The Sleep Whisperer Podcast

Dr Vaishnavi Sarathy is a Functional Nutrition Practitioner, a TedX speaker and Podcast Host. She is passionate about giving kids a fair chance at life through nutrition that sustains them, food that prevents autoimmunity, nutrients that boost brain function, and a digestive system that works with a thriving microbiome. That also means an equal education and assuming competence regardless of appearance.

Vaish is a Functional Nutrition Educator, with two Masters and a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry! Her life changed when her son was born with Down Syndrome and was later diagnosed as being Autistic. She explored conventional options for the first 4 years of his life including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, communication therapy, horseback riding and doctors. Every practitioner she met told her that genetics could not be helped, and that she must resign to having a child who would experience extreme intellectual delay with minimal chances at life! She decided to train herself in nutrition. She knew how every kid could learn and that labels were mostly for the convenience of the system. Her son is 13, he does algebra, he writes poetry, and yes, he is still non-speaking! She believes that an equal accessible education and sound nutrition are the birthright of every child!

In this episode, we dive into:

"Sleep & Children with Special Needs"

• Vaish's journey with her son who has Down's, Autism & Cerebral Palsy. The impact of disability and denial and the resultant loss of time to acceptance of his ability to thrive.
• Is sleep poor for children with disability? What is seen typically? Is it that they cannot fall asleep at all, or struggle to stay sleeping or do they have an unnatural rhythm? What are the four primary reasons why children with disabilities struggle with sleep?
• What are some of the practices that have not worked?
• What is the popular sleep nutrient that may actually make sleep challenges worse in children with disabilities? When it comes to sleep supplements, can method of usage actually make sleep worse?
• You cannot even diagnose a child with learning disabilities if the child is not sleeping well. Sleep is critical. Is it the other way around as well, where poor sleep increases symptoms and behaviour challenges and learning? Where do you try and break that vicious cycle?
• What are some of the practices that have worked more often than not? Does Dr Vaish see some sort of a pattern? Does she find herself intuitively knowing what will work at a specific time? How can other parents tune into that intuition?
• What can parents actually do to support their child's digestion?
• How does Dr Vaish see sleep playing a big role in managing special needs in terms of symptom challenges, behaviour patterns, learning and more?
• What is the best sleep food plate for children with special needs that is sleep supportive? What is on that plate? Is there a difference between animal based and plant based diets for children with disabilities? What are some speciality diets for children with disabilities?
• What is the idea behind low carb diets for children with disability?
• What is the best tool to use for better sleep for children with disability?
• Dr Vaish's mantra is assume competence. What does it mean for a parent to assume competence?

• If sleep is the new medicine, then …………

Here are the links mentioned on the show:

1)Rhythmic Movement: https://www.moveplaythrive.com

2)Qigong: http://www.qsti.org

For more on Dr Vaish Sarathy, you can follow her:

Website: https://projectswasthya.com

Podcast: https://projectswasthya.com/podcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/functionalnutritionforkids

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvaishsarathy/

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram @mysleepwhisperer and @phytothrive_yogini, on Facebook Deepa Kannan. You can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

Dr M.J.Thomas is a Psychiatrist with over four decades of experience in mental health, anxiety and stress. He has been the Senior Consultant in Psychiatry is some of the biggest hospitals of Bangalore. He has published 85 papers related to psychiatry and mental health. There was no one better to discuss stress and anxiety.

While stress is discussed widely, the concept of what actually is stress, how it is connected to physiology and sleep, and how you can take control is a relevant subject in today's world. Dr Thomas delves into aspects that are fascinating, including how several physiological symptoms and conditions are actually anxiety at play within the body.

