Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Another year calendar year of the Sleep Unplugged podcast has come to a close. With the escalation in podcast popularity soaring, the 2023 Sleepy Awards seem all the more important and exciting.  It's fun to sing the praises of these special sleep colleagues as 2023 comes to a close. Join me as we celebrate some of the brightest stars within the field of sleep.The 2023 Sleepy Award winners are:Social Media Warrior                    Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown (@restfulsleepmed) Sleep Outsider Award                  Tommy Tucker (@ttuckerwwl) Sleep Vanguard Organization   MyFitnessPalSleep Sports Organization          Oklahoma City Thunder Sleep Podcast of The Year          Talking Sleep (AASM/Dr. Seema Khosla)Best Insomnia Advice                    Dr. Jade Wu (@dr_jade_wu)Book of the Year                               Sleep To Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Health                                                                    Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante)                                                                     Charlotte Jensen (@author.char.jen)                  Sleep Crusader Award                 Julie Flygare  (@remrunner)Produced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Throughout the podcast, we have shone a light on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, but the lesser known (and less common central sleep apnea) has gotten little attention. In this episode, we will: Define central sleep apnea Differentiate central apnea from obstructiveUnderstand the mechanisms that create central apneaDescribe how obstructive and central apneas differ both physiologically as well as how they are differentiated diagnosticallyContrast the forms of central sleep apnea seen in adults and childrenList the various types and causes of central sleep apneaReview the treatments of central 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!

Sleep trackers are everywhere and depending on the voice you are listening to, they are either the secret to hacking your sleep or worthless pieces of plastic on your wrist. The world of consumer sleep trackers is vast and confusing. In this episode we will:Discuss the basics of monitoring sleepUnderstand the role of surrogates in the measurement of sleepExamine the history of research actigraphy devices and their evolution to become the first generation of sleep wearablesFollow the development of second generation devices and the expansion of the parameters they measuredOutline the uses for these devicesDive into the strengths and limitations of these devicesLook at what current research has to say about these devicesList the problems with this technology in the marketplaceProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Apple TV (not Max as stated in my episode) has a new show about two friends with Insomnia called Still Up. It is another example of the media portraying sleep disorders, but how accurate is the depiction, More to the point, is it a helpful perspective or does it simply perpetuate harmful ideas and stereotypes? In this episode we will:Consider the role media plays in illustrating, explaining, and sensationalizing insomniaExplore the use of sleep disorders like insomnia and narcolepsy for comedic effectExamine the role media plays in terms of disseminating good diagnostic and treatment information for sleep disordersReview research that evaluates trends in narcolepsy portrayal in the mediaDiscuss Still Up in terms of accuracy and helpfulness in terms of a insomnia portrayalProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Within the world of sleep disorders, there is often confusion surrounding disorders that feature nocturnal food consumption. These disorders share many similarities, but their distinctions are worth understanding. In this episode we will:Describe the disorders of nocturnal eatingCharacterize the incidence of these conditionsList the comorbid diagnoses often seen with these disorders including eating disordersDefine nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NSRED) and night eating syndrome (NES)Differentiate these disorders based upon consciousness/volitional eating and the characterizations of the eatingReview the diagnostic criteria for eachTouch upon theories behind these disordersList treatment optionsProduced 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 Sleep Unplugged podcast is here to ease your holiday shopping stress with some of my favorite sleep product companies. In this episode, we will explore a host of sleep-themed gift ideas and product recommendations. many with unique discount codes for their purchases. In this episode, we will feature the following products:Ayo circadian lightingBeadgear pillows and linensBearaby weighted blanketsEberjey pajamas Hest travel pillowLumi cold water recovery tankManta sleep maskQuietOn sleeping earbudsSaunaBox home wet/steam saunaSleepys pillows and pillow insertsSwanwick blue-blocking glasses and lighting solutionsThe Sleep Solution/The Rested Child booksWithings ScanWatch Horizon sleep/fitness watchzDen personal/pet sleep environment*I have no financial relationship with the companies listed above but may have received products to trial/demo. I am a paid consultant for Mattress Firm which owns Sleepys.Produced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

It can be hard to wake up. For some people, it is almost impossible. Sleep inertia is the medical term of an inability to awaken in the morning. In this episode we will:Define sleep inertiaDescribe how sleep inertia interacts with our homeostatic and circadian drivesUnderstand the occupational hazards of sleep inertiaPostulate what function sleep inertia might serveReview the symptoms of sleep inertiaList the causes of sleep inertia Touch upon the Sleep Inertia QuestionnaireLook at potential sleep inertia treatmentsProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

A relatively new frontier of medicine is the exploration of the gut microbiome and its relationship to our body's functioning, health, and susceptibility to disease. The gut-brain axis represents a relatively strong relationship between the gut microbiome and our body's ability to function properly, and it has been proposed that this relationship influences sleep and risk for insomnia. In this episode we will:Define the gut microbiomeExplore the beginnings of its suspected role in neurological functioning and sleepList the three proposed pathways by which the gut microbiome interacts with the nervous systemEvaluate the role that the gut microbiome plays in terms of regulating our circadian rhythm via gene expression of the gut biome's own circadian patternsDiscuss metabolic linkages between the gut microbiome and why disruption can increase the chances of metabolic syndromeLook ahead toward gut biome-based therapies for insomniaProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Saunas and cold-water tanks are everywhere in their personal fitness and recover space. These modalities have also been linked to improving sleep parameters, but is there any science behind the claims? In this episode, we will:Examine the use of sauna therapy and cold-water immersion (CWI) in elite athletics, and the relative adoption rate for bothDiscuss the literature linking sauna/heat therapy with improved health and longevity, particularly in the cardiovascular space, but also emerging in the cognitive health spaceDefine hormesis and link it to these therapiesExplore the role of sauna therapy as an exercise mimetic, and how that can act to explain the health benefits as well as the sleep benefits of sauna therapyLink sauna therapy to inflammatory and immune modulationTouch upon other potential pathways that sauna therapy could benefit sleepClarify the confusion about cold water therapy timing and sleepReview evidence from research showing CWI therapy earlier in the day improving slow wave sleep and reducing sleep latencyProduced 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 most common questions I am asked about sleep is, "What are the adverse health consequences of inadequate sleep?"  While I am quick to answer something related to cardiovascular or cognitive health, physical injury is not one that comes to mind immediately, but new evidence suggests it should. In this episode, we will:Discuss sleep mechanisms that might relate to increased injuryInvestigate how inadequate sleep may influence the immune system and inflammatory processes of the bodyFocus on cognitive changes, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, that might lend to an increased risk of injuryTouch upon concentration and focus impairments as supplemental aspects leading to increased injury riskReview data within athlete, adult, high school, and juvenile populations that show increased injury risk in sleep deprived individualsOutline steps that can be taken to address sleep and injury risk factorsProduced by: Maeve WinterMore Twitter: @drchriswinter IG: @drchriwinter Threads: @drchriswinter Bluesky: @drchriswinter The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child Thanks for listening and sleep well!