Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Latest Episodes:

#193 - Insomnia and Success: Gonna Hit The Big Time Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

Success looks good in the daylight, but at night, it often looks very different. In this episode we explore why insomnia is so common in driven, high-achieving, Type-A personalities. Is it stress? Hyperarousal? The Zeigarnik effect? We unpack the science, the psychology, and the cultural narrative that may be quietly rewarding sleeplessness. In this episode, we will:

Discover what the research says about achievement orientation, perfectionism, and insomnia
Outlinehyperarousal model of insomnia and why high performers may struggle to “turn it off”
Introduce the Zeigarnik effect and how unfinished goals hijack the sleeping brain
Learn why our culture romanticizes sleepless productivity and how that reinforces the problem
Contrast the difference between short sleepers, workaholism, and true chronic insomnia
Think about practical strategies for high achievers to protect sleep without sacrificing ambition

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!

#192 - Top 10 Sleep Threat Power Rankings: Can I Go To Bed & Sleep Tonight? Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

This week marks the 10th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, and this week, we have a special guest assessor, Dr. Margaret Park. In this episode we will:

Find out what Dr. Park thinks are the top threats to your sleep
Focus on how Dr. Park looks at practical patient and system failures
Learn why Margaret's list marks a different view of sleep problems than lists before

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!

#191 - Creatine and Sleep: When You Sleep, Your Muscles Would Bulge Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Creatine has been a staple in the gym bag for decades. But is it just for bodybuilders chasing one more rep, or does it have something to say about sleep, brain energy, and resilience in a sleep deprived world? In this episode we will:

Break down what creatine actually is and how it works at the cellular level as a rapid energy buffer for muscle and brain
Explore why athletes swear by it, what the data really shows about strength and performance
Learn why creatine monohydrate remains the gold standard despite the marketing of newer forms
Review data about brain energy, sleep pressure, and whether creatine helps when the system is under stress
Tackle broader health claims of mood/depression, aging, cognition, and the often misunderstood relationship between creatine and kidney function
Touch upon creatine and hair loss
Review best creatine practices and warnings about its use

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!

#190 - Restless Legs Syndrome Shake-Up: Every Time a Problem Ends, Another One Begins Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Restless legs syndrome used to feel simple. If the legs were jumping, we reached for a dopamine agonist, the safer alternative to older meds. Over time, we learned that the very medication calming symptoms could make the condition worse. But just as guidelines changed in favor of gabapentin and related medications, new research raised concerns about the medications link to cognitive decline and dementia. So where does that leave patients? In this episode, we will:

Define restless legs syndrome and review why dopamine agonists became the standard treatment in the first place
Explain augmentation and rebound in plain language, and why it led to guideline reconsideration
Walk through the AASM’s updated recommendations and why gabapentinoids are now considered first-line therapy
Examine the recent study linking gabapentin exposure to increased dementia and mild cognitive impairment risk
Discuss what observational research can and cannot tell us about causation
Compare the real-world risks of dopamine agonists versus the emerging safety signals around gabapentin
Explore how these recommendations may be interpreted differently by sleep specialists versus primary care providers
Highlight the “rock and hard place” many patients feel caught in when every option carries caveats
Review practical strategies: iron optimization, careful dosing, monitoring for augmentation, and individualized care
Offer a balanced framework for making thoughtful, evidence-based decisions without panic or oversimplification

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!

#189 - Insomnia Electronics: Electricity So Fine Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

This month’s insomnia episode explores a provocative idea: can certain electronics actually help insomnia rather than harm it? While screens and devices are often blamed for poor sleep, some technologies aim to calm the nervous system, teach self-regulation, or reduce the anxiety that keeps insomnia going. In this episode we will:

• Revisit the parasympathetic nervous system, the vagus nerve, and why the “wandering nerve” has fascinated medicine for centuries
• Review the data for non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation and devices like Truvaga: what the research shows, what remains unclear, and whether stimulation truly reaches the vagus nerve
• Undwerstand how implantable vagus nerve stimulators for epilepsy differ from consumer wellness devices, and why that matters for insomnia
• Introduce the Muse Athena and the shift from passive neuromodulation to learning an active calming skill
• Unpack what we know so far about the data behind Muse devices and insomnia
• Consider Pavlok and behavioral technology: reducing anxiety around waking, oversleeping, and morning routines
• Learn how to think about sleep tech without falling into orthosomnia or gadget-driven sleep anxiety

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!

