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.
Episodes
170 episodes
#169 - Periodic Limb Movement Disorder: Out At Night Moving
We’ve all seen it—or maybe we’ve been told we do it: twitching, jerking, or kicking in the night. But when does this common sleep quirk cross the line into a diagnosable condition? In this episode, we will:Define Periodic Limb Movem...
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28:38
168 - #MASA (Make America Sleep Again): Wake Me Up When September Ends
Did you know…Only 57% of Americans now say science has a mostly positive effect on society—down 16 points since before COVID?And yet, 83% of people still trust their doctor more than anyone else when it comes ...
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47:03
#167 - Frequent Nighttime Urination: All Through The Night
When it comes to insomnia, many people begin their journey staring at the clock after yet another middle-of-the-night bathroom trip and wondering: is it my bladder or my sleep that’s broken? In this episode, we will:Define what noct...
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29:18
#166 - 10 Ways to Sleep Better in a Hotel: Take Me to The Hotel
We’ve all been there—different bed, strange noises, mystery thermostat settings—and suddenly your “dream” vacation or business trip comes with a side of sleeplessness. But hotel sleep doesn’t have to be a gamble. In this episode, we will:
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25:18
#165 - Headache and Sleep: Gotta Painful Swelling Brain
Headaches don’t punch the clock at bedtime — in fact, for many, night is when they strike hardest. In this episode, we’ll:Explore how disrupted sleep can trigger and intensify migraines, cluster headaches, hypnic headaches, and chro...
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32:08
#164 - Temperature vs. Tired: Which Sign is Vital?
At every medical appointment, certain rituals unfold: height, weight, blood pressure, and—almost reflexively—temperature. But in asymptomatic patients, how often does that temperature reading actually matter? In this episode, we will:
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33:43
#163 - Insomnia and Public Health: You're Looking Tired And More Than A Little Human
We all think we know what insomnia is: trouble sleeping, tossing and turning, maybe staring at the ceiling until sunrise. But does the public really have a clear picture of insomnia and does that impact the massive health impact it has? In this...
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34:57
#162 -Sleep in the Gilded Age: If You Know Your History
In our modern world of blue light and burnout, it’s easy to forget that sleep has always been shaped by the forces of its time. In this episode, we travel back to the Gilded Age—a period of dazzling progress, deep inequality, and curious belief...
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29:46
#161 - Sleep on Television: The Dream’s Dream on the Small Screen
We’ve talked extensively about sleep and its science, but what happens when sleep becomes the story itself—on screen? Television has portrayed sleep, sleeplessness, and dreaming across decades of iconic storytelling. In this episode we will:
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26:39
#160 - Still Sleepy After CPAP: I'm Not Dead, I'm Not Myself
We’ve explored sleep apnea in depth on the podcast—its causes, its severity, and the many ways it’s treated. But what happens when the sleepiness lingers, even after treatment? In this episode, we will:Define sleep apnea, what it is...
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29:02
#159 - Extreme Insomnia: You're Killing Yourself If You Don't Believe It
The Atlantic recently published a feature article entitled "Why Americans Can't Sleep." The article was written by Jennifer Senior, and fantastically accomplished writer (2022 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, the 2022 National Magazine Award...
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34:30
#158 - Bruxism: Put You Through the Grind
Bruxism or teeth grinding is a remarkably common occurrence and often happens during our nightly sleep period, disrupting sleep quality and continuity. In this episode we will:Define bruxismExplore the epidemiology of the c...
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28:52
#157 - Weight Loss Drugs and Sleep Apnea: One Pill Makes You Small
Weight loss drugs are everywhere and recently Zepbound (tirzepitide) made big news when it became the first FDA-approved sleep apnea therapy for mild to moderate sleep apnea. In this episode, we will:Introduce and explain weight los...
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38:58
#156 - Research from the 2025 SLEEP Scientific Conference: Make Me a Poster
You are looking live at the Seattle Conference Center where sleep researchers from around the world are converging to carry around tote bags and share the latest and greatest sleep research. I was there and saw it all. In this episode we will:<...
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40:29
#155 - Oral Appliance and Sleep Apnea: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
So far on the podcast we had talked about sleep apnea as well as the treatments CPAP and surgery. On this episode of the podcast, we discuss another popular treatment option: oral appliances. In this episode we will:Review the patho...
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24:01
#154 - Sleep and the Threat of Danger: I Won’t Do You No Harm
One of the biggest obstacles in insomnia treatment is the perceived threat of physical harm related to the sleep difficulty. It's a major cog in the insomnia-fear-arousal cycle. In this episode we will:Utilize two case studies to il...
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39:26
#153 - The Ten Worst Things For Sleep: Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
When we did the snooze button episode of the podcast, it all started with a declaration that the snooze button was the worst thing for sleep. While it's fairly clear the snooze button is not, what is? In this episode, we list the top 10 worst t...
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27:15
#152 - Sleep and Temperature Regulation: Gonna Make You Sweat
Sweating at night is a common complaint in the sleep clinic. While night sweats are often thought of as being the exclusive domain of post-menopausal women, their causes can be surprisingly varied. In this episode we will:Review the...
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29:59
#151 - Sleep and Back, Neck, and Shoulder Pain: Sorry For The Hurt
When it comes to symptoms that cause us to seek medical help, there are few that top pain. Pain occupies a unique space within the world of sleep, in particular back, neck, and shoulder pain. In this episode we will:Provide an overv...
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31:30
#150 - Bedtime Stories: Without You, I Just Can’t Go To Sleep
Over the last several years, adult 'bedtime stories' have become a ubiquitous internet method used by many to help themselves fall asleep at night. In this episode we will:Define bedtime storiesExplore what makes them usefu...
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38:06
#149 - Creating a Bedroom Sanctuary: Here May Ye Rest A While
There is nothing more pleasing to the soul than wandering into a space that makes you feel protected, present, and at peace. Many elements involved in the creation of a comfortable bedroom sanctuary have been covered on the podcast. Now, we wor...
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34:42
#148 - The Truth About Medical Practices: It’s an Illusion
As the owner of a private medical practice, I know how difficult it is for the solo provider/small group to keep the doors open and deliver quality care, especially if the providers participate with insurance carriers. This fact not only affect...
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34:54
#147 - Idiopathic Hypersomnia: All I Wanna Do Is Wake Up In The Morning
We have talked extensively about Type 1 and Type 2 narcolepsy on the podcast, but what about its mysterious cousin idiopathic hypersomnia (IH)? What is IH and why is it so hard to diagnose? What is its relationship with narcolepsy, and how do w...
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39:10
#146 - Cognitive Shuffling: Ain’t Nothin’ To It
A recent New York Times article entitled "A Simple Technique to Help You Fall Asleep" by Christina Caron details a technique dubbed cognitive shuffling that took the internet by storm as a treatment for a racing mind at night. In this episode w...
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31:01