The Snooze Button

Neil Hedley

4.0 (7)
Mental Health
Weekly

In North America alone, there are about 100 million people with sleep issues. Maybe you’re one of them. Every week, veteran broadcaster Neil Hedley sits down with celebrities, high achievers and the world’s top neuroscientists to try and find answers to his own 50-year battle with sleep issues in the hope that he might find an answer that works for you, too.

5d ago

The Energy Curve: Why Your Body Isn't a Phone Battery — Dr. Oliver Weigelt

A bad night's sleep can leave you waking up drained. But unlike a phone, your energy doesn't necessarily keep falling throughout the day. In workplace research, people often report a rise in energy during the morning, a peak around midday, and a decline later. Dr. Oliver Weigelt, assistant professor of organizational psychology at the University of Groningen, joins Neil Hedley to discuss what sleep quality changes about our starting point, the effort paradox, why afternoon fatigue is more complicated than it seems, and where shift work fits—or doesn't fit—into the evidence. This observational study followed 106 employees across up to 10 workdays; its group-level patterns are not universal recommendations or sleep treatments. Research: Handschuch, Weigelt and colleagues, Journal of Business and Psychology (2026). Guest: Dr. Oliver Weigelt, University of Groningen. Prefer the nine-minute version? Listen to Oliver Weigelt on The Snooze Button EXPRESS.
Nov 2

We Stopped Changing the Clocks. Did We Pick the Wrong Time? — Dr. Ralph Mistlberger

British Columbia stopped changing its clocks on November 1, 2026. But there's a catch: ending the twice-yearly switch and choosing which time to keep are two different questions. In this episode, Neil Hedley talks with Dr. Ralph Mistlberger, a professor of psychology and circadian-rhythm researcher at Simon Fraser University, about why he believes permanent standard time is better aligned with our biology than permanent daylight time. Mistlberger is a co-author of a new Canadian Medical Association Journal analysis examining the potential health, education and economic trade-offs of these policies. They explore how morning light resets the human body clock, why darker winter mornings may worsen the mismatch between biological time and school or work schedules, and what researchers mean by social jet lag. Their discussion also considers the political appeal of brighter evenings—and why popularity doesn't necessarily answer the biological question. Most importantly, the conversation distinguishes between the disruption of changing clocks twice a year and the consequences of living on a particular time year-round. The CMAJ paper reviews evidence and identifies risks; it does not establish that every person will experience the same effects. Further reading: Lam RW, Mistlberger R, Baylis P, Choi A. Analysis of health impacts associated with adopting permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time to inform policy in Canada, CMAJ (October 2026). B.C. government's announcement of permanent Pacific Time (UTC−7). Dr. Mistlberger's SFU profile.
Oct 27

What Is Your Sleep Tracker Actually Measuring? — Dr. Jamie Zeitzer

What does a sleep tracker actually measure when it tells you that you slept badly—and how much should you trust the score? Stanford sleep and circadian researcher Dr. Jamie Zeitzer joins Neil Hedley to unpack the gap between a precise-looking number and the evidence behind it. They discuss why wrist-based devices can estimate sleep duration reasonably well for some people yet struggle when sleep is fragmented, what proprietary sleep scores leave unexplained, and why a single night's rating may be less useful than patterns over time. Neil shares how wearable data prompted him to seek a formal sleep assessment. They also explore what a more useful future could look like: changes that prompt better questions for a clinician, links between daytime behavior and nighttime sleep, and feedback about a bedroom environment that could be adjusted. Important distinction: Consumer sleep trackers estimate aspects of sleep; a sleep score is not a medical diagnosis. The future applications discussed are possibilities, not established benefits of every device. Further reading: Jamie M. Zeitzer, The utility of sleep wearables—well, that depends, SLEEP (2024), read the editorial. Zeitzer, A time for change: actigraphy in the age of consumer wearables, SLEEP (2026), read the editorial. Dr. Zeitzer's Stanford profile.
Oct 19

When Anxiety Changes the Sleep Equation — Dr. Aaron Mattfeld

Could the same brain structure be associated with better sleep in some young people and worse sleep in others? Dr. Aaron Mattfeld of Florida International University joins Neil Hedley to discuss research on the pineal gland, anxiety, and objectively measured sleep in early adolescence. The gland is involved in melatonin production, but the study found that the relationship between pineal-gland tissue volume and sleep varied with anxiety severity. They explore why the result was surprising, what researchers can and cannot conclude from it, and how adolescent biology and everyday choices affect sleep. About the evidence: This is an observational association, not proof that pineal gland size causes sleep problems. Melatonin production was not directly measured. Research: Fuertes F., Lalama M., Dick A. S. et al., Anxiety severity moderates the relation between pineal parenchymal volume and objective sleep problems in peri-adolescent youth, Scientific Reports (2026). Read the study. Florida International University's research overview · Dr. Mattfeld's faculty profile · The Snooze Button. Next week: Dr. Jamie Zeitzer on what your sleep tracker can—and cannot—tell you.
Oct 12

