Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter – Details, episodes & analysis

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Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Chris Winter, MD

Health & Fitness

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 214

No holds barred, unscripted discussion on a wide range of sleep topics - from sleep disorders to current research and controversies in the field. No topic is off limits! Dr. Chris Winter is a clinician, a board certified neurologist and double boarded sleep specialist with 30 years of clinical experience. He is the author of The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child, and is a popular consultant and speaker, working for many professional sports teams. He is well known for his unique perspective and ability to demystify sleep, all of which he brings to Sleep Unplugged.

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - medicine
15/08/2026
#64
🇺🇸 USA - medicine
15/08/2026
#86
🇨🇦 Canada - medicine
14/08/2026
#37
🇺🇸 USA - medicine
14/08/2026
#73
🇨🇦 Canada - medicine
13/08/2026
#26
🇬🇧 Great Britain - medicine
13/08/2026
#58
🇺🇸 USA - medicine
13/08/2026
#77
🇨🇦 Canada - medicine
12/08/2026
#53
🇬🇧 Great Britain - medicine
12/08/2026
#80
🇺🇸 USA - medicine
12/08/2026
#67

Spotify

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https://twitter.com/drchriswinter
177 shares

https://www.instagram.com/drchriswinter
177 shares

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Score global : 42%

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#115 - Insomnia and Sleep Debt: Pay It Back

Monday, September 2, 2024 • Duration 24:39

There is no topic in sleep more likely to incite a riot between sleep experts than the concept of a sleep debt. Does it really exist? Can a sleep debt ever be repaid? If so, how long? In this episode, we will:

Define sleep debt
Examine a new population study on the effects of sleep debt on cardiovascular risk
Attempt to consolidate the available research into guidelines for dealing effectively with sleep debt
Differentiate between sleep debt responses in insomnia sufferers and sleep deprived individuals
Touch on how accurately understanding personal sleep need directly impacts sleep debt

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!

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#114 - Inflammation and Sleep: I’m On Fire

Monday, August 26, 2024 • Duration 32:23

We have touched on inflammation as a central pathway connecting sleep disorders and dementia (episode 99), injury (episode 70), pain (episode 48), and cardiovascular disease (episode 35). In this episode, we shine the spotlight directly on inflammation and learn how it is connected to sleep. In this episode we will:

Examine the reciprocal relationship between inflammation and sleep
Understand how cytokines play a role in the inflammatory cascade, but also in sleep regulation
Learn the circumstances that tend to raise cytokine levels, including sleep deprivation, sleep disruption, and excessive sleep
Explore severe situations of sleep deprivation in animal models and learn how the resultant "cytokine storm" is virtually incompatible with life
Follow the link between inflammation and chronic diseases, including dementia

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!

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#105 - Sleep and Air Quality: The Air Is Finally Safe To Breathe Again

Monday, June 24, 2024 • Duration 31:00

Lately, much seems to be made about the relationship between air quality and sleep. Air purification systems have jumped on the sleep bandwagon as have good old fashioned house plants. But is there any evidence supporting this connection? In this episode we will:

Look at research connecting air quality and sleep quality among various populations
Evaluate the research linking air quality measures and sleep metrics in different countries
List the possible mechanisms through which air quality might affect sleep
Discuss some prospective studies aiming to create different air quality sleeping environments and determine how they do or don't affect sleep and associated variables
Touch upon the link between air quality and general performance
Expand upon the role indoor plants play in relationship to an individual's sleep and mood
Answer the questions as to whether or not plants can effectively filter indoor air quality in a meaningful way

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!

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#15 - Insomnia: Waking Up At Night

Monday, October 3, 2022 • Duration 34:16

When it comes to sleep, I'm not sure there a topic that frustrates more than waking up at night (sometimes referred to as sleep maintenance insomnia). The struggle to make it from bedtime to wake can be a long and tortuous journey for some. In this episode we will:

explore the history of sleep and nocturnal awakenings
define the prevalence of nocturnal awakenings in the adult population
understand both the definition of arousal and its relationship to awakenings
investigate the concept of sleep efficiency, how it relates to sleep expectation versus sleep need, and how this itself can lead to increased awakenings at night
determine how the presence or absence of excessive sleepiness can help to understand the cause and seriousness of nocturnal awakenings
learn the risk factors and predictors that often lead to nocturnal awakenings
find out that an individual's determination of the cause of their awakenings can be unreliable
discuss the role of sleep studies in determining if there are pathological causes for nocturnal awakenings
explore the role of anxiety and worry in nocturnal awakenings
summarize the numerous studies that have shown the role of exercise in reducing both frequency and duration of nocturnal awakenings

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!

