Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulators are often advertised as insomnia therapies, "helping you fall asleep faster" or "helping you sleep through the night. Do they work? In this Insomnia Monday episode of the podcast, we will:

• Introduce vagal nerve stimulators
• Describe the path and role of the vagus nerve
• Understand the role of the parasympathetic nervous system
• Examine the limited research on vagal nerve stimulators and sleep
• Understand the scale of the placebo effect in sleep/insomnia research
• Differentiate a statistically meaningful change in sleep/polysomnographic parameters from a "real world" meaningful change in someone struggling with insomnia
• List the strengths and criticisms of vagal nerve stimulators including study size and study design
• Learn who is the right candidate for vagal nerve stimulators

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

When we think about the deleterious effects of poor sleep, cardiovascular and cognitive/psychological consequences typically come first to mind. One of the less obvious and less understood effects is that of cancer which was listed as a probably carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2007. Since that time, there has been considerable efforts to understand the role plays in cancer. In this episode we will:

• Evaluate the original research looking at sleep and cancer risk
• List the cancer types commonly associated with poor/inadequate sleep
• Highlight studies that cast doubt on this relationship
• Review factors related to sleep and shift work that might influence risk
• Speculate on possible mechanisms that lead to carcinogenicity
• Touch upon steps one can take to lessen cancer risk associated with poor sleep

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

The relationship between sleep and blood glucose is a powerful one and it impacts our weight, the way we eat, and countless other health metrics. In this episode we will:

• Introduce the concept of glycemic control
• Define insulin sensitivity and how it relates to diabetes
• Learn why sleep deficiency increases blood sugar levels
• Stress the role that cortisol and growth hormone play in glucose regulation and how sleep impacts both
• Explore the relationship between sleep stage and glucose regulation
• Emphasize sleep deprivation as a negative factor in glycemic regulation
• Understand the common pathway of sleep disorders and blood sugar control
• Follow the bidirectional relationship between elevated blood glucose levels and poor sleep quality

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

While the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires continue to burn in California, firefighters and other first responders work tirelessly around the clock. What does their ability to bypass sleep for 48-60 hours mean in terms of individuals with insomnia, and what does this kind of work do to their own health? In this episode, we will:

• Frame the ability to temporarily derive ourselves of sleep as being a powerful tool and not necessarily a sign that sleep is bad or broken
• Examine the sleep of first responders, in particular firefighters
• Touch upon that vast number of firefighters with undiagnosed sleep disorders
• Think about the role sleep schedules play in their sleep and health

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

When it comes to insomnia treatments, there probably is no better intervention than exercise. If you are not already convinced, in this episode we will:

• Discuss the benefits of exercise on various sleep parameters and insomnia specifically
• Outline the amounts of exercise that seem to make the most difference
• Explore the reasons why exercise might improve sleep quality and minimize the manifestations of insomnia
• Evaluate the types of exercise best suited to improve sleep quality

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!

Believe it or not, but the 3rd Annual Sleep Unplugged "Sleepy" Awards are upon us again. What better way to close out the year of sleep than to recognize some truly exceptions individuals and organizations within the field of sleep.  Join me as we celebrate some of the brightest stars in this podcast episode:

The 2024 Sleepy Award winners are:

Social Media Warrior                    Dr. Upneet "Neety" Chawla 
                                                         (@sleeping.beauty_md) 

Sleep Outsider Award                  Equinox Hotels

Sleep Vanguard Organization     Mattress Firm

Sleep Sports Organization          Los Angeles Dodgers

Sleep Podcast of The Year           The SRS Podcast/Dr. Jesse Cook                  
                                                          (@sleepandsports)

Best Insomnia Advice                   Teresa (DeNike) Power (@sleepbetternyc)

Book of the Year                            Navigating Life with Restless Legs Syndrome
                                                          Dr. Andrew Spector (@andrewspectormd)

Sleep Trend Farewell                    Sleepy Girl Mocktail
                  
Sleep Crusader Award                 Dr. Michael Grandner (@michaelgrandner)

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!

For many people who have sleep apnea, they look to surgery as a means to a "greater awakening" which can at times, lead to disappointing outcomes. What exactly is meant by "sleep apnea surgery" and why doesn't everyone get it? In this episode we will:

• define sleep apnea and how we measure its severity
• discuss the adults who are most appropriate candidates
• look at the various ways "success" is defined with surgical outcomes [reduction in respiratory events, health outcomes, sleep measures] and how that might be at odds with how one feels after surgery
• touch upon bariatric as a form of sleep apnea surgery
• list the various procedures that target the nose/nasal cavity, jaw, tongue, and throat
• highlight the hypoglossal nerve stimulator/Inspire therapy and talk about patient populations that work well with this therapy

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Sleep apnea is the bread and butter of the sleep clinic and the most common cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. But do you really know the extent to which sleep apnea can ravage your health? Is it the cause of aging? In this episode we will:

• Explore Brandon Peters' new book The Sleep Apnea Hypothesis
• Dissect his question, "Are you getting older or are you getting sleep apnea?"
• List the many common complaints of aging that are actually caused by sleep apnea
• Touch on the many obvious sleep complaints and not so obvious complaints linked to sleep apnea

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

We started a dialogue about napping way back in episode 17. The napping discussion continues. In this episode, we will:

• Discuss reasons for napping
• Revisit the current literature around performance
• Look at new research on napping and cognition and memory
• Reexamine the research on nap length and performance
• List the components of a perfect nap environment
• Touch upon the potential negatives associated with napping
• Conclude by looking at napping and cardiovascular risk as well as risk for dementia

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Insomnia treatment often involves pills and when those pills fail to solve the problem (or even if them seem to help) the desire to discontinue the pills may arise. In this episode we will:

• Discuss the overall theory of sleeping pills
• Highlight the use of Trazodone as a sleeping aid
• Walk through strategies and useful ways to discontinue sleeping pills
• Explain why individuals wean oof of medications
• Touch upon the dangers and risks of discontinuing sleeping pills
• Explore why discontinuing medications is difficult

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!