Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter
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.
Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter
#61 - How Much Sleep Do You Really Need? Just Can't Get Enough
Within the field of sleep science, there are few questions asked more frequently than, "How much sleep do we need?" While the answer eight hours seems to make the rounds in the media (and anything less would appear to be cause instant harm or even death), what is the answer? Is the question even answerable? In this episode we will:
- Evaluate how age is constantly influencing sleep need
- List other factors affecting sleep amount for an individual including sleep quality, activity level, previous sleep deprivation, pregnancy and illness
- Explore the inherent difficulties in applying epidemiological sleep data to individual sleepers
- Look at the data rejecting the idea that 8 hours is the ideal amount of sleep for adults
- Define the "J curve" commonly seen in studies exploring optimal sleep amounts
- Understand how sleep behaviors need can be easily mislead in terms of indicators of average sleep need
- Touch upon how individuals who can get by better with inadequate sleep may misinterpret this as being a healthy practice
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!