The 500-Lux Problem — Dr. Marijke Gordijn

Could the lighting in your home or workplace be interfering with your sleep? Chronobiologist Dr. Marijke Gordijn joins Neil Hedley to explore how light influences our biological clocks, why blue light isn't necessarily the enemy, and how changing our everyday lighting habits could improve our sleep. Gordijn is the founder and director of Chrono@Work, a guest researcher at the University of Groningen, and a co-founder of the Good Light Group. In this episode, we explore: The biological clock: What circadian rhythms actually are, and how our bodies keep track of time.The 500-lux problem: Why ordinary indoor lighting may be insufficient during the day.Blue light: Why we need it during the day but should limit it as bedtime approaches.Shift work: The challenges of working while our biological clocks are telling us to sleep.Power naps: Why even a short period of rest may improve alertness.Night owls and creativity: Whether our individual biological rhythms influence when we perform our best.Melatonin: Why timing and dosage matter, and why it isn't necessarily a solution to poor sleep quality.Practical changes: How daylight exposure, evening lighting and screen habits can help support healthy circadian rhythms.Guest Dr. Marijke Gordijn Chronobiologist, Founder and Director of Chrono@Work, Guest Researcher at the University of Groningen, and Co-founder of the Good Light Group. Resources Chrono@Work — Dr. Gordijn's research organization Good Light Group — Practical guidance on healthy lighting University of Groningen — Marijke Gordijn's research profile 2022 Scientific Consensus: Recommendations for Daytime, Evening and Nighttime Light Exposure
Oct 5

Why Poor Sleep May Make You Pick a Fight With the Boss

In This Episode Why Brian and his colleagues expected sleepy employees to “punch down” in the workplaceThe surprising result that conflict was strongest with higher-ranking peopleWhy the U.S. Army provided an especially interesting environment for studying hierarchyWhat workplace conflict actually looked like in the researchNeil’s highly scientific description of the problem as a failing “BS filter”Why self-control may help explain the connection between sleep and conflictHow poor sleep can affect anger, risk-taking and rule-breaking as well as interpersonal conflictWhy recognizing a bad night’s sleep may help you manage the following workday differentlyHow chronotype and time of day can compound the effects of poor sleepSleep, workplace injuries and the danger of simply blaming the employeeWhy organizations themselves can contribute to employees’ sleep problemsThe idea of sleep leadershipWhether managers should be asking employees how they sleptWhy unpredictable work schedules can be particularly disruptiveShift work and the importance of regularity when regular daytime schedules aren’t possibleWhether the same sleep-and-hierarchy dynamic might show up between parents and childrenWhat happens when both the employee and the boss are sleeping badlyWhether poor-sleep conflict could cascade upward through an organizationWhy Brian wants to see the findings tested outside the military and in flatter organizationsWhat employers can reasonably take away from this research — and what this single study cannot establish About Dr. Brian Gunia Dr. Brian Gunia is Professor and Area Chair for Management & Organization at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. His research examines negotiation, organizational behavior and sleep, with particular interest in the ways insufficient sleep can influence decision-making and behaviour in the workplace. His work has explored topics including sleep and self-control, leadership, ethics, negotiation and interpersonal conflict. Before entering academia, Brian worked as a management consultant. He earned his PhD in Management & Organization from Northwestern University. MENTIONED Sleep and Strife: The Effects of Sleep on Conflict within Organizational Hierarchy Brian Gunia, Paul Bliese and Amy Adler examined the relationship between sleep problems and interpersonal conflict inside organizational hierarchies. Their research found that sleep problems were most strongly associated with conflict involving people of higher rank — the opposite of what the researchers initially expected. Brian Gunia — Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Faculty profile, research interests and selected publications.
2024-06-17