In this episode, we dive into:

"Stress, Anxiety and Sleep"

• Dr Thomas' long experience in Psychiatry over four decades and the requirement of understanding stress and anxiety in today's world.
• The connection between sleep disorder and mental illness.
• What is stress physiologically and psychologically through the eyes of a medical psychiatrist?
• The three aspects of stress: Stressor, Stress Experience & Stress Response.
• Why has stress become so prevalent today? Why are we so stressed?
• Agriculture to Industrial to Technological Era
• What is anxiety?
• How can anxiety show up as physiological symptoms and conditions such as IBS, irritable bladder or palpitations?
• What is the connection between your anxiety and sleep?
• Rhythmic movements
• Train your brain

For more on Dr M.J.Thomas, you can follow him:

Website: http://www.drmjthomas.com

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram @mysleepwhisperer and @phytothrive_yogini, on Facebook Deepa Kannan. You can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

Stacey Robbins is a soulful storyteller and key influencer in the global conversation on healing your life through Hashimoto's. Her award-winning book, "You're Not Crazy and You're Not Alone" is filled with hilarious, honest, and heart-aching moments along the journey of doctors telling her the symptoms were all in her head, to telling her a year and a half later to get her affairs in order. Having brought herself back from the edge of a health crisis and losing over 100 pounds, Stacey addresses some of the important aspects of our healing: the spiritual, mindset, and emotions that affect every area of our health. Raising her family in unique ways, traveling cross-country and then, to Europe for months on end, leading gorgeous boutique retreats in Italy, and writing her book, "An Unconventional Life: Where Messes and Magic Collide" where she shares the wisdoms and tales of a life lived outside of the norm.

In this episode, we dive into:

• How did Stacey lose 100 pounds and change her life?
• What is her powerful 100 day practice?
• How can someone with Hashimoto's improve sleep through diet and lifestyle?

For more on Stacey Robbins, you can follow her:

Website: https://staceyrobbins.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staceyrobbins

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovestaceyrobbins/

-For more on Deepa:

Deepa is an Allied Functional Medicine Practitioner, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Author and a Yogini at OHA Health. Having a son with a rare adrenal disorder gave her insight into the working of the adrenals. Her articles have been shared by Dr Mark Hyman, MD, a 17 times NY Times Bestselling Author. She also gave the opening speech on Health Hacks at Amazon Web Services & YourStory HeathTech 2019 to heads of healthcare start-ups in India. She is in the YourStory100 Digital Influencers Of 2020. Her book on sleep with HarperCollins releases in 2023. She has been featured on the award winning podcast 15-Minute Matrix and UK Health Radio discussing sleep.

💎 Website: https://ohahealth.com/

💎Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohahealth

💎Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohahealth/

💎Blue Light Blockers: https://vivarays.com?sca_ref=1132978.lTmZvKjZ2k

To work with Deepa:

💎Write to: [email protected]

This is a very special flipped episode of The Sleep Whisperer podcast with special episode host, Dr Vaish Sarathy, and Deepa in the guest seat for a change.

Deepa is a Yoga therapist for over two decades and a Functional Nutritionist for five. She brings together her experience in therapeutic & transformational yoga and deep learning in nutrition based on the principles of functional medicine to her practice Phytothrive. The focus has been on merging together the deep science of the functional world with the deep symbolism of ancient wisdom. She has a masterful understanding of the human anatomy with cohesive understanding of physiology to offer what can be classified as true bio-individual mind, body & spirit nutrition. Having a son with a rare adrenal condition gave her a deep insight into the working of the adrenals and the stress response, as it relates to all health and sleep. Her articles have been shared by Dr Mark Hyman, MD, a 13 times NY Times Bestselling Author twice. She also gave the opening speech on Health Hacks at Amazon Web Services & YourStory HeathTech 2019 to heads of healthcare start-ups in India. Deepa has twenty years of experience in wellness, where she has focus on sleep nutrition, women's health, detoxification, skin health and adrenal function."

This episode is packed with information on building the perfect sleep plate.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Your Sleep Plate
• What is the sleep plate Deepa talks about?
• Where does the sleep plate begin?
• What are some of the meals that predispose you towards poor sleep?
• How can you build that perfect sleep plate for better sleep?
• How does Intermittent Fasting play a role in this?
• Timing of dinner and the perfect sleep plate
• The nighttime low carb conundrum and poor sleep
• Restrictive or picky eating and the repercussions
• A perfect sleep plate

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mysleepwhisperer/ and https://www.instagram.com/phytothrive_yogini/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sleepwhisperer and you can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

This episode is packed with deep personal information and profoundly sensitive matter that will make you have immense gratitude for your life in every way.

