RedCircle VERIFY_TOKEN_f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29 -- Rendered At Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:12:55 +0000 The Snooze Button https://redcircle.com/shows/the-snooze-button en-US All rights reserved. Neil Hedley 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 30-year battle with sleep issues in the hope that he might find an answer that works for you, too. f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29 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 30-year battle with sleep issues in the hope that he might find an answer that works for you, too.

]]> episodic no Neil Hedley neil@thesnoozebutton.com false full All-Star Panel on Wearable Sleep Trackers All-Star Panel on Wearable Sleep Trackers Neil Hedley 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


]]> <p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Jesse Cook, Cathy Goldstein and Olivia Walch grade their own sleep</li><li> Why the answer to “Do most people need granular sleep-stage data?” is no</li><li> Clinical sleep definitions versus consumer wearable outputs</li><li> Why an EEG headband has an advantage over a motion-only tracker — but still is not a polysomnogram</li><li> Sleep sensitivity, wake specificity and the trap hidden inside a 90% accuracy claim</li><li> Why REM and deep-sleep staging are harder than basic sleep/wake detection</li><li> What quiet wakefulness does to wrist-based algorithms</li><li> Why actionability can matter more than precision</li><li> Orthosomnia and the risks of sleep perfectionism</li><li> Why one bad nightly score should not become a crisis</li><li> How tracker validation changes across populations and sleep disorders</li><li> Why proprietary algorithm updates can age a validation study overnight</li><li> The case for access to raw sensor data and shared validation datasets</li><li> What the World Sleep Society and National Sleep Foundation now recommend for consumer sleep technology</li><li> Why healthy sleep includes more than duration</li><li> Sleep regularity, rhythmicity, continuity, timing and daytime functioning</li><li> Why a low consumer deep-sleep score cannot be translated directly into dementia risk</li><li> What glymphatic research actually says about sleep stages</li><li> Neil’s Dreem 2 data and which numbers catch the panel’s attention</li><li> Temperature, awakenings and using wearable trends to test practical hypotheses</li><li> Why mainstream trackers may be enough for most behavioral goals</li><li> The importance of comfort, adherence and battery life</li><li> FTC and FDA oversight of consumer health and wellness claims</li><li> What seven-to-nine-hour recommendations actually mean</li><li> Why trying too hard to sleep can become part of the problem</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Jesse Cook</h2><p>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.</p><h2>About Dr. Cathy Goldstein</h2><p>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.</p><h2>About Dr. Olivia Walch</h2><p>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.</p><p><strong>Archive update, 2026:</strong> At the time of this conversation, Walch’s book was still on the way. <em>Sleep Groove: Why Your Body&#39;s Clock Is So Messed Up and What To Do About It</em> 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.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.psychiatry.wisc.edu/staff/cook-phd-jesse/" rel="nofollow">Jesse Cook — University of Wisconsin–Madison</a></li><li> <a href="https://medschool.umich.edu/profile/1032/cathy-goldstein" rel="nofollow">Cathy Goldstein — University of Michigan Medical School</a></li><li> <a href="https://medschool.umich.edu/center-sleep-science-faculty" rel="nofollow">University of Michigan Center for Sleep Science faculty</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.arcascope.com/about-us/" rel="nofollow">Olivia Walch and Arcascope</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sleep-Groove/Olivia-Walch/9781524892951" rel="nofollow"><em>Sleep Groove: Why Your Body&#39;s Clock Is So Messed Up and What To Do About It</em></a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38087674/" rel="nofollow">Selecting a sleep tracker: EEG-based, multisensor and actigraphy-only devices</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40303381/" rel="nofollow">2025 validation of six commercial wrist-worn sleep trackers</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41811282/" rel="nofollow">2026 rapid review: real-world use of consumer sleep devices</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300398/" rel="nofollow">World Sleep Society recommendations for wearable consumer health trackers that monitor sleep</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41792005/" rel="nofollow">National Sleep Foundation position statement on consumer sleep technology</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39300985/" rel="nofollow">Screening for orthosomnia and sleep-related preoccupation</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39952070/" rel="nofollow">U.S. survey of consumer sleep technology use, trust and sleep-related worry</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29165696/" rel="nofollow">Which sleep health characteristics predict all-cause mortality in older men?</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37738616/" rel="nofollow">Sleep regularity as a predictor of mortality risk</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40223596/" rel="nofollow">American Heart Association statement on multidimensional sleep health</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36806170/" rel="nofollow">2023 mouse study: sleep-cycle-dependent vascular dynamics and predicted CSF flow</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39788123/" rel="nofollow">Norepinephrine-mediated slow vasomotion and glymphatic clearance during sleep</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance" rel="nofollow">FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/general-wellness-policy-low-risk-devices" rel="nofollow">FDA General Wellness: Policy for Low Risk Devices — 2026 guidance</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26039963/" rel="nofollow">AASM/SRS recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29073398/" rel="nofollow">National Sleep Foundation sleep-duration recommendations</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 65aa3926-35a2-43b8-aaf5-d0fe1eb54909 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/fbb02a89-8e0e-4862-a687-b99e1af52143 Mon, 17 Jun 2024 07:30:02 +0000 3479 false full Hello, Sleep! With Dr. Jade Wu Hello, Sleep! With Dr. Jade Wu Neil Hedley 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


