Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

Chris Winter, MD
  • 4.7 (79)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

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. 

  1. 6d ago

    #213 - Research from the 2026 SLEEP Scientific Conference: Something New

    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 needleSit with a staggering number out of Yale: veterans with both insomnia and sleep apnea face six times the risk of developing type 2 diabetesRevisit the "regularity beats duration" thread from Episode 209 with two brand-new studies — one in preschoolers, one tracking teens all the way to age 22Unpack 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 diagnosesGet into the psychology of sleep: why night owls' anxiety may really be about nighttime loneliness, and why expecting bad postpartum sleep can help create itTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Flexispot, please use the following link: Flexispot Hako G1 Bed and use the discount code FLEXISPOTG1 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  2. Jul 13

    #212 - Deep Sleep and REM Sleep: A Deeper Understanding, Lost In A Dream

    Deep sleep and REM sleep get lumped together as "good sleep," but they're almost opposite states — one is the quietest your brain gets all night, the other is nearly as active as being awake. In this episode we pull the two apart: how we stumbled onto each of them, what's happening chemically while they run, and why one of them quietly shrinks as we age while the other holds steadier. In this episode we will: Break down what's actually happening in slow-wave sleep versus REM — brainwaves, muscle tone, and why one is a "quiet body, quiet brain" state and the other is "quiet body, active brain"Trace the history back to 1953, when a University of Chicago graduate student stumbled onto REM sleep almost by accidentGet basic on the neurochemistry: the GABA-driven shutdown that produces deep sleep, and the acetylcholine surge that flips REM onBring in new data from SLEEP 2026 in Baltimore, including a 22-million-night wearable dataset showing how deep sleep changes across adulthood, and a mattress-temperature study that moved the needle on restful sleep by nearly 20 minutes a nightCover what actually protects deep sleep — and what quietly wrecks it, from alcohol to late caffeine to a bedroom that's too warmTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor SideSleeperZ, please use the following link: https://sidesleeperz.com/ 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  3. Jul 6

    #211 - Insomnia and Sleep Apnea: Just Don’t Know

    We tend to think of insomnia and sleep apnea as two completely different sleep disorders. One means you can't sleep. The other means you stop breathing. Simple, right? Not so fast. In reality, many people with sleep apnea don't complain about snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness. Instead, they complain that they wake up repeatedly throughout the night and can't stay asleep. In this episode we will: Explain why sleep apnea often causes insomnia-like symptoms rather than daytime sleepiness  Explore the growing recognition of COMISA (comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea)  Discuss why women and non-traditional sleep apnea patients are especially likely to be misdiagnosed  Review the latest research on treating insomnia and sleep apnea togetherTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Sleep Reset, please use the following link: https://www.thesleepreset.com/podcast 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  4. Jun 29

    #210 - Top 10 Sleep Threat Power Rankings: Stop Right Now, Thank You Very Much

    This week marks the 12th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, and this week, we have a special guest assessor, Upneet Chawla, MD (@sleeping.beauty_md). Upneet is an internist and board-certified sleep specialist.  In this episode, she has graciously provided us her list. In this episode we will: Find out what Dr. Chawla thinks are the top threats to your sleepIncorporate abstracts from the 2026 Sleep meeting to illustrate her pointsOriginal 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  5. Jun 22

    #209 - Sleep Quantity or Consistency…which is Queen?: Your Future’s At Stake

    Sleep duration has always been the headline number in sleep science, but mounting research is pushing the conversation toward something less obvious: how consistent your timing is from night to night. In this episode we dig into a debate that's far from settled, and into a statistical trap that may be quietly distorting it. WIn this episode we will: Break down the four separable pillars of sleep health: duration, consistency, continuity, and circadian alignmentWalk through the landmark UK Biobank study showing sleep regularity outpredicting duration for all-cause mortalityBring in brand-new data from SLEEP 2026 in Baltimore linking sleep consistency to long-term cardiovascular trajectoriesExpose the "range restriction trap," why duration looks less important in these studies largely because almost nobody in them was severely sleep-deprived for years on endStress-test the theory with five hypothetical sleepers, each excelling at one dimension and failing at another, to figure out which variable really wins when you push it to the extremeTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Welltory, please use the following link: https://welltory.com/ 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  6. Jun 15

    #208 - Menopause and Sleep Update: Outside This Woman's Work

    Menopause has always been linked to sleep disruption, but the story has changed dramatically since we last covered it in episode 3. Hot flashes and night sweats still matter, but newer research is pushing us to think more broadly about brain temperature regulation, insomnia, mood, sleep apnea, cardiometabolic risk, and a new generation of nonhormonal medications that directly target vasomotor biology. In this episode we will:  Revisit why menopause so often produces sleep-maintenance insomnia  Explore the KNDy neuron/neurokinin pathway and why drugs like fezolinetant and elinzanetant matter  Separate hot-flash awakenings from true insomnia disorder  Discuss CBT-I, hormone therapy, and nonhormonal treatment options  Explain why sleep apnea and cardiometabolic risk should not be overlooked in midlife womenTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Moonbird, please use the following link: https://www.moonbird.life 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  7. Jun 8

    #207 - Insomnia and Narcolepsy: Tired of the Same Old Story

    Narcolepsy is often described as a disorder of excessive daytime sleepiness, but that description only tells part of the story. Many people living with narcolepsy also struggle with fragmented, restless, and unrefreshing sleep at night; and these symptoms that can look a lot like insomnia. In recent years, researchers have increasingly viewed narcolepsy as a disorder of sleep-wake instability, where the boundaries between wakefulness, non-REM sleep, and REM sleep become less secure. Understanding narcolepsy through this lens helps explain why someone can be profoundly sleepy during the day and still feel like they "can't sleep" at night. In this episode we will: Explore why disrupted nighttime sleep is considered a core symptom of narcolepsy, not merely a side effect Discuss the role of orexin (hypocretin) in stabilizing sleep and wake states and what happens when that system fails Examine the surprising overlap between narcolepsy and insomnia symptoms, including frequent awakenings, vivid dreaming, and nonrestorative sleep Review key research supporting the concept of sleep-state instability as a unifying explanation for many narcolepsy symptoms Consider how treatments aimed at improving nighttime sleep consolidation may help patients feel more alert and functional during the dayTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Sleep Reset, please use the following link: https://www.thesleepreset.com/podcast 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

  8. Jun 1

    #206 - Sleep Trackers in the Clinic--Help or Harm?: I Guess I Gotta Buy It

    Sleep trackers have become one of the fastest-growing trends in modern health culture. Rings, watches, apps, and mattress sensors now promise to measure everything about your sleep, but are these devices actually helping us sleep better…or simply giving us one more thing to worry about? In this episode, we will:  Discuss whether sleep trackers improve sleep health or simply increase sleep-related anxietyExplore whether sleep trackers are evolving from wellness gadgets into legitimate healthcare toolsDiscuss the recent news surrounding Oura’s confidential IPO filing and what it says about the future of sleep technologyExplore the concept of “orthosomnia” and why the pursuit of perfect sleep scores may backfireReview studies examining the accuracy of modern sleep trackers for total sleep time, REM sleep, and deep sleepTalk about who may genuinely benefit from sleep tracking and who may actually be harmed by it.Examine research suggesting that health data alone often fails to change behavior unless paired with education, coaching, or medical guidanceTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor NOCTEM Health, please use the following link: https://noctemhealth.com/ 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 Twitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

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4.7
out of 5
79 Ratings

About

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. 

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