In this episode, we dive into:

"Sex Reassignment Surgery & Sleep Challenges among Transgenders and Queers"

• Her story and the path that brought her to where she is today, involving acceptance, path and challenges of the journey.
• The journey of self discovery very early on and fighting for who she is.
• Small town to big discoveries, and psychology to spirituality?
• How did She make the brave decision to get Sex Reassignment Surgery all by herself? How is this surgery like rebirth?
• What is the Sex Reassignment Surgery journey? What actually happens and what did Shilok feel physiologically and psychologically through the process? What were the emotions that she went through? How do nutrients play a role in all this?
• How do you heal your body through this major transformation?
• In the process of Sex Reassignment Surgery from male to female, some research has found connections with quality of sleep, increased snoring and daytime sleepiness as a result of the changes in testosterone, estradiol or progesterone. What was her response through this process? What are the connections between hormone changes and sleep quality?
• Transgender medicine is a growing field with complex patients and limited evidence-based guidance. Androgens and estrogen influence sleep and respiratory stability regardless of sex, and the effect of doses and formulations used in gender transition is unclear. She talks to us about this complexity and uniqueness in each person.
• Sleep can be very supportive to the Sex Reassignment Surgery journey, so if those struggling with these challenges can be clinically diagnosed and supported, it can actually help the transitional journey. What's Shilok's routine in the evening which helps her wind down and sleep better?
• Is there a practice that she includes into her life which improves her resilience to stress?
• When it comes to sleep during the Sex Reassignment Surgery journey, She shares her personal recommendations for individuals to support themselves better.

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram @mysleepwhisperer and @phytothrive_yogini, on Facebook Deepa Kannan. You can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

A 15-year entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist, Misty spent years struggling to reclaim her health and vitality after a botched surgery to remove an endometrial cyst, followed by debilitating brain fog, extreme fatigue, tanked hormones, unexplained weight gain (45 lbs in 4 months!), hypothyroidism and thyroid nodules, and premature ovarian failure. After her doctors told her they didn't have answers outside of drugs and surgery, Misty embarked on the arduous path of finding answers to reclaim her energy, brain power and figure! She founded HealingRosie.com to provide women with the resources and community to successfully confront the unexpected chronic health issues that are often experienced by high-performing women as they age.

• Do hormone deficiencies trigger sleep issues?
• How can bio identical hormones help sleep?
• What are supplements that can help you with hormonal health and sleep?

For more on Misty Williams, you can follow her:

Website: https://healingrosie.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healingrosie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healingrosie

-For more on Deepa:

Deepa is an Allied Functional Medicine Practitioner, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Author and a Yogini at OHA Health. Having a son with a rare adrenal disorder gave her insight into the working of the adrenals. Her articles have been shared by Dr Mark Hyman, MD, a 17 times NY Times Bestselling Author. She also gave the opening speech on Health Hacks at Amazon Web Services & YourStory HeathTech 2019 to heads of healthcare start-ups in India. She is in the YourStory100 Digital Influencers Of 2020. Her book on sleep with HarperCollins releases in 2023. She has been featured on the award winning podcast 15-Minute Matrix and UK Health Radio discussing sleep.

💎 Website: https://ohahealth.com/

💎Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohahealth

💎Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohahealth/

💎Blue Light Blockers: https://vivarays.com?sca_ref=1132978.lTmZvKjZ2k

To work with Deepa:

💎Write to: [email protected]

Surya Mantha is a Senior Partner and Venture Capitalist at Unitus Ventures. Surya has over two decades of experience spanning, business operations, investing and management consulting. He has played leadership roles in startups as well as investment firms. At Unitus, Surya is responsible for all investment operations in India across Unitus' focus sectors including fintech, med-tech, ed-tech, and employability, through the entire lifecycle of the portfolio.

