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
#213 - Research from the 2026 SLEEP Scientific Conference: Something New
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Every June, thousands of sleep researchers descend on one city and quietly rewrite what we think we know about a third of our lives. This year it was Baltimore's turn, for the 40th annual SLEEP meeting — and the data that came out of it hits closer to home than usual: blood pressure, diabetes, teenage phones, and why "night owl" might really mean "lonely." Here are my Top 10 studies from SLEEP 2026 most likely to actually change how you sleep. In this episode we will:
- Break down why being sleepy and wired at night is a uniquely dangerous combination for blood pressure — and why either symptom alone barely moves the needle
- Sit with a staggering number out of Yale: veterans with both insomnia and sleep apnea face six times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- Revisit the "regularity beats duration" thread from Episode 209 with two brand-new studies — one in preschoolers, one tracking teens all the way to age 22
- Unpack why women's sleep apnea can look identical to men's on paper and feel completely different in the body, and why that's delaying diagnoses
- Get into the psychology of sleep: why night owls' anxiety may really be about nighttime loneliness, and why expecting bad postpartum sleep can help create it
To find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Flexispot, please use the following link: Flexispot Hako G1 Bed and use the discount code J2CMJR7O for an extra 5% off.
Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)
Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)
Produced by: Maeve Winter
Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved
More
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- The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child
Thanks for listening and sleep well!
