Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

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!

Dive into the latest sleep research from the 2025 conference in Seattle! Discover how AI is revolutionizing sleep tracking and why napping boosts performance. Explore the intriguing connections between sleep, nutrition, and menstrual cycles. Learn about the growing focus on adolescent sleep and the critical role of personalized sleep insights. Uncover the challenges researchers face in funding crucial studies and the importance of tackling sleep misinformation. It's a lively discussion that highlights the future of sleep health!

So far on the podcast we had talked about sleep apnea as well as the treatments CPAP and surgery. On this episode of the podcast, we discuss another popular treatment option: oral appliances. In this episode we will:Review the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apneaOutline the mechanism via which oral appliance workList the pros and cons of oral appliance for surgeryDiscuss how the oral appliance fits into the landscape of sleep apnea therapyProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

One of the biggest obstacles in insomnia treatment is the perceived threat of physical harm related to the sleep difficulty. It's a major cog in the insomnia-fear-arousal cycle. In this episode we will:Utilize two case studies to illustrate the disruption that fear of harm causes with insomnia recovery Discuss insomnia is a disorder of distress, not dangerTalk about the lack of any evidence that acute sleep loss causes medical harmChallenge the catastrophizing that characterizes insomniaContrast behavioral and cognitive therapies over medical therapiesProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

When we did the snooze button episode of the podcast, it all started with a declaration that the snooze button was the worst thing for sleep. While it's fairly clear the snooze button is not, what is? In this episode, we list the top 10 worst things for sleep. In this episode we will:List what I believe the top ten worst things for sleep areProvide a nugget of research to back it upThis will be a dynamic list that we will update from time to timeProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Sweating at night is a common complaint in the sleep clinic. While night sweats are often thought of as being the exclusive domain of post-menopausal women, their causes can be surprisingly varied. In this episode we will:Review the epidemiology of night sweatsList the cause both benign and more concerningDiscuss how night sweats specifically impact sleep quality and architectureReview interventions to help with the problemProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!