Previously, Surya played leadership roles in several high-growth technology and media businesses including at Web18, Saregama (HMV), Sify and RealNetworks. He also spent several years in investment management roles, including impact investment at Omidyar Network and growth capital investing at Peepul Capital. As a member of the founding team of Omidyar Network India Advisors (ONIA), he led investments in the ecommerce, digital media, education and government transparency sectors. Surya started his career at Xerox Research in Rochester, New York.

This episode is all about "The Startup World, Sleep & Personal Recommendations from a VC"

• Surya's story and journey to being the VC today.
• It is common in the start up world to wear poor sleep and stress like a badge of honour. The Dalai Lama said that man sacrifices his health to make money and then sacrifices money to restore health. Surya shares some stories about how this is actually true in the startup world.
• 90% of Indians are sleep deprived. This is pretty alarming. According to a report by Fitbit, India is one of the least active nations and are the second most sleep deprived nation globally. What actually happens among startups? How do they struggle with stress, sleep, lack of exercise and then ultimately poor health?
• Is it necessary that they ignore sleep so much? Is it possible for them to work smart, efficient and productively in spite of making sleep a priority?
• It is common for startup owners to wake up in the middle of the night with heightened anxiety. It is hard to disconnect from their business. Each person's stress response varies. Yet, having a few strong personalised practices like sleep hygiene and stress management practices can go such a long way in supporting them. Does Surya struggle with anxiety? What does anxiety look like and what can you do about it?
• Surya's personal recommendations to improve sleep and cope with the pressures of having a startup.

For more on Surya Mantha, you can follow him:

Website: https://unitus.vc/team/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surya.mantha

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mysleepwhisperer/ and https://www.instagram.com/phytothrive_yogini/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sleepwhisperer and you can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

Amy Stark is an author, speaker, teacher and podcaster about personal transformation. For over a decade, Amy has been teaching others how to master their life and energy with the most cutting-edge tools and techniques. Amy has a degree in Psychology, a Masters in Education, is an L.M.T, and a biohacker at heart.

She is a trained Reiki Master, Reconnective Healer, E.F.T Practitioner, and is known around the world for helping people to create happier and healthier lives full of joy and purpose. Amy's podcast is called, The Ophelia Podcast.

This episode is packed with practical coaching on using EFT to support your sleep. Amy and Deepa talk through an actual EFT practice which you can start including into your life from today! Watch this beautiful practice transform your emotions, resilience, sleep and life!

In this episode, we dive into:

"Sleep Biohacking, Gratitude and EFT"

• Amy's story and her connection to energy!
• What caused it and how did it impact her health. How did she discover EFT?
• What is EFT? How can it be helpful with sleep? Is there a practice which is safe for someone who is just becoming interested in EFT?
• Amy speaks about mastering energy. What does that mean? How can someone master their energy for better sleep?
• Amy is a biohacker at heart. What is biohacking? How can you biohack your sleep?
• Gratitude is a practice that is being researched greatly. It has the potential to down regulate inflammation in the brain and has multiple physiological benefits. How does gratitude help?
• How did a practice of gratitude help Amy shift how long it took to fall asleep?
• How can someone build a practice for themselves?
• There are almost 100 million people with diagnosed sleep disorders today. What do you feel is the biggest root cause of poor sleep today?
• If sleep is the new medicine, then …………..

For more on Amy Stark, you can follow her:

Website: www.starktransformation.com

EFT Resource: https://www.starktransformation.com/eft

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Starktransformation

https://www.facebook.com/opheliapodcast

Podcast: http://podcast.starktransformation.com/episodes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starktransformation/

https://www.instagram.com/opheliapodcast

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mysleepwhisperer/ and https://www.instagram.com/phytothrive_yogini/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sleepwhisperer and you can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

This is a very special flipped episode of the Sleep Whisperer Podcast with special host, Dr Aarti Soorya, and Deepa in the guest seat for a change.

