutrients that support them
Highlight foods that are sources of intrinsic melatonin, such as tart cherries, black walnuts, and almonds
Investigate GABA, potassium, and apigenin as chemicals outside of the melatonin synthesis pathway than can influence sleep.

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!

#20 - Paradoxical Insomnia: The Insomnia You've Never Heard Of Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

There is nothing in the realm of sleep medicine that creates more confusion (both among patients and providers) than paradoxical insomnia. Known by many terms over the years, paradoxical insomnia (or sleep state misperception) is at once common and rare, This is unfortunate because more awareness could improve the overall recognition and diagnosis or insomnia as well as improve treatment outcomes. In this episode we will:

Review the definition and incidence of insomnia disorder
Explore the inherent problems that result from patient sleep reporting (sleep latency, sleep duration, etc.)
Describe the origins of sleep state misperception and how it was a natural outgrowth of the more widespread use and formalization of the polysomnogram
Define paradoxical insomnia and detail the shortcomings of the definition
Differentiate between a formal diagnosis of paradoxical insomnia and a patient who underestimated their sleep amount/overestimates sleep latency
Look at historical studies that first quantified the number of insomnia patients that underestimated their sleep amount and to what degree
Define the Misperception Index (MI) and how it can be used to create a spectrum and diagnostic structure for paradoxical insomnia.
List the risk factors and causes of paradoxical insomnia
Briefly touch upon potential treatments

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!

#19 - Nightmares and Night Terrors: Whatever You Do, Don't Fall Asleep Oct 30, 2022

Show notes

On this special Halloween edition, we will wander into the dark and terrifying forest of nightmares and night terrors. In this episode, we will:

Explore the origin of the term nightmare
Differentiate nightmares from bad dreams and learn what constitutes the diagnosis of nightmare disorder
List other REM-related parasomnias besides nightmare disorder (like isolated sleep paralysis (Episode 16), REM Behavior Disorder, and catathrenia
Characterize the prevalence of nightmares and nightmare disorder as well as its risk factors
Look in depth at treatments in particular Image Rehearsal Therapy and the newer Targeted Memory Reactivation technique
Name medications sometimes employed in nightmare disorder therapy
Define night terrors and other non-REM-related parasomnias like sleep talking (somniloquy), sleepwalking (somnambulism), sleep-related eating disorder (SRED), and various sexsomnias
Characterize the prevalence of night terrors as well as their risk factors
Review treatments and best practices for these disorders

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!

#18 - Daylight Saving Time: What Exactly Are We Saving? Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Twice a year, daylight saving time takes center stage as we talk about it, worry about it, plan for it, and either rejoice or renounce its very existence. Now, as the United States government debates whether or not to legislate an end to the practice, let's take some time to explore the topic. In this episode we will:

explore the origins of daylight saving time and its particularly unique history in the United States
understand the reasons for not only implementing the practice of daylight saving time as well as the reasons why it has persisted
differentiate the various aspects of daylight saving time and standard time
touch on the actual energy savings created (or not) by daylight saving time
probe the public's sentiment for keeping DST or adopting permanent standard time
evaluate the health risks (and sleep risks) of the biannual changes (as well as a potential intrinsic risk of DST itself) and why we should adopt permanent standard time
list some possible strategies for lessening the impact of the transition

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!

#17 - The Truth About Napping Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

Has there ever been a topic more fraught with misunderstanding and misinterpretation than napping. Should we nap? Should we not nap? What if I can't nap? This episode will cover it all. In this episode we will:

Understand how napping can benefit our health and performance
Evaluate how in some populations, excessive napping can be a marker of poor health
Learn how napping can be employed to supplement nocturnal sleep and repay sleep debt
Find out the ideal way to structure the environment and timing of naps
Recognize when napping may be a sign of poor health.

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!

#16 - Sleep Paralysis: There's a Demon In My Bed Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

Almost half of all people will experience the terrifying feeling of awakening from sleep unable to move. Sleep paralysis has its roots deep in history and separating fact from lore is not always easy. this this episode we will:

explore the history and mythology surrounding sleep paralysis, the night hag, incubus/succubus, and the origin of the term nightmare
contrast different cultural interpretations of sleep paralysis as well as the various treatments believed to ward off the condition
explore the incidence of the disorder both as an isolated phenomenon as well as a chronic state
describe the various ways in which it manifests in individuals
list the risk factors and predisposing conditions for sleep paralysis
detail the neural pathways and highlight the neuroanatomy of the process and how it links to causes and risk factors
discuss treatment options and for whom they may be appropriate

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!

#15 - Insomnia: Waking Up At Night Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

When it comes to sleep, I'm not sure there a topic that frustrates more than waking up at night (sometimes referred to as sleep maintenance insomnia). The struggle to make it from bedtime to wake can be a long and tortuous journey for some. In this episode we will:

explore the history of sleep and nocturnal awakenings
define the prevalence of nocturnal awakenings in the adult population
understand both the definition of arousal and its relationship to awakenings
investigate the concept of sleep efficiency, how it relates to sleep expectation versus sleep need, and how this itself can lead to increased awakenings at night
determine how the presence or absence of excessive sleepiness can help to understand the cause and seriousness of nocturnal awakenings
learn the risk factors and predictors that often lead to nocturnal awakenings
find out that an individual's determination of the cause of their awakenings can be unreliable
discuss the role of sleep studies in determining if there are pathological causes for nocturnal awakenings
explore the role of anxiety and worry in nocturnal awakenings
summarize the numerous studies that have shown the role of exercise in reducing both frequency and duration of nocturnal awakenings

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!

#14 - Circadian Rhythms: Time May Change Me Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

Even though circadian rhythms seem initially to be exclusively linked to our sleep, these primitive timing mechanisms reach back to virtually the dawn of life as we know it. Understanding circadian pathways lays the groundwork for not only understanding circadian disorders like jet lag and shift work, but also for understanding how to optimize our own health. In this episode we will:

define circadian rhythms
understand the mechanisms in the nervous system that govern circadian rhythms and biological timing
find out about some of the early pioneers of circadian science and how their experiments helped to shed light on intrinsic rhythms
learn why human circadian rhythms are slightly longer than 24 hours
list the multiple systems within our bodies that depend on these rhythms
examine research that indicates how harmful biological timing is to our health and the diseases/conditions they influence
determine ways to optimize our own health through improved circadian scheduling

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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