Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Latest Episodes:

#143 - Pillow Fight 2025: Simply The Best Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

Everyone loves the NCAA basketball tournament...teams colliding in a winner-take-all tournament for basketball supremacy. Haven't you ever dreamed about a similar competition between different pillows? Well dream no longer because that bedding showdown is here. Pillows are so important to our sleep, which is why I have assembled 17 of the finest to square off in a battle the likes of which have never been seen. In this episode we will:

Explain the first annual Sleep Unplugged Pillow Fight tournament
Touch upon how important choosing the right pillow is for sleep
Breakdown the scoring system (25% Committee, 25% my blinded experience, 25% Sleep Specialist input, 10% Crowd/Social Media (Instagram) following, 10% 'Induced Fit', and 5% Packaging and Extras).
Introduce the 17 competitors: Atluxe, Authenticity50, Bedgear, Cariloha, Casper, Coop, DozyBoy, Lagoon, Layla, Luxome, MVMI, Nest, Pillow Cube, Pluto, Silk & Snow, Tempurpedic, and Twilla

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!

#142 - Death to Daylight Saving Time: For Clock Back Move And Make It For A While Mar 10, 2025

Show notes

As we recover from yet another "spring forward" into Daylight Saving Time again, it seems a good time to revisit the topic we initially covered in episode 18. While that episode sought more to explain the origins of the practice and how to best adjust, this episode is more of a declaration as to why the entire practice should be abolished in favor of permanent standard time. In this episode we will:

Unpack the support for eliminating the clock change and why many lawmakers have ignored science and pushed for a permanent adoption of daylight saving time (DST)
List the many entities and groups that support the adoption of permanent standard time
Briefly touch upon the few "cons" to permanent standard time and how they are both questionable and dwarfed by the available research in favor of permanent standard time
Explain the circadian and health benefits of permanent standard time
Explore the school performance benefit of eliminating DST
Measure the positive environmental impact of adopting standard time all year
Dive into productivity increases when the standard time is adopted
Learn why permanent daylight saving time already failed in the 1970s
Debunk the noting that the practice was started to benefit farmers; not only is this not true, but farmers opposed it because of the reduction in morning light

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!

#141 - Light Therapy Revisited: Put on the Red Light Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

It has been a while since we have focused our attention on light therapy and sleep. For this Insomnia Monday, I thought a revisiting of light therapy might be in order. In this episode we will:

Touch on new research that serves to minimize the role that blue light plays in terms of sleep harm
Look at other colors of light and how that might affect sleep and health
Evaluate research looking at light therapy and insomnia
Expand our thinking about insomnia into a place that includes circadian disorders and causes/contributors

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!

#140 - Fear of The Snooze Button: Shut Me Down with a Push of Your Button Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

In 2024, the Independent published an article entitled, "Experts Issue Warning About Using the Snooze Button." Previously, a sleep specialist said the snooze button was "one of the worst things you can do." Is any of this true? Could there potentially be a benefit? In this episode we will:

Touch upon the history of the snooze button
List some theories why it might be harmful to sleep/health
Characterize the typical snooze button user
Look at the average time one might snooze
Provide some insight as to various snooze button motivations
Learn why snoozing can be a strategy for dealing with sleep inertia
Review some surprising research about snoozing potentially helping with cognitive abilities

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!

#139 - Heart Rate Variability and Sleep: Like a Moving Heartbeat Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

Heart rate variability (HRV) is everywhere, and in no space has it made a bigger splash than in sleep medicine. Not only is HRV influenced significantly by sleep, but it is also at the core of wearable sleep technology. In this episode we will:

Define heart rate variability
Discuss what increased or decreased heart rate variability means
List the medical conditions often associated/predicted by changes in HRV
Characterize how HRV is utilized in sleep medicine
Contrast how different stages of sleep are reflected in HRV changes and how this is utilized in wearable technology
Touch upon the factors that positively and negatively influence HRV

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!

#138 - The Subtle Art of Hurkle-Durkling: Swim in a Deep Sea of Blankets Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

If you pay any attention to sleep hygiene advice, you have probably heard many times that you should get up at the same time every day for optimal sleep. But does that mean you can never lounge around in bed a little in the morning? According to the Scottish, not at all. In fact, they have a term for it: hurkle-durkle. In this episode of the podcast, we will:

Define "hurkle-durkle"
Differentiate hurkle-durkling from bedrotting, another popular social media trend
Review the factors that seem to be necessary for a proper hurkle-durkle experience
Explore how this concept, applied in moderation, can be applied to our feelings of positivity or negativity about being in bed awake

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!

#137 - Insomnia and Vagal Nerve Stimulators: Are You Getting the Vibe? Feb 02, 2025

Show notes

Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulators are often advertised as insomnia therapies, "helping you fall asleep faster" or "helping you sleep through the night. Do they work? In this Insomnia Monday episode of the podcast, we will:

Introduce vagal nerve stimulators
Describe the path and role of the vagus nerve
Understand the role of the parasympathetic nervous system
Examine the limited research on vagal nerve stimulators and sleep
Understand the scale of the placebo effect in sleep/insomnia research
Differentiate a statistically meaningful change in sleep/polysomnographic parameters from a "real world" meaningful change in someone struggling with insomnia
List the strengths and criticisms of vagal nerve stimulators including study size and study design
Learn who is the right candidate for vagal nerve stimulators

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!

#136 - Cancer and Sleep: Gotta Be Strong to Fight Them Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

When we think about the deleterious effects of poor sleep, cardiovascular and cognitive/psychological consequences typically come first to mind. One of the less obvious and less understood effects is that of cancer which was listed as a probably carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2007. Since that time, there has been considerable efforts to understand the role plays in cancer. In this episode we will:

Evaluate the original research looking at sleep and cancer risk
List the cancer types commonly associated with poor/inadequate sleep
Highlight studies that cast doubt on this relationship
Review factors related to sleep and shift work that might influence risk
Speculate on possible mechanisms that lead to carcinogenicity
Touch upon steps one can take to lessen cancer risk associated with poor 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!

#135 - Blood Glucose and Sleep: Sweet As Sugar Jan 20, 2025

Show notes

The relationship between sleep and blood glucose is a powerful one and it impacts our weight, the way we eat, and countless other health metrics. In this episode we will:

Introduce the concept of glycemic control
Define insulin sensitivity and how it relates to diabetes
Learn why sleep deficiency increases blood sugar levels
Stress the role that cortisol and growth hormone play in glucose regulation and how sleep impacts both
Explore the relationship between sleep stage and glucose regulation
Emphasize sleep deprivation as a negative factor in glycemic regulation
Understand the common pathway of sleep disorders and blood sugar control
Follow the bidirectional relationship between elevated blood glucose levels and poor 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!

#134 - Sleep in Times of Catastrophe: Burn Out The Night Jan 13, 2025

Show notes

While the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires continue to burn in California, firefighters and other first responders work tirelessly around the clock. What does their ability to bypass sleep for 48-60 hours mean in terms of individuals with insomnia, and what does this kind of work do to their own health? In this episode, we will:

Frame the ability to temporarily derive ourselves of sleep as being a powerful tool and not necessarily a sign that sleep is bad or broken
Examine the sleep of first responders, in particular firefighters
Touch upon that vast number of firefighters with undiagnosed sleep disorders
Think about the role sleep schedules play in their sleep and 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!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected