It's NCAA Selection Sunday, and that means the Pillow Fight is back. This year we've assembled 16 new pillows, each full of hope that they will be the last pillow standing and hoist the SideSleeperZ Cup. In this episode, we will:

• Explain the second 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 16 competitors: Authenticity50, Beckham Hotel, Bedgear, Brooklinen, Casaluna, Chamberlain Down, Coop, GeliSleep, Hästens, Hest, Lincove, Onyx, Pluto, Scrumptious, ViSpring, and Yogasleep

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Waking up with a headache can feel ominous. Is it stress? Sinus pressure? Something neurological? In this episode of Sleep Unplugged, we break down nocturnal headaches in a practical, clinically grounded way. In this episode we will:

• Review the most common causes of headaches that wake you from sleep, including migraine, cluster headache, hypnic headache, and sleep apnea
• Learn how nocturnal headaches differ in children versus adults and what red flags parents should watch for
• Determine when imaging is necessary and when it is not
• Explore the connection between sleep stages, circadian rhythms, and specific headache syndromes
• Find out why untreated sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea are a frequently missed cause
• Discuss practical treatment strategies and prevention tips you can start using right away

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!