All-Star Panel on Wearable Sleep Trackers

In this episode: Jesse Cook, Cathy Goldstein and Olivia Walch grade their own sleep Why the answer to “Do most people need granular sleep-stage data?” is no Clinical sleep definitions versus consumer wearable outputs Why an EEG headband has an advantage over a motion-only tracker — but still is not a polysomnogram Sleep sensitivity, wake specificity and the trap hidden inside a 90% accuracy claim Why REM and deep-sleep staging are harder than basic sleep/wake detection What quiet wakefulness does to wrist-based algorithms Why actionability can matter more than precision Orthosomnia and the risks of sleep perfectionism Why one bad nightly score should not become a crisis How tracker validation changes across populations and sleep disorders Why proprietary algorithm updates can age a validation study overnight The case for access to raw sensor data and shared validation datasets What the World Sleep Society and National Sleep Foundation now recommend for consumer sleep technology Why healthy sleep includes more than duration Sleep regularity, rhythmicity, continuity, timing and daytime functioning Why a low consumer deep-sleep score cannot be translated directly into dementia risk What glymphatic research actually says about sleep stages Neil’s Dreem 2 data and which numbers catch the panel’s attention Temperature, awakenings and using wearable trends to test practical hypotheses Why mainstream trackers may be enough for most behavioral goals The importance of comfort, adherence and battery life FTC and FDA oversight of consumer health and wellness claims What seven-to-nine-hour recommendations actually mean Why trying too hard to sleep can become part of the problem About Jesse Cook Jesse Cook, PhD, is a sleep researcher and clinical psychologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His work has examined sleep and mental health, hypersomnolence, athletes and the performance of wearable sleep technology. Cook previously joined The Snooze Button for a full episode devoted to the question of who validates the trackers themselves. About Dr. Cathy Goldstein Dr. Cathy Goldstein is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan and a sleep physician whose work includes consumer and clinical sleep technology, circadian rhythm disorders and the use of wearable data. Her research has included efforts to improve and openly evaluate algorithms used to characterize sleep from wearable sensors. About Dr. Olivia Walch Olivia Walch, PhD, is a mathematician and circadian scientist whose research focuses on biological rhythms, sleep timing and mathematical models of the human circadian system. She is affiliated with the University of Michigan Center for Sleep Science and is CEO of Arcascope, which develops circadian-health technology. Archive update, 2026: At the time of this conversation, Walch’s book was still on the way. Sleep Groove: Why Your Body's Clock Is So Messed Up and What To Do About It was published January 28, 2025 by Andrews McMeel. The book uses comics and circadian science to explain why sleep timing goes wrong and what people can realistically do about it. MENTIONED Jesse Cook — University of Wisconsin–Madison Cathy Goldstein — University of Michigan Medical School University of Michigan Center for Sleep Science faculty Olivia Walch and Arcascope Sleep Groove: Why Your Body's Clock Is So Messed Up and What To Do About It Selecting a sleep tracker: EEG-based, multisensor and actigraphy-only devices 2025 validation of six commercial wrist-worn sleep trackers 2026 rapid review: real-world use of consumer sleep devices World Sleep Society recommendations for wearable consumer health trackers that monitor sleep National Sleep Foundation position statement on consumer sleep technology Screening for orthosomnia and sleep-related preoccupation U.S. survey of consumer sleep technology use, trust and sleep-related worry Which sleep health characteristics predict all-cause mortality in older men? Sleep regularity as a predictor of mortality risk American Heart Association statement on multidimensional sleep health 2023 mouse study: sleep-cycle-dependent vascular dynamics and predicted CSF flow Norepinephrine-mediated slow vasomotion and glymphatic clearance during sleep FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance FDA General Wellness: Policy for Low Risk Devices — 2026 guidance AASM/SRS recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult National Sleep Foundation sleep-duration recommendations
2024-06-10

Hello, Sleep! With Dr. Jade Wu

In this episode: Why Jade Wu had just woken from a nap before the interview Why she thinks of naps as snacks What happens when trying to make sleep happen becomes the problem Why Wu wrote Hello Sleep The access problem surrounding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Who CBT-I is actually for — and what it does not treat Why an overnight sleep study is not routinely necessary for uncomplicated insomnia Neil's periodic limb movements and the case for treating comorbid sleep problems together What happened when a sleep psychologist became a severely sleep-deprived new parent Sleep disruption, postpartum depression and the danger of single-cause explanations Why sleep can be foundational without being the explanation for everything How sleep optimization and sleep trackers can create pressure Why melatonin is a timekeeping hormone rather than a sedative The label-accuracy problem in commercial melatonin products When melatonin may have legitimate circadian uses Why chronotype can collide with school and work schedules How social media and streaming services compete with sleep Why daytime light changes the brain's sensitivity to evening light What the evidence does — and does not — say about screens and blue-light blocking Mindfulness without turning mindfulness into another performance task About Dr. Jade Wu Dr. Jade Wu, PhD, DBSM, is a board-certified sleep psychologist, researcher and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. Duke University currently lists her as an Associate in Research whose work focuses on treating sleep disorders in people with chronic illness. Her own site describes her broader work in behavioral sleep medicine, public education and her company Thrive; it also lists her as a Clinical Assistant Professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University and says she will join Cornell University's Psychology Department faculty in Fall 2026. Wu earned her undergraduate degree at Cornell, her PhD at Boston University, and completed medical psychology residency and clinical fellowship training at Duke University School of Medicine. MENTIONED Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications — Jade Wu Jade Wu — Duke Department of Neurology Dr. Jade Wu AASM guideline: behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia 2025 systematic review: CBT for adult insomnia in routine clinical care AASM practice parameters: evaluation of chronic insomnia and use of polysomnography 2017 study: melatonin content variability and serotonin in commercial supplements 2023 study: melatonin and CBD quantities in U.S. melatonin gummies Health Canada: melatonin as a natural health product AASM pharmacologic guideline: melatonin and chronic insomnia The human circadian system adapts to prior photic history 2024 National Sleep Foundation consensus statement on screens and sleep 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of blue-light blocking glasses and objective sleep The Many Challenges of Insomnia — Dr. Jade Wu Sex & Sleep: Was It Good For You?

4

out of 5

7 Ratings

In North America alone, there are about 100 million people with sleep issues. Maybe you’re one of them. Every week, veteran broadcaster Neil Hedley sits down with celebrities, high achievers and the world’s top neuroscientists to try and find answers to his own 50-year battle with sleep issues in the hope that he might find an answer that works for you, too.

Creator

Neil Hedley
Years Active

2019 - 2026
Episodes

69
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© All rights reserved.
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The Snooze Button