Sleep Talking With Dr. Shelby Sleepopolis

Can changing up your diet give you better sleep? What foods or food habits could we maybe do without? And most importantly, what should we all be eating more of to make sure we're getting the best rest possible? To explore this link between nutrition and sleep, we've invited Ellie Krieger, registered dietitian nutritionist, author and a prominent TV show host and executive producer. With shows like Ellie's Real Good Food, the Food Network hit Healthy Appetite, and her own ongoing podcast, One Real Good Thing, Ellie is an expert at cutting through dietary trends, offering accessible tools for a satisfying lifestyle.

Is it true that seniors need less sleep? How do various health conditions affect sleep duration and comfort as we age? Dr. Shelby Harris discusses all the myths and realities for rest past the retirement age with Dr. Kerry Burnight, a gerontologist with a passion for instilling older adults with confidence and capability — even in the bedroom.

"Sleep when the baby sleeps." Stop us if you've heard that one before! This advice is well-intentioned (and may work for some) but it's hardly a good solution to the very real, very frustrating phenomenon of sleep deprivation that parents (especially first-time parents) experience. In this episode, Dr. Harris talks to pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin about the importance of getting good sleep during the "fourth trimester," why it can be so hard, how your sleep changes postpartum (hormonal shifts, newborn baby sleep schedules, etc.), and provide some tips on how to actually get sleep.

Sleep apnea is often thought of as a disorder for old white men, but women can have it too. In fact, women are more likely to be diagnosed at a later date and suffer from complications more than white men. In this episode, Dr. Harris talks with Emma Cooksey. Cooksey, who was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2008 after falling asleep at the wheel with her baby in the backseat, launched her podcast, Sleep Apnea Stories, in 2020, to help other women navigate the same journey she had gone through.

"When I'm mindful," says Dr. Jason Ong, "I actually notice more flavors in my food. And in fact, sometimes we make the analogy to wine tasting. Because in a sense, when you're wine tasting, it's a practice of mindfulness. Because you have to use all your senses to actually not just taste the wine, but smell it, right? They teach you to do that."

Ever wondered how we test mattresses and whether or not we REALLY sleep on them? Well, we do, and in this episode, we'll pull back the curtain and show you exactly how. In Dr. Shelby Harris's conversation with Marten Carlson, Lead Reviewer for Pillar4 Media, we'll even share what mattresses our editors sleep on.