#14 - Circadian Rhythms: Time May Change Me

Monday, September 26, 2022 • Duration 36:11

Even though circadian rhythms seem initially to be exclusively linked to our sleep, these primitive timing mechanisms reach back to virtually the dawn of life as we know it. Understanding circadian pathways lays the groundwork for not only understanding circadian disorders like jet lag and shift work, but also for understanding how to optimize our own health. In this episode we will:

define circadian rhythms
understand the mechanisms in the nervous system that govern circadian rhythms and biological timing
find out about some of the early pioneers of circadian science and how their experiments helped to shed light on intrinsic rhythms
learn why human circadian rhythms are slightly longer than 24 hours
list the multiple systems within our bodies that depend on these rhythms
examine research that indicates how harmful biological timing is to our health and the diseases/conditions they influence
determine ways to optimize our own health through improved circadian scheduling

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!

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#13 - Restless Legs Syndrome: You Gotta Move

Monday, September 19, 2022 • Duration 39:40

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a unique and relatively common sleep disorder that quietly affects the sleep of 15% of individuals (by some generous accounts). Despite its initial description dating back to 1672, it still remains somewhat of a mystery--suffered miserably by many but often missed as a sleep diagnosis. In this episode, we will:

learn the unusual history of the multiple 'discoveries' of RLS
give an overview of the symptoms of RLS and the varied ways in which they are described and experienced
dissect the diagnostic criteria of RLS
differentiate primary RLS from secondary RLS
list the risk factors for RLS including low iron, pregnancy, and certain medications
discuss the treatments (both medicinal and non) of RLS including weighted blankets

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!

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#12 - Sleep and Athletic Performance: Major League Sleep

Monday, September 12, 2022 • Duration 36:54

The intersection of sleep and athletic performance, relatively speaking, is a new frontier. In the last two decades, the interest in how sleep optimization can improve achievement within sports has exploded. In this episode I will discuss:

the history of how sleep has been looked at in sports and the earliest observations on the subject
how I became interested and eventually involved with research in sleep and sport
the story behind my initial studies with Major League Baseball and travel
the topic of circadian advantage and how we measured it over ten years of Major League Baseball games
how chronotype seems to impact the performance timing of elite athletes
the influence of sleepiness on athletic performance, success in a sport, and potentially longevity as an athlete
other influential research and researchers in the field
what it all means for not only professional sports organizations, but also the average athlete

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!

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#11 - Sleeping Pills: Sleeping With The Enemy

Monday, September 5, 2022 • Duration 38:39

As a sleep physician, I am constantly confronted with sleeping pills and the misunderstanding that seems to be inherent to their existence. While I do feel like there are specific instances where sleeping pills are helpful, I think the vast majority of sleep experts and behavioral sleep therapists would generally frown upon their use. In this episode, we will cover:

why I feel sleeping pills are largely unnecessary, particularly given the fact that everyone sleeps (Episode 2)
to whom these pills are marketed and how ad prey upon fear of sleeplessness as a means to create a market for their product
the surprisingly modest sleep improvement results (sleep latency, sleep efficiency) these medications produce and how these stand in direct opposition to what the average user thinks is happening
the risk of sleeping pills
how the relevance of these promoted benefits is of unclear significance
failure of sleeping pill research to prove health or performance benefits
the repetitive history of the sleeping pill cycle and how history has judged the fate of many that have come before

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!

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Bonus: Behind the Scenes of Sleeping Around

Thursday, September 1, 2022 • Duration 35:46

In January of 2015, I spent the night in a haunted hotel in Oklahoma City and wrote about the experience in The Huffington Post. That would begin a series of articles I called "Sleeping Around" where I explored unusual sleeping situations and what they could teach us about our own sleep.

In 2020, I began working with Sleep.com to create content for their new website completely devoted to sleep and topics surrounding it. One day, Sam Bennett, their senior vice president of marketing asked me what my dream sleep project would be.

Easy. I want to make a film version of Sleeping Around.

A few weeks later we were filming three episodes: a few days on the road with musical artist Shakey Graves, 24 hours with the Fort Worth Fire Department, and a night sleeping on a portaledge with professional Red Bull climber Sasha Digiulian.

To mark the milestone of recording our tenth episode, I wanted to record this bonus episode for listeners to take them behind the scenes of this project, and hopefully share why it is so important to me.

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!

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#10 - Alarm Clocks: Starting Your Day Right

Monday, August 29, 2022 • Duration 38:03

Alarms clocks may be responsible for the most dreaded sound in our lives. Despite their constant presence, how do you choose the right alarm for your circumstances and maybe more importantly, how does that alarm fit into a healthy morning routine?

In this episode we will cover:

the definition of sleep inertia and why some people struggle to wake up in the morning
the science behind the different types of sounds alarm clocks utilize and which tend to awaken individuals more effectively
the circadian influence of alarm clocks that utilize lights
the ‘Snooze Button’ and should you use it
strategies for utilizing escalating alarms
the variety of more extreme alarms (shaking a bed, shocking a sleeper) for helping people awaken on time.
the importance of a scheduled awakening and how it fits with other activities in the morning

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!

Read moreCollapse

Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Amazon2

Twitter1

Instagram1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Amazon2

Twitter1

Instagram1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify