This week on the Sleep Unplugged podcast, we are looking at sleep resolutions made for the new year and why they often fail. In this episode, we present six insomnia resolutions that don’t ask you to “try harder” — because insomnia isn’t a motivation problem, a discipline problem, or a character flaw. In this episode we will:

• Reframe why New Year’s sleep resolutions fail
• Think about insomnia as a brain trained to stay alert and how that reshapes our insomnia therapy goals
• Discuss how CBT-I actually retrains the brain (not willpower) and how it fits in with the way we view insomnia therapy
• Learn why fixing insomnia requires better systems, better language, and better care, and not more effort
• Understand why insomnia can be tough to fix alone

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

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Once again we come to the end of another year and our 4th Annual Sleep Unplugged "Sleepy" Awards are upon us again. Join me in honoring the best and brightest in sleep in this podcast episode:

The 2025 Sleepy Award winners are:

Social Media Warrior                    Dr. Christopher J Allen (@sleepdrchris)      

Sleep Outsider Award                  The Nap Ministry/Tricia Hershey (@thenapministry)

Sleep Vanguard Organization     Natrol (@natrolofficial)

Sleep Sports Organization          Toronoto Blue Jays

Sleep Podcast of The Year           Deep Into Sleep/Dr. Yishan Xu (@dr.yishan)

Best Insomnia Advice                   Nada El Kouz (@wellpower.me)

Book of the Year                            Sleep Groove: Why Your Biological Clock Is So                                                                 Messed Up And What To Do About It
                                                         Dr. Olivia Walch (@olivia.walch)

Sleep Trend Farewell                   Nighttime baby carrots
                  
Sleep Crusader Award                Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, MD (@fabsleepdoc)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

This week marks the 8th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, and this week, we have a special guest assessor, Dr. Roxanne Prichard. In this episode we will:

• Find out what Roxanne thinks are the top threats to your sleep
• Focus on wealth inequality
• Learn why Dr. Prichard's list does not contradict our previous lists, but may very well explain them.

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• Twitter: @drchriswinter
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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Ever wondered what really happens during a sleep study — and why we still rely on them more than 50 years after their invention? Take a behind-the-scenes look at the overnight sleep study, from its surprisingly quirky origins to its modern-day role in diagnosing sleep apnea, narcolepsy, parasomnias, and more. In this episode we will:

• Learn how the polysomnogram was born — and why it became the gold standard in sleep medicine
• Understand what actually happens during an overnight sleep study (yes, all those wires have a purpose)
• Cover the rise of home sleep testing — when it works well, and when it can miss important diagnoses
• Review special considerations for kids, athletes, and patients with complex sleep concerns
• Take a peek at where sleep testing is headed next, from wearable tech to at-home EEG

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

You probably saw the headlines out of California as they sent a jolt through the sleep world as well as social media: Do common sleep medications increase your risk of dementia? In this episode we will:

• Review what the UCSF study actually found — and what the headlines got wrong
• Determine which medications are most often implicated (benzodiazepines vs Z-drugs vs trazodone)
• Take a deep dive into the three best studies on sleeping pills and dementia risk
• Find out why some large studies do show a connection… and others don’t
• Learn the real risks you should take seriously — even if dementia isn’t one of them
• Think about how doctors should actually practice prescribing sleep meds in older adults

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

This week marks the 7th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, but it's the first time we have devoted an entire episode to the list. This week, we have a special guest assessor, Dr. Jade Wu. In this episode we will:

• Find out what Jade thinks are the top threats to your sleep
• Focus on mental health as a sleep detractor
• Learn more about the concept of FOMO or "fear of missing out" and how research is indicating it is a real threat to the sleep of many

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• Twitter: @drchriswinter
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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Fear not, the Sleep Unplugged podcast is once again here to solve your holiday shopping dilemmas with some of my favorite sleep product companies. In this episode, we will explore a host of sleep-themed gift ideas and product recommendations. In this episode, we will feature the following products:

• SideSleeperZ slip-proof sleep mask
• Authenticity50 bedding
• Bee Ulmo honey
• BlueAir air purification systems (MiniRestful)
• Dagsmejan sleepwear
• Hästens mattresses and sleep products
• Honeydew Sleep pillows
• Loftie alarm clocks
• Moonbrew drink mix
• Natrol Sleep & Restore supplements
• Ozlo sleep earbuds
• Path water
• QuietOn noise cancelling sleep earbuds
• Sleeping Dove comforters
• Sleep Protein
• Truvaga vagal nerve stimulator
• WeLove Creations earplugs
• Zden

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

The orexin receptor agonists are coming. After years of managing narcolepsy with stimulants, sodium oxybate, and wake-promoting agents, we soon will have medications that target the root cause of the disorder: the loss of orexin signaling. These new drugs—developed by Takeda, Alkermes, and Centessa—aren’t just incremental improvements. They represent a genuine shift in how we understand and treat hypersomnolence disorders. In this episode, we will:

• Define what orexin is and why losing it destabilizes wakefulness, REM boundaries, muscle tone, and cognition
• Learn how orexin agonists work—not as stimulants, but as replacement therapy for a missing neurotransmitter
• Find out why OX2R is the key receptor, and how selective agonists restore stable wakefulness, reduce cataplexy, and normalize attention
• Review the available clinical data from the new wave of programs: oveporexton (Takeda), alixorexton (Alkermes), and ORX750 (Centessa)
• See what makes these drugs different from modafinil, amphetamines, solriamfetol, and oxybate therapies
• Learn why Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 trials matter—with quick insights on how these drugs reached such strong results
• Consider safety and side effects, including what Hy’s Law means and why regulators watch liver signals so closely
• Look ahead to what these medications may mean for NT1, NT2, IH, and other hypersomnolence disorders in the coming years
• Speculate why this class represents one of the most exciting moments in modern sleep medicine

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

At the root of many sleep disorders of sleep fragmentation. It's a big part of sleep medicine that many people don't know much about. In this episode we will:

• Define sleep fragmentation
• Contrast the differences between arousals from sleep and awakenings from sleep
• Understand why sleep fragmentation goes unnoticed by providers and patients alike
• List some common causes of sleep fragmentation
• Review how sleep fragmentation appears in sleep data
• Touch upon research about sleep fragmentation specifically and performance
• Provide strategies for reducing sleep fragmentation

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• Twitter: @drchriswinter
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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

The media can be a fantastic source of information about insomnia, or it can be a lens that distorts and confuses the issue. In this episode we will:

• Contrast to contemporary insomnia articles from popular media
• Understand the difference between causation and relationships
• Learn how the use to percentages can distort the scale of an effect
• Read how media frequently confuses "sleep deprivation" and "insomnia"
• Evaluate an example of how media can positively educate and help readers understand insomnia better

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!