Deepa is a Yoga therapist for over two decades and a Functional Nutritionist for five. She brings together her experience in therapeutic & transformational yoga and deep learning in nutrition based on the principles of functional medicine to her practice Phytothrive. The focus has been on merging together the deep science of the functional world with the deep symbolism of ancient wisdom.

She has a masterful understanding of the human anatomy with cohesive understanding of physiology to offer what can be classified as true bio-individual mind, body & spirit nutrition. Having a son with a rare adrenal condition gave her a deep insight into the working of the adrenals and the stress response, as it relates to all health and sleep.

Her articles have been shared by Dr Mark Hyman, MD, a 13 times NY Times Bestselling Author twice. She also gave the opening speech on Health Hacks at Amazon Web Services & YourStory HeathTech 2019 to heads of healthcare start-ups in India. Deepa has twenty years of experience in wellness, where she has focus on sleep nutrition, women's health, detoxification, skin health and adrenal function."

This episode is packed with practical takeaways to end your confusion and help you to begin getting good night's sleep!

In this episode, we dive into:

Your Dysfunctional Adrenal Rhythm & Poor Sleep

• Deepa's origin story and her passion for sleep.
• What is the adrenal system? How can someone know if they have challenges? What are the symptoms?
• How does adrenal function impact sleep?
• How can someone support adrenal health to encourage better sleep?
• When it comes to diet and foods, what would upset adrenal function and what would be a great eating style to support adrenal function?

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mysleepwhisperer/ and https://www.instagram.com/phytothrive_yogini/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sleepwhisperer and you can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro

For more on Dr Aarthi Soorya, this episode's special host, you can follow her on Instagram @dr.asoorya and on Facebook as https://www.facebook.com/dr.asoorya/ and through her clinic website https://www.nbwellness.com

Professor Rishikesha Krishnan is the Director of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He has been listed in the Thinkers50 India list of most influential management thinkers from India and written two books: 8 Steps to Innovation: Going from Jugaad to Excellence (co-authored with Vinay Dabholkar) which won the Best Book Award for 2013-14 from the Indian Society for Training & Development and From Jugaad to Systematic Innovation: The Challenge for India. Prof. Krishnan was a member of the expert committee set up by the Government of India in 2017-18 under the chairmanship of Justice BN Srikrishna to propose a data protection framework for India. He has been on the jury of the Economic Times start-up awards. He is currently on the advisory board of YourNest Investment Advisors. He is a strategist, innovator and teacher.

This episode is packed with his bold beliefs that is deeply linked to the belief that each one has the right to their own beliefs. If you are in University years, this episode is great for you! It's also wonderful for you as a parent!

In this episode, we dive into:

"University Life & Sleep"

• Professor Krishnan's origin story and how did he reach this space of being Director at IIMB?
• Upto 60% of college students suffer from poor sleep quality. As someone who is an integral part of so many people's formative years in college, what does he see are sleep challenges among them? Does it need to be that way?
• From 2010-2018, sleep disturbances significantly increased in college students with 25% of them having difficulties. This can have short term and long term cognitive and behavioural repercussions. Research has found 60% of them having insomnia. This can impact academic performance. Do universities need to bring in sleep quality and mental health screening programs? Is counselling a part of IIMB?
• By supporting students in improving sleep, it can contribute to helping them with better memory, improved grades, less health challenges, decreased risk of falling sick, improved mood, better performance and less mental health challenges. Do universities in India have support in place for helping their students to sleep better?
• How would he advice students that supporting themselves with better sleep and improved health is actually beneficial to them?
• For more on Professor Rishikesha Krishnan, you can follow him:

Website: https://www.iimb.ac.in/director-message

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rishikesha.krishnan

-For more on Deepa, The Sleep Whisperer, be sure to follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mysleepwhisperer/ and https://www.instagram.com/phytothrive_yogini/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sleepwhisperer and you can also mail Deepa at [email protected] or find her at www.phytothrive.com and www.sleepwhisperer.pro