A simple piece of cloth over the eyes can have a powerful effect of the quality on an individual's sleep. The evolution of the sleep mask has been profound and the available literature of their effectiveness, particularly in the hospital setting has be extensively studied. In this episode we will:

• Outline the effects of sleep masks on sleep
• Review the large body of evidence supporting the use of sleep masks in hospitalized patients
• List the specific medical populations that have been shown to benefit from eye masks
• Explore the positive impact of eye masks of circadian sleep disorders
• Examine a study linking eye masks and episodic learning/memory
• Discuss the improvement of sleep in pregnant women who wear sleep masks
• Differentiate the various types of masks that are available for individuals to choose from

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

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Picking the right mattress and pillow is important. Choosing the right material that goes over your mattress is equally essential. Bedding materials come in many forms and they can make a difference in your sleep experience. In this episode we will:

• Look at the research about bedding and disease modification
• Understand the temperature-regulating properties of various fabrics
• Explore cotton as a bedding material and how the addition of performance fibers can enhance the cooling properties of the material
• Evaluate linen as a bedding material and learn how newer forms can help is become a cooler fabric while retaining the properties that make if feel more upscale
• Provide an overview of polyester, perhaps the fabric with the biggest quality range in the bedding space
• Consider silk and how it might be the best fabric for sensitive skin or for people with certain dermatological conditions
• Discuss the cooling nature of bamboo and its low impact on the environment
• Largely ignore flannel as a bedding abomination
• Touch upon Tencel and its unique textural properties

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

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It's hard to find insomnia without a healthy dose of fear or anxiety. Few individuals make an appointment to see a sleep specialist only to let them know that the situation is no big deal and frankly enjoyable.  Fear not only plays a huge role in the development and worsening of insomnia, it also offers an insight into a potential solution. In this episode we will:

• Review the incidence of anxiety in this country and the percentage of individuals diagnosed with anxiety who also have insomnia
• Define anxiety and how it works in insomnia
• Look at the role fear plays both in insomnia and how it functions as a central target in CBTi
• Consider how some aspects of CBTi can often create fear as well as alleviate it
• Look at the insomnia cycle within social media and popular media and how it creates its own fear
• Understand the role of fear and the fear response amplitude within our neural circuitry as a potential risk factor for developing insomnia

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

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The research on sleep and cell phone use is negative and there is an overwhelming amount of it. The negative impacts on sleep affect all age groups and demographics. While the impact on mood, memory, and attention is clearly sizable, the impact on sleep exists independently from these effects.  In this episode we will:

• Examine the effects of cell phone use in three populations: adults, college-age students, and adolescents/school-aged children
• Determine the scope of cell phone use at bedtime and beyond
• Measure the impact phone use has on sleep, including sleep onset, sleep quality, and sleep amount
• List the features of phone use at night that may explain the detrimental effects
• Review the impact curtailing cell phone use at night can have one sleep

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

While brain fog has been described in many contexts, its incidence has soared since Covid. While the existence  of brain fog is clearly real, its lack of clear definition and delineation from similar disorders does inject diagnostic and therapeutic confusion into the clinical setting. In this episode we will:

• Offer elements central to the definition of brain fog
• Touch upon the demographics and incidence of the disorder, with particular attention to Covid
• Review the history of the disorder
• Look at theories related to the pathophysiology of brain fog
• Evaluate the interplay of sleep and brain fog
• Discuss the development of a brain fog assessment
• List some potential brain fog interventions

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

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If catathrenia (Episode 30) is the parasomnia that bothers everyone except the sleeper, exploding head syndrome (EHS) is the parasomnia the only bothers the sleeper, and very much so at that. Imaging being awakened by a sound so loud and dreadful that you awaken certain that you are about to die. In this episode we will:

• Define exploding head syndrome
• Review the key characteristics of the parasomnia
• Explore the history and legend of EHS
• Examine the demographics of the disorder
• Understand the incidence and age range of the parasomnia
• Mention theories that might explain its underlying cause
• Discuss potential treatment options

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

In 2023, the Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an 82-page advisory entitled, "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation" and it details the health consequences of social isolation and lack of social support. In the report, sleep was specifically highlighted as an aspect of health affected by social isolation. This highlights an important connection and potentially and avenue of insomnia treatment. In this episode we wilL

• Define loneliness and social isolation
• Examine the scope and trajectory of the problem
• List contributors including Covid and personal electronics/social media
• Understand the role of social isolation in insomnia and how data supports the link
• Evaluate the role of work/workplace environment on sleep through the lens of social isolation

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Happy new year! It's 2024 and with a new year comes resolutions to join a gym and get into shape. The podcast has explored exercise and sleep relationships before, but is there a benefit to lifting weights? In this episode we will:

• Touch on current gym use statistics
• Revisit the impact sleep has on weight training, recovery, and athletic gains
• Detail the impact on specific strength training exercises and sleep
• Understand the impact of weight training on sleep quality and depression indices
• Look at research showing sleep apnea improvement in individuals who weight train

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

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   MyFitnessPal

Sleep 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 Winter

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

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

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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 obstructive
• Understand the mechanisms that create central apnea
• Describe how obstructive and central apneas differ both physiologically as well as how they are differentiated diagnostically
• Contrast the forms of central sleep apnea seen in adults and children
• List the various types and causes of central sleep apnea
• Review the treatments of central sleep apnea

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!