Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Traveling often leads to sleepless nights, but it doesn't have to! Discover the notorious 'first night effect' that messes with your rest and learn ten science-backed tricks to create your perfect sleep oasis in a hotel. Expert insights show how to tackle pesky light, noise, and temperature issues. Plus, bringing small comforts from home can soothe your restless mind. Don't let jet lag win—there are effective ways to keep your circadian rhythm in check while on the go!

Headaches don’t punch the clock at bedtime — in fact, for many, night is when they strike hardest. In this episode, we’ll:Explore how disrupted sleep can trigger and intensify migraines, cluster headaches, hypnic headaches, and chronic daily headacheExamine the role of sleep apnea in “morning headaches” and how CPAP therapy can make them disappearReview the latest research linking insomnia treatment to reduced headache burden — including new findings from a Seattle study on prazosin for posttraumatic headache in veteransBreak down the brain mechanisms connecting sleep and pain, from hypothalamic circadian control to CGRP signalingOffer practical, research-backed strategies for patients and clinicians to address both sides of the equationProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

At every medical appointment, certain rituals unfold: height, weight, blood pressure, and—almost reflexively—temperature. But in asymptomatic patients, how often does that temperature reading actually matter? In this episode, we will:Examine the origins of routine temperature checks and their current clinical valueExplore data showing how infrequently temperature readings in well visits lead to meaningful outcomesIntroduce the idea of sleep as a more relevant and revealing “vital sign”Highlight how simple questions—like “Do you snore?” or “Are you sleepy during the day?”—can uncover high-impact sleep disordersContrast the diagnostic yield of temperature checks vs. sleep screeningConsider why sleep is still overlooked in routine care, despite its massive public health implicationsReimagine a future where sleep quality is as routinely measured—and meaningfully addressed—as blood pressureProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Insomnia is more than just sleepless nights—it's a complex condition often misunderstood by the public. The discussion reveals how perceptions can distort reality, leading to underestimated sleep duration. Outdated public health messaging and myths contribute to ineffective treatments. A new six-level framework for managing insomnia is introduced, highlighting the importance of education and early intervention. Furthermore, the talk emphasizes that sometimes, doing nothing new after a rough night can be the best approach, alongside proven techniques like CBT-I.

In our modern world of blue light and burnout, it’s easy to forget that sleep has always been shaped by the forces of its time. In this episode, we travel back to the Gilded Age—a period of dazzling progress, deep inequality, and curious beliefs about sleep. In thenis episode, we will:Explore how medical professionals in the late 19th century understood sleep—and misunderstood insomniaLearn what physicians were prescribing to sleepless patients in an era of opium, electricity, and moral fatigueContrast the sleep practices of the working poor and the wealthy elite, and how each class shaped our modern assumptionsExamine the “rest cure,” neurasthenia, and other diagnoses born from a world grappling with industrial changeDiscover the surprising technologies and bedding innovations that started appearing in Gilded Age bedroomsReflect on how beliefs from this gilded era still echo in our bedrooms today—from sleep hygiene to the fear of lying awakeProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

We’ve talked extensively about sleep and its science, but what happens when sleep becomes the story itself—on screen? Television has portrayed sleep, sleeplessness, and dreaming across decades of iconic storytelling. In this episode we will:Highlight classic TV episodes where sleep or sleep disorders play a central roleExamine how sleep is portrayed in multiple genresReview how accurately sleep is represented in some of the most famous showsDiscuss why sleep deprivation and dreaming are such powerful storytelling devicesExplore pop culture portrayals of sleep studies, insomnia, and dream manipulationShare fun facts and behind-the-scenes trivia from episodes of The X-Files, Star Trek, The Simpsons, Schitt's Creek, and moreProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

We’ve explored sleep apnea in depth on the podcast—its causes, its severity, and the many ways it’s treated. But what happens when the sleepiness lingers, even after treatment? In this episode, we will:Define sleep apnea, what it is—and what it isn’tLearn how excessive daytime sleepiness is defined, both on its own and in the context of sleep apneaReview the most common and effective treatments for sleep apneaExplore how often treatment truly resolves sleepiness in patientsConsider why lingering sleepiness is frequently missed or dismissedList treatment options for residual EDS in individuals with sleep apneaProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

The Atlantic recently published a feature article entitled "Why Americans Can't Sleep." The article was written by Jennifer Senior, and fantastically accomplished writer (2022 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, the 2022 National Magazine Award for Feature Writing, and the 2024 National Magazine Award for Columns & Essays) and details not only her own personal struggles with insomnia, but also attempts to dive deeper into sleep science and what she describes as a "public health emergency." In this episode, we will:Look at this article in a list of similar articles and books over the decades that detail harrowing personal accounts of insomniaUnderstand why the hook of these articles seems to mirror that of other news/extreme weather, where the thrust of the piece is centered around the insomnia being "the worst" and "the most severe"Discuss how failure to differentiate sleep deprivation and insomnia can lead to erroneous conclusionsExamine how these pieces almost uniformly fail to define insomnia, and in doing so fail to define what a successful outcome/solution would look like. In other words, what does "work" mean?Imagine what a truly revolutionary article about insomnia might look likeProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Bruxism or teeth grinding is a remarkably common occurrence and often happens during our nightly sleep period, disrupting sleep quality and continuity. In this episode we will:Define bruxismExplore the epidemiology of the conditionLook at some of the causes of teeth grindingTouch upon proposed mechanisms of bruxismReview recent bruxism researchList common treatments for the conditionProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Weight loss drugs are everywhere and recently Zepbound (tirzepitide) made big news when it became the first FDA-approved sleep apnea therapy for mild to moderate sleep apnea. In this episode, we will:Introduce and explain weight loss medicationsReview the studies that convinced the FDA to approve Zepbound for sleep apneaProvide an overview on this class of weight loss medicationsEvaluate the risks and determine who is a best match for this therapyTouch on the cost and difficulty in getting these drugs approvedRevisit Apnimed's SynAIRgy press release and how it relates to our discussion in episode 110 of the podcastProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!