]]> <p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Why Jade Wu had just woken from a nap before the interview</li><li> Why she thinks of naps as snacks</li><li> What happens when trying to make sleep happen becomes the problem</li><li> Why Wu wrote <em>Hello Sleep</em></li><li> The access problem surrounding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia</li><li> Who CBT-I is actually for — and what it does not treat</li><li> Why an overnight sleep study is not routinely necessary for uncomplicated insomnia</li><li> Neil&#39;s periodic limb movements and the case for treating comorbid sleep problems together</li><li> What happened when a sleep psychologist became a severely sleep-deprived new parent</li><li> Sleep disruption, postpartum depression and the danger of single-cause explanations</li><li> Why sleep can be foundational without being the explanation for everything</li><li> How sleep optimization and sleep trackers can create pressure</li><li> Why melatonin is a timekeeping hormone rather than a sedative</li><li> The label-accuracy problem in commercial melatonin products</li><li> When melatonin may have legitimate circadian uses</li><li> Why chronotype can collide with school and work schedules</li><li> How social media and streaming services compete with sleep</li><li> Why daytime light changes the brain&#39;s sensitivity to evening light</li><li> What the evidence does — and does not — say about screens and blue-light blocking</li><li> Mindfulness without turning mindfulness into another performance task</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Jade Wu</h2><p>Dr. Jade Wu, PhD, DBSM, is a board-certified sleep psychologist, researcher and author of <em>Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications</em>. 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&#39;s Psychology Department faculty in Fall 2026.</p><p>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.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><ul><li><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250828415/hellosleep/" rel="nofollow"><em>Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications</em> — Jade Wu</a></li><li> <a href="https://neurology.duke.edu/personnel/jade-wu-phd-dbsm" rel="nofollow">Jade Wu — Duke Department of Neurology</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.drjadewu.com/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Jade Wu</a></li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/new-guideline-supports-behavioral-psychological-treatments-for-insomnia/" rel="nofollow">AASM guideline: behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41342528/" rel="nofollow">2025 systematic review: CBT for adult insomnia in routine clinical care</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10737341/" rel="nofollow">AASM practice parameters: evaluation of chronic insomnia and use of polysomnography</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27855744/" rel="nofollow">2017 study: melatonin content variability and serotonin in commercial supplements</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37097362/" rel="nofollow">2023 study: melatonin and CBD quantities in U.S. melatonin gummies</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medeffect-canada/health-product-infowatch/november-2023.html" rel="nofollow">Health Canada: melatonin as a natural health product</a></li><li> <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5263087/" rel="nofollow">AASM pharmacologic guideline: melatonin and chronic insomnia</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21224217/" rel="nofollow">The human circadian system adapts to prior photic history</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38806392/" rel="nofollow">2024 National Sleep Foundation consensus statement on screens and sleep</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41341515/" rel="nofollow">2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of blue-light blocking glasses and objective sleep</a></li><li> <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/the-many-challenges-of-insomnia-dr-jade-wu/" rel="nofollow">The Many Challenges of Insomnia — Dr. Jade Wu</a></li><li> <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/sex-and-sleep-was-it-good-for-you/" rel="nofollow">Sex &amp; Sleep: Was It Good For You?</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 1fd0f394-fc37-4548-a4e1-dda3ef1261dd https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/73ee6f5a-188f-4ce4-addf-80045512578b Mon, 10 Jun 2024 07:30:03 +0000 2416 false full The Disconnect Between Scientific Evidence and The Real World with Dr. Michael Grandner The Disconnect Between Scientific Evidence and The Real World with Dr. Michael Grandner Neil Hedley In this episode:

  • Why major changes in sleep science often take years to become visible
  • How scientific knowledge becomes more nuanced instead of simply replacing “wrong” answers with “right” ones
  • Why no single sleep stage should automatically be treated as the only stage that matters
  • REM sleep, deep sleep and the brain's overnight fluid dynamics
  • What p-values are trying to tell us about uncertainty
  • Why replication and converging evidence matter
  • The problem with treating scientific revision as scientific failure
  • What “normal sleepers” means in device-validation research
  • Why sleep trackers may mistake motionless wakefulness for sleep
  • Why disagreement between a wearable, a sleep lab and your memory does not have a simple answer
  • How to think about consumer sleep technology as a measurement tool rather than a truth machine
  • The evidence for later middle- and high-school start times
  • Teen driving safety and later school schedules
  • Why sleep and circadian researchers favor permanent standard time
  • The conflict between circadian biology and our preference for brighter evenings
  • Where the idea of a 90-minute sleep cycle comes from
  • Why 90 minutes is an approximation, not a sleep-planning rule
  • How the human appetite for “secret knowledge” turns useful observations into rigid sleep hacks


About Dr. Michael Grandner

Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, with appointments across psychiatry, medicine, psychology and related programs. His research spans insufficient sleep, sleep health, cardiometabolic and neurocognitive outcomes, social and environmental influences on sleep, health disparities and behavioral interventions.

On the day this episode was released — June 3, 2024 — Grandner was receiving the Associated Professional Sleep Societies' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Award, recognizing contributions to broadening access and representation and reducing sleep-health disparities. The award has since been renamed the APSS Inclusive Leadership Award.

