Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

With the holidays fast approaching, many will take to the skies bound for destinations all over the world. Sleeping on a plane can be the difference between a pleasant Thanksgiving event and a contentious meal ending in frustration. Being prepared to sleep on a plane is an artform. In this episode we will:

• Discuss the ins and outs of seat selection
• Go through a comprehensive list of items to help with sleep on a plane
• List some strategies for hitting the ground running when you arrive

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

There is a complicated relationship between sleep and weight, and it's worth unpacking this to some degree. In this episode we will:

• Look at the data on weight loss in sleep apnea patients and how it impacts disease state
• Review the reverse situation of how CPAP therapy affects short and long-term patient weight
• Understand the consensus opinion about sleep deprivation and weight gain
• Sort through the different data on weight gain and one theory about the mixed results

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Grief is a both a common cause of acute insomnia and a massive perpetuating factor of chronic insomnia. The relationship between grief and insomnia/sleep is complex and bidirectional. In this episode we will:

• Outline the relationship between grief and sleep and how it acts as a causative factor
• Discuss how long-term insomnia can lead to complex grief
• Differentiate different grief subsets: late life spousal bereavement, complex grief, parental grief
• Follow patterns of grief: resilient, recovering, and chronic 
• Evaluate the treatment of insomnia as a means to combat chronic grief

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Fear of the dark is a common phobia seen in children that can greatly affect their sleep. In this episode we will:

• define fear of the dark
• differentiate between nyctophobia (fear of the night), scotophobia (fear of the dark/what the dark could be hiding),  or lygophobia (fear of twilight)
• describe the ages that it commonly presents, peaks, and disappears
• list some causes of fear of the dark
• understand why there may be an evolutionary cause for the disorder
• discuss treatments aimed at minimizing fear of the dark and its impact on sleep
  
  
  
  

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

We have touched upon bedwetting in several episodes, but we have never dedicated an entire episode to the topic. In this episode, we will:

• define enuresis/bedwetting
• differential between primary and secondary enuresis
• discuss the differences between monosymptomatic and non-monosymptomatic enuresis
• uncover the risk factors for enuresis
• list the causes of the disorder
• review the treatments for enuresis
• touch upon adult enuresis

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Climate change is not only a growing threat to our planetary survival, but it is also a major player in the health and safety of people everywhere. Our sleep health does not escape the widening reach of global climate consequences. In this episode we will:

• Discuss the research linking climate change to sleep and sleep inequalities
• Focus on research linking the threat of hurricanes to declining sleep quality and quantity in adults and children
• Understand that the sleep risk extends well beyond the acute weather disaster
• Recognize that the threat extends to first responders and workers at all levels who deal with climate crises

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Up until recently, getting more sleep was not exactly cool and absolutely not something to brag about. Gen Z may be changing that perception on social medial as they brag about getting more sleep, better sleep, and pushing the concept of sleep perfection to the "max." In this week's episode, we will:

• Highlight Kate Lindsay's September 8, 2024 New York Times article entitled How The Pursuit of Perfect Sleep Can Backfire
• Define "sleepmaxxing"
• Discuss the pros of celebrating more/better sleep publicly
• Relate this movement to the term orthosomnia
• Understand why this movement could have very negative implications for the insomnia community
• Consider where our optimal placement on the sleep spectrum should be

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Over the past few years, the topic of sleep has permeated the media landscape like few other topics in science and medicine. This has led to not only a fascination withing the public about the topic, but also a wild west-like race to financially capitalize on sleep products. But which products are better than others? In this episode, we will:

• discuss the ways in which the media "rank" various sleep products
• dive into the ways in which these ratings are determined
• contrast this with the relatively small amount of credible research available for these determinations
• understand how these awards and certifications are often bought or acquired through means other than a product's merit in the field
• stress that the only way to know if a product is going to work well for you is to try it

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

On September 16th, 2024, Apple announced their new sleep apnea detection feature for their Apple Watch device had received FDA approval for the detection of mild to moderate sleep apnea. While this is an exciting development in the consumer medical field. In this episode, there are some concerns about this technology. In this episode we will:

• Touch upon the numbers when it comes to sleep apnea
• Understand why there is a market for sleep apnea detection
• Describe the technology Apple uses to detect sleep apnea
• Review the concept of true positive, true negative, false positive, an false negative results and how they relate to the concepts of sensitivity and specificity.
• Compare the sensitivity of the Apple Watch to chance, home sleep testing, etc.
• Consider the ideal sleep apnea screening characteristics

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

As summer comes to an end, it's a good time to examine how seasonal change tends to affect our sleep. In this episode we will:

• Refresh our memories about circadian factors related to sleep
• Look at seasonal trends in sleep times, bed times and wake times
• Evaluate factors such as light, temperature, and exercise as well as other surprising sleep variables that change with the season
• Examine various sleep stages and how seasons affect their quality and quantity
• Dive into new research suggesting that in addition to seasons affecting sleep characteristics, our sleep characteristics may be intrinsically changing to prepare us for various seasons

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!