#188 - Top 10 Sleep Threat Power Rankings: I’m Tired but I’m Working Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

This week marks the 9th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, and this week, we have a special guest assessor, Dr. Seem Khosla. In this episode we will:

Find out what Seema thinks are the top threats to your sleep
Focus on sleep priority failures...both of the patient and the clinician
Learn why Dr. Khosla's list marks a different view of sleep problems than lists before

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!

#187 - Why is Donald Trump So Sleepy? My Mind Is Fading Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Recent headlines and viral clips have reignited conversation about Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep during public events. What’s actually going on? Trump has repeatedly said, in his own words and in interviews, that he doesn’t sleep much and doesn’t believe he needs much sleep. In this podcast we will:

Provide a brief tour of presidential and political history that shows short sleep has been common among leaders, from Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton
Talk about why sleep loss matters via a clear, science-based explanation of how chronic short sleep affects attention, decision-making, emotional regulation, and cognitive performance
Differentiate between “functioning” and functioning well, and discuss why people often overestimate how well they perform when sleep deprived
Pull in the cultural mythology of leaders who “never sleep” and why we tend to confuse exhaustion with strength, productivity, or toughness
Take a look at how sleep has become politicized, including nicknames, optics, and the public’s fixation on who looks tired and who doesn’t

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!

#186 - EMF and Sleep: Rays of Violet and Electric Blue Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are everywhere—from our phones to our Wi-Fi to the wiring in our homes. But do they actually disrupt sleep… or is this another modern sleep villain that gets more attention than it deserves? In this episode of Sleep Unplugged, we will:

Define what EMF actually is (ELF vs RF, and why “non-ionizing” matters)
Learn what research says—and doesn’t say—about EMF and the brain, including why subtle EEG changes don’t always translate into real-world sleep problems
Review what studies show about EMF and sleep, from brain waves and spindles to subjective sleep quality
Focus on Chuck McGill (Better Call Saul) as a case study, and why his story mirrors what we see in insomnia, hyperarousal, and perceived sleep threats
Determine if EMF-blocking devices actually work and look at physics vs marketing—and why many products overpromise
List some reasonable precautions without fear, and why chasing the “perfect sleep environment” can sometimes make insomnia worse

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!

#185 - Insomnia Resolutions: Seeing My Past to Let It Go Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

This week on the Sleep Unplugged podcast, we are looking at sleep resolutions made for the new year and why they often fail. In this episode, we present six insomnia resolutions that don’t ask you to “try harder” — because insomnia isn’t a motivation problem, a discipline problem, or a character flaw. In this episode we will:

Reframe why New Year’s sleep resolutions fail
Think about insomnia as a brain trained to stay alert and how that reshapes our insomnia therapy goals
Discuss how CBT-I actually retrains the brain (not willpower) and how it fits in with the way we view insomnia therapy
Learn why fixing insomnia requires better systems, better language, and better care, and not more effort
Understand why insomnia can be tough to fix alone

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!

#184 - 2025 Sleep Unplugged Awards: I Will Be King Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Once again we come to the end of another year and our 4th Annual Sleep Unplugged "Sleepy" Awards are upon us again. Join me in honoring the best and brightest in sleep in this podcast episode:
The 2025 Sleepy Award winners are:
Social Media Warrior Dr. Christopher J Allen (@sleepdrchris)
Sleep Outsider Award The Nap Ministry/Tricia Hershey (@thenapministry)
Sleep Vanguard Organization Natrol (@natrolofficial)
Sleep Sports Organization Toronoto Blue Jays
Sleep Podcast of The Year Deep Into Sleep/Dr. Yishan Xu (@dr.yishan)
Best Insomnia Advice Nada El Kouz (@wellpower.me)
Book of the Year Sleep Groove: Why Your Biological Clock Is So Messed Up And What To Do About It
Dr. Olivia Walch (@olivia.walch)
Sleep Trend Farewell Nighttime baby carrots
Sleep Crusader Award Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, MD (@fabsleepdoc)

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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