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
183 episodes
#182 - So You're Having A Sleep Study: Lying In Bed
Ever wondered what really happens during a sleep study — and why we still rely on them more than 50 years after their invention? Take a behind-the-scenes look at the overnight sleep study, from its surprisingly quirky origins to its modern-day ...
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38:16
#181 - Sleep Aids and Dementia: All Manner of Pills
You probably saw the headlines out of California as they sent a jolt through the sleep world as well as social media: Do common sleep medications increase your risk of dementia? In this episode we will:Review what the ...
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40:57
#180 - Top 10 Sleep Threat Power Rankings: Sleeping Eyes, You’re Missing (Out)
This week marks the 7th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, but it's the first time we have devoted an entire episode to the list. this week, we have a special guest assessor, Dr. Jade Wu. In this episode we will:...
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35:32
#179 - The 4th Annual Holiday Sleep Gift Guide Extravaganza: The Perfect Gift
Fear not, the Sleep Unplugged podcast is once again here to solve your holiday shopping dilemmas with some of my favorite sleep product companies. In this episode, we will explore a host of sleep-themed gift ideas and product recommendations. I...
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34:47
#178 - Orexin Agonists Are Here: This Is The New Stuff
The orexin receptor agonists are coming. After years of managing narcolepsy with stimulants, sodium oxybate, and wake-promoting agents, we soon will have medications that target the root cause of the disorder: the loss of orexin signal...
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39:13
#177 - Sleep Fragmentation - Picking Up the Pieces
At the root of many sleep disorders of sleep fragmentation. It's a big part of sleep medicine that many people don't know much about. In this episode we will:Define sleep fragmentationContrast the differences between <...
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38:20
#176 - Media and Insomnia: It’s So Hard To Tell From Just A Magazine
The media can be a fantastic source of information about insomnia, or it can be a lens that distorts and confuses the issue. In this episode we will:Contrast to contemporary insomnia articles from popular mediaUnderstand th...
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37:24
#175 - World Series, Performance, and Sleep: Out of the Blue
For the first time in my career, two team for who I work will meet for the championship, this time it's the Los Angeles Dodgers (my 10th year with the club) and the Toronto Blue Jays (my 3rd year with the club). In this episode we will:...
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39:08
#174 - Hydration and Sleep: It's In The Water
We talk endlessly about caffeine, alcohol, and sleep—but what about plain old water? In this episode, we will:Dive deep into the fascinating relationship between hydration and sleep qualityExplore how dehydration disrupts s...
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37:04
#173 - Sleep and Altitude: Only Look Up
Whether you’re skiing in Aspen, hiking Kilimanjaro, or just wondering why sleep feels so strange in the mountains, altitude messes with your rest in fascinating ways. In this episode we will:Explore the biology of what’s really happ...
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21:32
#172 - Sleep Hygiene is Not Insomnia Therapy: Save Me Tonight
We’ve all heard the sleep hygiene advice: turn off your screens, keep your room cool, avoid caffeine after lunch. While we can agree that these practices set the stage for better sleep, does engaging in them actually help those with sleep probl...
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29:04
#171 - Getting Your Kid To Sleep Through The Night: Crying In My Sleep
Few parenting debates stir more passion than how to help a baby sleep. In this episode, we will:Explore the science and controversy behind “cry it out,” Ferber/check-and-console, and gentler alternativesReview what research...
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28:22
#170 - Sleep Earbuds and Earplugs: Of Course I’ve Had It In The Ear Before
When it comes to sleep, sometimes silence is golden—and sometimes it needs a little help. In this episode, we’ll explore the world of earplugs and earbuds designed to quiet the night and protect your rest, because sometimes the best way to prot...
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28:19
#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