MENTIONED


]]> <p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Why major changes in sleep science often take years to become visible</li><li> How scientific knowledge becomes more nuanced instead of simply replacing “wrong” answers with “right” ones</li><li> Why no single sleep stage should automatically be treated as the only stage that matters</li><li> REM sleep, deep sleep and the brain&#39;s overnight fluid dynamics</li><li> What p-values are trying to tell us about uncertainty</li><li> Why replication and converging evidence matter</li><li> The problem with treating scientific revision as scientific failure</li><li> What “normal sleepers” means in device-validation research</li><li> Why sleep trackers may mistake motionless wakefulness for sleep</li><li> Why disagreement between a wearable, a sleep lab and your memory does not have a simple answer</li><li> How to think about consumer sleep technology as a measurement tool rather than a truth machine</li><li> The evidence for later middle- and high-school start times</li><li> Teen driving safety and later school schedules</li><li> Why sleep and circadian researchers favor permanent standard time</li><li> The conflict between circadian biology and our preference for brighter evenings</li><li> Where the idea of a 90-minute sleep cycle comes from</li><li> Why 90 minutes is an approximation, not a sleep-planning rule</li><li> How the human appetite for “secret knowledge” turns useful observations into rigid sleep hacks</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h2><p>Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, with appointments across psychiatry, medicine, psychology and related programs. His research spans insufficient sleep, sleep health, cardiometabolic and neurocognitive outcomes, social and environmental influences on sleep, health disparities and behavioral interventions.</p><p>On the day this episode was released — June 3, 2024 — Grandner was receiving the Associated Professional Sleep Societies&#39; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Award, recognizing contributions to broadening access and representation and reducing sleep-health disparities. The award has since been renamed the APSS Inclusive Leadership Award.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><ul><li><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm" rel="nofollow">Michael Grandner — University of Arizona College of Medicine</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.sleepmeeting.org/about/2026-apss-inclusive-leadership-award/" rel="nofollow">APSS Inclusive Leadership Award and past recipients</a></li><li> <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/dementia-and-sleep-its-not-just-deep-sleep-that-counts/" rel="nofollow">Dementia and Sleep: It&#39;s Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts with Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36806170/" rel="nofollow">Bojarskaitė et al.: Sleep cycle-dependent vascular dynamics and predicted cerebrospinal-fluid transport</a></li><li> <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11874098/" rel="nofollow">2025 meta-analysis: consumer wrist-worn sleep trackers compared with polysomnography</a></li><li> <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleepadvances/article/7/2/zpag053/8673188" rel="nofollow">2026: Consumer sleep technologies — what we know and what comes next</a></li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/pressroom/school-start-times-position.pdf" rel="nofollow">AASM position statement on later middle- and high-school start times</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19110880/" rel="nofollow">Adolescent sleep, school start times and teen motor-vehicle crashes</a></li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/new-position-statement-supports-permanent-standard-time/" rel="nofollow">AASM: Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety</a></li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15046198/" rel="nofollow">Review of human sleep architecture and 90–110 minute NREM/REM cycles</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 592f0698-8f74-4e48-83fa-cc23907105b6 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/17c78e2d-0acd-41e2-b19c-578c13eff989 Mon, 03 Jun 2024 07:30:32 +0000 2414 false full Two Rock Stars Talk About Sleep Two Rock Stars Talk About Sleep Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Lawrence Gowan says he often sleeps better on a moving tour bus than almost anywhere else
  • How sleep differs among members of Styx on the road
  • Why trust in the tour-bus driver matters to Gowan's ability to switch off
  • How touring fitness changes when musicians move through their 40s, 50s and beyond
  • Gowan's transition from hockey to weights, yoga, walking and cycling
  • Why performing more than 100 shows a year is physical work in its own right
  • How Gowan thinks about protecting and developing his singing voice with age
  • The deliberately classic progressive-rock sound of Crash of the Crown
  • Queen, Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, The Who, vintage keyboards and analog gear
  • Why Styx still isn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  • Gowan's practical sleep habits: schedule, less phone time and writing down late-night worries
  • The autobiographical memory exercise he uses when awake at four in the morning
  • Why musicians can obsess for hours over a mistake the audience never noticed
  • Dr. Mark Boulos on restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements and augmentation
  • Why suddenly worsening RLS should trigger a review of iron, sleep, medications and other conditions
  • Neil's experience of worsening movement symptoms after a mental-health medication change
  • Why vortioxetine/Trintellix should not be described as an SNRI
  • What current evidence does — and does not — say about antidepressants and RLS
  • How current RLS treatment guidance has shifted away from routine dopamine agonists such as pramipexole
  • Why bupropion as an antidepressant option is different from bupropion as an RLS treatment
  • The danger of crowdsourced medication advice when nobody knows the full clinical picture


About Lawrence Gowan

Lawrence Gowan is a Canadian singer, songwriter and keyboardist whose solo career produced hits including A Criminal Mind, Strange Animal and Moonlight Desires. He joined Styx in 1999 and remains the band's keyboardist and one of its principal vocalists and songwriters. He contributed to Styx's 2025 album Circling From Above, the band's 18th studio album.

About Dr. Mark Boulos

Dr. Mark Boulos is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Toronto and staff neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He serves as Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the University of Toronto Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His clinical and research interests include sleep-related movement disorders, sleep and stroke, home sleep monitoring, sleep data and novel approaches to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.

MENTIONED

Styx — current band and Circling From Above

The band's current lineup, including Lawrence Gowan, and its 2025 studio album.

Styx official band page

Styx official music page

Crash of the Crown — Styx

The 2021 album discussed extensively in Neil's conversation with Gowan.

Styx discography

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — 2026

The official nominee and inductee lists; Styx does not appear on either.

2026 performer nominees

2026 inductees

Dr. Mark Boulos — University of Toronto

Current academic and clinical profile, including his roles with the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Sleep Neurology Fellowship.

University of Toronto profile

AASM clinical practice guideline for RLS and PLMD

The current guideline on iron assessment, exacerbating factors and treatment, including the shift away from standard dopamine-agonist use because of augmentation risk.

Read the guideline on PubMed

TRINTELLIX / vortioxetine prescribing information

Current drug labeling describing vortioxetine's indication and serotonergic mechanism.

DailyMed prescribing information

Antidepressants, RLS and periodic limb movements — systematic review

A review finding that antidepressant-associated RLS worsening is possible but appears uncommon overall, with meaningful differences among medications.

Read the systematic review

Vortioxetine and RLS — conflicting case literature

A 2019 case report linked vortioxetine to RLS; later reports described improvement in some patients. These small reports are useful mainly because they show why a single simple rule is not justified.

2019 case report

2023 case series

Bupropion and RLS

A small randomized trial found that bupropion did not exacerbate RLS and may have improved symptoms short term. Current AASM guidance nevertheless recommends against using bupropion as a treatment for RLS itself — a different question from choosing an antidepressant in someone who also has RLS.

Read the randomized trial

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Lawrence Gowan says he often sleeps better on a moving tour bus than almost anywhere else</li><li> How sleep differs among members of Styx on the road</li><li> Why trust in the tour-bus driver matters to Gowan&#39;s ability to switch off</li><li> How touring fitness changes when musicians move through their 40s, 50s and beyond</li><li> Gowan&#39;s transition from hockey to weights, yoga, walking and cycling</li><li> Why performing more than 100 shows a year is physical work in its own right</li><li> How Gowan thinks about protecting and developing his singing voice with age</li><li> The deliberately classic progressive-rock sound of <em>Crash of the Crown</em></li><li> Queen, Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, The Who, vintage keyboards and analog gear</li><li> Why Styx still isn&#39;t in the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame</li><li> Gowan&#39;s practical sleep habits: schedule, less phone time and writing down late-night worries</li><li> The autobiographical memory exercise he uses when awake at four in the morning</li><li> Why musicians can obsess for hours over a mistake the audience never noticed</li><li> Dr. Mark Boulos on restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements and augmentation</li><li> Why suddenly worsening RLS should trigger a review of iron, sleep, medications and other conditions</li><li> Neil&#39;s experience of worsening movement symptoms after a mental-health medication change</li><li> Why vortioxetine/Trintellix should not be described as an SNRI</li><li> What current evidence does — and does not — say about antidepressants and RLS</li><li> How current RLS treatment guidance has shifted away from routine dopamine agonists such as pramipexole</li><li> Why bupropion as an antidepressant option is different from bupropion as an RLS treatment</li><li> The danger of crowdsourced medication advice when nobody knows the full clinical picture</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Lawrence Gowan</h2><p><strong>Lawrence Gowan</strong> is a Canadian singer, songwriter and keyboardist whose solo career produced hits including <em>A Criminal Mind</em>, <em>Strange Animal</em> and <em>Moonlight Desires</em>. He joined Styx in 1999 and remains the band&#39;s keyboardist and one of its principal vocalists and songwriters. He contributed to Styx&#39;s 2025 album <em>Circling From Above</em>, the band&#39;s 18th studio album.</p><h2>About Dr. Mark Boulos</h2><p><strong>Dr. Mark Boulos</strong> is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Toronto and staff neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He serves as Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the University of Toronto Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His clinical and research interests include sleep-related movement disorders, sleep and stroke, home sleep monitoring, sleep data and novel approaches to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Styx — current band and <em>Circling From Above</em></strong></p><p> The band&#39;s current lineup, including Lawrence Gowan, and its 2025 studio album.</p><p> <a href="https://styxworld.com/pages/band-1" rel="nofollow">Styx official band page</a></p><p> <a href="https://styxworld.com/pages/music" rel="nofollow">Styx official music page</a></p><p><strong><em>Crash of the Crown</em> — Styx</strong></p><p> The 2021 album discussed extensively in Neil&#39;s conversation with Gowan.</p><p> <a href="https://styxworld.com/pages/music" rel="nofollow">Styx discography</a></p><p><strong>Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame — 2026</strong></p><p> The official nominee and inductee lists; Styx does not appear on either.</p><p> <a href="https://rockhall.com/press-release/rock-roll-hall-of-fame-foundation-reveals-2026-performer-nominees-list/" rel="nofollow">2026 performer nominees</a></p><p> <a href="https://rockhall.com/2026-inductees/" rel="nofollow">2026 inductees</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Mark Boulos — University of Toronto</strong></p><p> Current academic and clinical profile, including his roles with the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Sleep Neurology Fellowship.</p><p> <a href="https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos" rel="nofollow">University of Toronto profile</a></p><p><strong>AASM clinical practice guideline for RLS and PLMD</strong></p><p> The current guideline on iron assessment, exacerbating factors and treatment, including the shift away from standard dopamine-agonist use because of augmentation risk.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39324694/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline on PubMed</a></p><p><strong>TRINTELLIX / vortioxetine prescribing information</strong></p><p> Current drug labeling describing vortioxetine&#39;s indication and serotonergic mechanism.</p><p> <a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=239215eb-be32-4286-9677-1e5556c6cccf&type=display" rel="nofollow">DailyMed prescribing information</a></p><p><strong>Antidepressants, RLS and periodic limb movements — systematic review</strong></p><p> A review finding that antidepressant-associated RLS worsening is possible but appears uncommon overall, with meaningful differences among medications.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28822709/" rel="nofollow">Read the systematic review</a></p><p><strong>Vortioxetine and RLS — conflicting case literature</strong></p><p> A 2019 case report linked vortioxetine to RLS; later reports described improvement in some patients. These small reports are useful mainly because they show why a single simple rule is not justified.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31433340/" rel="nofollow">2019 case report</a></p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37424427/" rel="nofollow">2023 case series</a></p><p><strong>Bupropion and RLS</strong></p><p> A small randomized trial found that bupropion did not exacerbate RLS and may have improved symptoms short term. Current AASM guidance nevertheless recommends against using bupropion as a treatment for RLS itself — a different question from choosing an antidepressant in someone who also has RLS.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21737767/" rel="nofollow">Read the randomized trial</a></p> 0470dedf-9065-4555-a39c-1592fd8b5254 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/81ab423f-9454-460c-8cf7-2e480b2259c7 Mon, 24 Jul 2023 07:30:46 +0000 3085 false full Sex & Sleep: Was It Good For You? Sex & Sleep: Was It Good For You? Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why sex and sleep are surprisingly difficult to study in a laboratory
  • How at-home sleep technology may make naturalistic research more practical
  • The difference between association, mechanism and an actual sleep intervention
  • Why trying too hard can interfere with both sleep and sexual function
  • Performance anxiety and the danger of turning intimacy into another sleep obligation
  • Why "good sex" does not automatically mean orgasm
  • Jade Wu on embodied attention, mindfulness and getting out of the insomnia thought loop
  • Wendy Troxel on relationship safety, vigilance and sleep as a social behavior
  • Michael Grandner on conditioned arousal and why the bed should not become "the dentist chair"
  • Cheryl Carroll on "bed dread" and making the bedroom feel safe rather than threatening
  • How fertility-related performance pressure can affect both sex and sleep
  • Why sleeping apart does not automatically mean relationship trouble
  • Possible psychological and physiological pathways linking intimacy with sleep
  • What later research found about partnered sex, orgasm, masturbation and sleep
  • The 2025 pilot study that measured sexual activity and sleep with at-home polysomnography
  • What newer research says about insomnia, sexual satisfaction and sexual dysfunction
  • A 2026 correction to the episode's statement about sleep deprivation and testosterone
  • Why the panel ultimately resists turning sex into a standardized sleep prescription


About the panel

Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist certified in behavioral sleep medicine and a professor at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic. His research examines sleep health, insufficient sleep, sleep disparities and the relationship between sleep and cardiometabolic and daytime functioning.

University of Arizona profile

Dr. Jade Wu is a board-certified sleep psychologist, researcher and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. Her current research at Duke University School of Medicine focuses on treating sleep disorders in people with chronic illness.

Duke University profile

Dr. Wendy Troxel is a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine, and an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Utah. She is the author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple's Guide to Better Sleep and is internationally recognized for research on sleep in couples and relationships.

RAND profile

Cheryl Carroll, DNP, CNM, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, CST, is a women's-health and mental-health clinician and an AASECT-certified sex therapist with more than thirty years of experience. She now owns StrongTower Counseling and Education in Durham, North Carolina, where she works with individuals, couples and families.

StrongTower Counseling and Education

MENTIONED

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and Her Surprising Sleep Routine

The earlier Snooze Button episode that started the sleep-and-sex question.

Listen / read the episode

Please Don't Make Us Call It a Sleep Divorce

Neil's earlier conversation with Wendy Troxel about couples who sleep separately and what that choice does — and does not — say about a relationship.

Listen / read the episode

Hello Sleep — Jade Wu

Wu's book on insomnia, behavioral sleep medicine and building a healthier relationship with sleep.

Duke University on Hello Sleep

Sharing the Covers — Wendy Troxel

Troxel's book on sleep in couples and the intersection of sleep, relationships and health.

Wendy Troxel at RAND

Sex and Sleep: Perceptions of Sex as a Sleep Promoting Behavior in the General Adult Population

The 2019 survey study showing that many adults perceive sexual activity involving orgasm as helpful for subsequent sleep.

Read the study

The influence of sexual activity on sleep: A diary study

The 2023 study that followed sexual activity and subjective sleep across fourteen days.

Read the study

Sleep on it: A pilot study exploring the impact of sexual activity on sleep outcomes in cohabiting couples

The 2025 pilot study using portable polysomnography in participants' homes — a practical answer to one of the methodological problems debated in this episode.

Read the study

Relationship of insomnia to sexual function and sexual satisfaction: Findings from the Sleep and Sex Survey II

A 2023 study of 1,266 adults examining insomnia severity, sexual function and sexual satisfaction.

Read the study

Effect of partial and total sleep deprivation on serum testosterone in healthy males

The systematic review and meta-analysis used for the archive correction to the episode's testosterone discussion.

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why sex and sleep are surprisingly difficult to study in a laboratory</li><li> How at-home sleep technology may make naturalistic research more practical</li><li> The difference between association, mechanism and an actual sleep intervention</li><li> Why trying too hard can interfere with both sleep and sexual function</li><li> Performance anxiety and the danger of turning intimacy into another sleep obligation</li><li> Why &#34;good sex&#34; does not automatically mean orgasm</li><li> Jade Wu on embodied attention, mindfulness and getting out of the insomnia thought loop</li><li> Wendy Troxel on relationship safety, vigilance and sleep as a social behavior</li><li> Michael Grandner on conditioned arousal and why the bed should not become &#34;the dentist chair&#34;</li><li> Cheryl Carroll on &#34;bed dread&#34; and making the bedroom feel safe rather than threatening</li><li> How fertility-related performance pressure can affect both sex and sleep</li><li> Why sleeping apart does not automatically mean relationship trouble</li><li> Possible psychological and physiological pathways linking intimacy with sleep</li><li> What later research found about partnered sex, orgasm, masturbation and sleep</li><li> The 2025 pilot study that measured sexual activity and sleep with at-home polysomnography</li><li> What newer research says about insomnia, sexual satisfaction and sexual dysfunction</li><li> A 2026 correction to the episode&#39;s statement about sleep deprivation and testosterone</li><li> Why the panel ultimately resists turning sex into a standardized sleep prescription</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About the panel</h2><p><strong>Dr. Michael Grandner</strong> is a licensed clinical psychologist certified in behavioral sleep medicine and a professor at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic. His research examines sleep health, insufficient sleep, sleep disparities and the relationship between sleep and cardiometabolic and daytime functioning.</p><p><a href="https://profiles.arizona.edu/person/grandner" rel="nofollow">University of Arizona profile</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Jade Wu</strong> is a board-certified sleep psychologist, researcher and author of <em>Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications</em>. Her current research at Duke University School of Medicine focuses on treating sleep disorders in people with chronic illness.</p><p><a href="https://neurology.duke.edu/personnel/jade-wu-phd-dbsm" rel="nofollow">Duke University profile</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Wendy Troxel</strong> is a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine, and an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Utah. She is the author of <em>Sharing the Covers: Every Couple&#39;s Guide to Better Sleep</em> and is internationally recognized for research on sleep in couples and relationships.</p><p><a href="https://www.rand.org/about/people/t/troxel_wendy_m.html" rel="nofollow">RAND profile</a></p><p><strong>Cheryl Carroll, DNP, CNM, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, CST</strong>, is a women&#39;s-health and mental-health clinician and an AASECT-certified sex therapist with more than thirty years of experience. She now owns StrongTower Counseling and Education in Durham, North Carolina, where she works with individuals, couples and families.</p><p><a href="https://strongtowercounseling.education/" rel="nofollow">StrongTower Counseling and Education</a></p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and Her Surprising Sleep Routine</strong></p><p> The earlier Snooze Button episode that started the sleep-and-sex question.</p><p> <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/congresswoman-stacey-plaskett-and-her-surprising-sleep-routine/" rel="nofollow">Listen / read the episode</a></p><p><strong>Please Don&#39;t Make Us Call It a Sleep Divorce</strong></p><p> Neil&#39;s earlier conversation with Wendy Troxel about couples who sleep separately and what that choice does — and does not — say about a relationship.</p><p> <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/please-dont-make-us-call-it-a-sleep-divorce/" rel="nofollow">Listen / read the episode</a></p><p><strong><em>Hello Sleep</em> — Jade Wu</strong></p><p> Wu&#39;s book on insomnia, behavioral sleep medicine and building a healthier relationship with sleep.</p><p> <a href="https://psychiatry.duke.edu/news/jade-wus-new-book-why-you-should-treat-sleep-friend" rel="nofollow">Duke University on <em>Hello Sleep</em></a></p><p><strong><em>Sharing the Covers</em> — Wendy Troxel</strong></p><p> Troxel&#39;s book on sleep in couples and the intersection of sleep, relationships and health.</p><p> <a href="https://www.rand.org/about/people/t/troxel_wendy_m.html" rel="nofollow">Wendy Troxel at RAND</a></p><p><strong>Sex and Sleep: Perceptions of Sex as a Sleep Promoting Behavior in the General Adult Population</strong></p><p> The 2019 survey study showing that many adults perceive sexual activity involving orgasm as helpful for subsequent sleep.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30886838/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>The influence of sexual activity on sleep: A diary study</strong></p><p> The 2023 study that followed sexual activity and subjective sleep across fourteen days.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36646500/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep on it: A pilot study exploring the impact of sexual activity on sleep outcomes in cohabiting couples</strong></p><p> The 2025 pilot study using portable polysomnography in participants&#39; homes — a practical answer to one of the methodological problems debated in this episode.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40016080/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Relationship of insomnia to sexual function and sexual satisfaction: Findings from the Sleep and Sex Survey II</strong></p><p> A 2023 study of 1,266 adults examining insomnia severity, sexual function and sexual satisfaction.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37871507/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Effect of partial and total sleep deprivation on serum testosterone in healthy males</strong></p><p> The systematic review and meta-analysis used for the archive correction to the episode&#39;s testosterone discussion.</p> 0743418c-cbcc-4ec2-8ceb-2dbc2bb27075 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/fcb62be3-7deb-46fb-be05-714920897cf8 Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:30:34 +0000 2298 false full ABC's Diane Macedo, Author of "The Sleep Fix" ABC's Diane Macedo, Author of "The Sleep Fix" Neil Hedley In this episode
  • How Diane Macedo's years in overnight and early-morning news contributed to her sleep problems
  • Why she stopped assuming she was simply a lifelong "bad sleeper"
  • The myth that every adult must get exactly eight hours
  • How circadian timing complicates sleep for shift workers
  • Light, darkness, meals, exercise and properly timed melatonin
  • Why anxiety about sleep can become a self-reinforcing insomnia loop
  • How the bed can become a cue for wakefulness instead of sleep
  • Why a "perfect" bedtime routine can sometimes become another source of pressure
  • Constructive worry: the notebook exercise Macedo uses to unload unfinished thoughts
  • What research does — and does not — show about bedtime writing
  • Why The Sleep Fix was almost called Insomnia Hacks
  • Dan Harris, meditation and the problem with product-driven sleep hacks
  • Macedo's experience with Ambien, tolerance and prescription sleep medication
  • Why "I can't sleep" can point to very different sleep disorders
  • Restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and missed diagnostic clues
  • Why sleep medicine education in primary care has historically been limited
  • The story of Macedo's two-month-old sleeping through the night — and why it should not be treated as universal infant advice
  • How The Sleep Fix grew into an ongoing sleep-education project


About Diane Macedo

Diane Macedo is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, ABC News anchor and correspondent, bestselling author and sleep educator. She anchors ABC News Live First and serves as a breaking-news anchor and correspondent across ABC News platforms, including appearances on Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir and Nightline. Her 2021 book, The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More, grew from her own experience with insomnia and her reporting on sleep science. She now also runs The Sleep Fix Method.

MENTIONED

The Sleep Fix — Diane Macedo

The book at the center of this episode, published December 14, 2021.

The Sleep Fix — official book page

Diane Macedo — ABC News biography

Current biography and ABC News work.

Read Diane's ABC News bio

The Sleep Fix Method

Macedo's current sleep-education project, expanding the work that began with the book.

Visit The Sleep Fix Method

AASM behavioral treatment guideline for chronic insomnia

The guideline supporting CBT-I and its core behavioral and psychological components.

Read the AASM summary

Recommended sleep duration for healthy adults

AASM/Sleep Research Society consensus: seven or more hours regularly for most adults, with individual variation.

Read the consensus statement

Constructive worry and pre-sleep cognitive arousal

A small controlled study testing a structured worry-and-solutions exercise in people reporting insomnia.

Read the study

Constructive worry added to behavioral insomnia treatment

A small randomized feasibility study examining whether constructive worry added benefit to behavioral treatment.

Read the study

Bedtime to-do lists and sleep onset

A polysomnography study comparing writing future tasks with writing about completed activities.

Read the study

AASM pharmacologic guideline for chronic insomnia

Evidence-based recommendations on prescription insomnia medications, including zolpidem.

Read the guideline

FDA warning on zolpidem and other prescription insomnia medicines

The boxed warning concerning rare but serious complex sleep behaviors.

Read the FDA safety announcement

Sleep education in medical school

The international survey behind the long-running concern that physicians receive limited formal sleep education.

Read the study

American Academy of Pediatrics infant feeding guidance

Current parent guidance emphasizing hunger cues and individualized feeding rather than a single clock-based schedule for every infant.

Read the guidance

10% Happier — Dan Harris

Harris appears in the conversation as a friend of Macedo's and the person she credits with helping move the book away from its original Insomnia Hacks title.

Visit 10% Happier

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg

Sleep psychologist discussed in the episode in connection with melatonin and sleep education.

Yale School of Medicine profile

Dr. Chris Winter

Sleep neurologist and previous Snooze Button guest referenced during the conversation.

The Rested Child with Dr. Chris Winter

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>How Diane Macedo&#39;s years in overnight and early-morning news contributed to her sleep problems</li><li> Why she stopped assuming she was simply a lifelong &#34;bad sleeper&#34;</li><li> The myth that every adult must get exactly eight hours</li><li> How circadian timing complicates sleep for shift workers</li><li> Light, darkness, meals, exercise and properly timed melatonin</li><li> Why anxiety about sleep can become a self-reinforcing insomnia loop</li><li> How the bed can become a cue for wakefulness instead of sleep</li><li> Why a &#34;perfect&#34; bedtime routine can sometimes become another source of pressure</li><li> Constructive worry: the notebook exercise Macedo uses to unload unfinished thoughts</li><li> What research does — and does not — show about bedtime writing</li><li> Why <em>The Sleep Fix</em> was almost called <em>Insomnia Hacks</em></li><li> Dan Harris, meditation and the problem with product-driven sleep hacks</li><li> Macedo&#39;s experience with Ambien, tolerance and prescription sleep medication</li><li> Why &#34;I can&#39;t sleep&#34; can point to very different sleep disorders</li><li> Restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and missed diagnostic clues</li><li> Why sleep medicine education in primary care has historically been limited</li><li> The story of Macedo&#39;s two-month-old sleeping through the night — and why it should not be treated as universal infant advice</li><li> How <em>The Sleep Fix</em> grew into an ongoing sleep-education project</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Diane Macedo</h2><p><strong>Diane Macedo</strong> is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, ABC News anchor and correspondent, bestselling author and sleep educator. She anchors <em>ABC News Live First</em> and serves as a breaking-news anchor and correspondent across ABC News platforms, including appearances on <em>Good Morning America</em>, <em>World News Tonight with David Muir</em> and <em>Nightline</em>. Her 2021 book, <em>The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More</em>, grew from her own experience with insomnia and her reporting on sleep science. She now also runs The Sleep Fix Method.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong><em>The Sleep Fix</em> — Diane Macedo</strong></p><p> The book at the center of this episode, published December 14, 2021.</p><p> <a href="https://www.sleepfixmethod.com/book" rel="nofollow">The Sleep Fix — official book page</a></p><p><strong>Diane Macedo — ABC News biography</strong></p><p> Current biography and ABC News work.</p><p> <a href="https://abcnews.com/author/diane_macedo" rel="nofollow">Read Diane&#39;s ABC News bio</a></p><p><strong>The Sleep Fix Method</strong></p><p> Macedo&#39;s current sleep-education project, expanding the work that began with the book.</p><p> <a href="https://www.sleepfixmethod.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit The Sleep Fix Method</a></p><p><strong>AASM behavioral treatment guideline for chronic insomnia</strong></p><p> The guideline supporting CBT-I and its core behavioral and psychological components.</p><p> <a href="https://aasm.org/new-guideline-supports-behavioral-psychological-treatments-for-insomnia/" rel="nofollow">Read the AASM summary</a></p><p><strong>Recommended sleep duration for healthy adults</strong></p><p> AASM/Sleep Research Society consensus: seven or more hours regularly for most adults, with individual variation.</p><p> <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4434546/" rel="nofollow">Read the consensus statement</a></p><p><strong>Constructive worry and pre-sleep cognitive arousal</strong></p><p> A small controlled study testing a structured worry-and-solutions exercise in people reporting insomnia.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16390282/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Constructive worry added to behavioral insomnia treatment</strong></p><p> A small randomized feasibility study examining whether constructive worry added benefit to behavioral treatment.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22574800/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Bedtime to-do lists and sleep onset</strong></p><p> A polysomnography study comparing writing future tasks with writing about completed activities.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29058942/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>AASM pharmacologic guideline for chronic insomnia</strong></p><p> Evidence-based recommendations on prescription insomnia medications, including zolpidem.</p><p> <a href="https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/pharmacologictreatmentofinsomnia.pdf" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>FDA warning on zolpidem and other prescription insomnia medicines</strong></p><p> The boxed warning concerning rare but serious complex sleep behaviors.</p><p> <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/123819/download?attachment=" rel="nofollow">Read the FDA safety announcement</a></p><p><strong>Sleep education in medical school</strong></p><p> The international survey behind the long-running concern that physicians receive limited formal sleep education.</p><p> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21924951/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>American Academy of Pediatrics infant feeding guidance</strong></p><p> Current parent guidance emphasizing hunger cues and individualized feeding rather than a single clock-based schedule for every infant.</p><p> <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/How-Often-and-How-Much-Should-Your-Baby-Eat.aspx" rel="nofollow">Read the guidance</a></p><p><strong><em>10% Happier</em> — Dan Harris</strong></p><p> Harris appears in the conversation as a friend of Macedo&#39;s and the person she credits with helping move the book away from its original <em>Insomnia Hacks</em> title.</p><p> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit 10% Happier</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg</strong></p><p> Sleep psychologist discussed in the episode in connection with melatonin and sleep education.</p><p> <a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/lynelle-schneeberg/" rel="nofollow">Yale School of Medicine profile</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Chris Winter</strong></p><p> Sleep neurologist and previous Snooze Button guest referenced during the conversation.</p><p> <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/the-rested-child-with-dr-chris-winter/" rel="nofollow">The Rested Child with Dr. Chris Winter</a></p> 3a48b4a8-05c4-4c4e-92e9-b8a9422dc09c https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/60ca78e9-e323-47a5-b977-093d2edf4361 Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:30:37 +0000 2456 false full Who Tracks The Trackers? Meet Dr. Jesse Cook Who Tracks The Trackers? Meet Dr. Jesse Cook Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why total sleep time and sleep-stage percentages deserve different levels of confidence
  • What a consumer sleep tracker can measure directly — and what it has to infer
  • Why motionless wake is still difficult for wearable algorithms
  • Wearables, nearables and the danger of assuming more sensors automatically mean better answers
  • How longitudinal tracker data can point toward a problem without diagnosing it
  • Orthosomnia and the downside of trying to perfect a sleep score
  • Periodic limb movements, restless legs syndrome and why the distinction matters
  • How RLS treatment guidance has changed since the original 2021 episode
  • Why the current AASM guideline moved away from routine dopamine-agonist treatment
  • A speculative discussion about trauma, hyperarousal and nighttime movement — and where the evidence stops
  • Neil’s Beditorial on celebrity, medical misinformation and transferable expertise
  • What Jesse Cook is doing now as Dr. Jesse Cook


About Jesse Cook

Jesse Cook, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology at UW–Madison and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. His research focuses on sleep and mental health, particularly unexplained hypersomnolence, along with wearable sleep technology and the role of sleep and circadian health in athletic performance and well-being.

MENTIONED

Jesse Cook, PhD — University of Wisconsin–Madison

Current UW profile and research interests.

Jesse Cook at UW–Madison

State of the science and recommendations for using wearable technology in sleep and circadian research

The 2024 Sleep Research Society state-of-the-science review co-authored by Jesse Cook, covering wearable capabilities, accuracy, limitations and research use.

Read the review in Sleep

Wearable Technology as a Tool for Sleep-Wake Estimation in Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence

Cook and David Plante’s 2019 review of actigraphy and consumer sleep trackers in central disorders of hypersomnolence.

Read the paper

Plante Lab — wearable sleep technology publications

A collection of Cook’s earlier validation work comparing Fitbit, Jawbone and actigraphy measurements with polysomnography.

Browse the publications

AASM guideline update for restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder

The newer treatment guidance explaining the move away from routine dopamine-agonist therapy, the risk of augmentation and the stronger recommendations for alpha-2-delta ligands and iron evaluation.

Read the AASM summary

The Sleep Fix by Diane Macedo

The book Neil previews in this episode before Macedo’s appearance on the following week’s show.

The Sleep Fix

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why total sleep time and sleep-stage percentages deserve different levels of confidence</li><li> What a consumer sleep tracker can measure directly — and what it has to infer</li><li> Why motionless wake is still difficult for wearable algorithms</li><li> Wearables, nearables and the danger of assuming more sensors automatically mean better answers</li><li> How longitudinal tracker data can point toward a problem without diagnosing it</li><li> Orthosomnia and the downside of trying to perfect a sleep score</li><li> Periodic limb movements, restless legs syndrome and why the distinction matters</li><li> How RLS treatment guidance has changed since the original 2021 episode</li><li> Why the current AASM guideline moved away from routine dopamine-agonist treatment</li><li> A speculative discussion about trauma, hyperarousal and nighttime movement — and where the evidence stops</li><li> Neil’s Beditorial on celebrity, medical misinformation and transferable expertise</li><li> What Jesse Cook is doing now as Dr. Jesse Cook</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Jesse Cook</h2><p><strong>Jesse Cook, PhD</strong> is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology at UW–Madison and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. His research focuses on sleep and mental health, particularly unexplained hypersomnolence, along with wearable sleep technology and the role of sleep and circadian health in athletic performance and well-being.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Jesse Cook, PhD — University of Wisconsin–Madison</strong></p><p>Current UW profile and research interests.</p><p><a href="https://www.psychiatry.wisc.edu/staff/cook-phd-jesse/" rel="nofollow">Jesse Cook at UW–Madison</a></p><p><strong>State of the science and recommendations for using wearable technology in sleep and circadian research</strong></p><p>The 2024 Sleep Research Society state-of-the-science review co-authored by Jesse Cook, covering wearable capabilities, accuracy, limitations and research use.</p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/47/4/zsad325/7501518" rel="nofollow">Read the review in <em>Sleep</em></a></p><p><strong>Wearable Technology as a Tool for Sleep-Wake Estimation in Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence</strong></p><p>Cook and David Plante’s 2019 review of actigraphy and consumer sleep trackers in central disorders of hypersomnolence.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-019-00156-9" rel="nofollow">Read the paper</a></p><p><strong>Plante Lab — wearable sleep technology publications</strong></p><p>A collection of Cook’s earlier validation work comparing Fitbit, Jawbone and actigraphy measurements with polysomnography.</p><p><a href="https://plantelab.psychiatry.wisc.edu/publications/" rel="nofollow">Browse the publications</a></p><p><strong>AASM guideline update for restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder</strong></p><p>The newer treatment guidance explaining the move away from routine dopamine-agonist therapy, the risk of augmentation and the stronger recommendations for alpha-2-delta ligands and iron evaluation.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/summary-of-new-clinical-practice-guideline-for-rls-and-plmd/" rel="nofollow">Read the AASM summary</a></p><p><strong><em>The Sleep Fix</em> by Diane Macedo</strong></p><p>The book Neil previews in this episode before Macedo’s appearance on the following week’s show.</p><p><a href="https://www.sleepfixmethod.com/book" rel="nofollow">The Sleep Fix</a></p> 10090ce7-dd92-4e98-a5bd-3a19ae795f8f https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/5eb217e7-9896-4cfa-aaee-a32e3fdccf6c Tue, 07 Dec 2021 08:30:00 +0000 2114 false full Erin Davis and Drift: The Sleepy Side of the Pillow Erin Davis and Drift: The Sleepy Side of the Pillow Neil Hedley In this episode
  • How Erin Davis went from morning-radio wakeups to bedtime stories
  • Why she calls retirement “rewirement”
  • How Drift was conceived and launched in 2021
  • The original Drift format: breathing, story and waves
  • Why bedtime narration requires a different broadcasting voice
  • Public-domain stories, original stories and choosing material that will not keep listeners awake
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald, Oscar Wilde, Edith Nesbit and why Edgar Allan Poe is risky bedtime material
  • What current research says about slow breathing before sleep
  • Why turning the bed into an office runs against stimulus-control therapy for chronic insomnia
  • Erin’s experience with L-tryptophan — and what the evidence actually says
  • Why alcohol’s effect on REM and deep sleep is more nuanced than the original conversation suggests
  • Neil’s complaint about the very blue Anderson Cooper 360 set
  • Evening screens, circadian light and why “blue light costs two hours” is too simple
  • Mourning Has Broken, Lauren, grief and nighttime awakenings
  • Lucid dreaming and the limited evidence for treating nightmares
  • Decades of broken-up sleep around Canadian morning radio
  • Why Drift is still publishing weekly in 2026


About Erin Davis

Erin Davis is a Canadian broadcaster, author and podcaster best known for nearly three decades on the morning show at Toronto’s 98.1 CHFI. She was named a 2020 inductee into the Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame. Her memoir, Mourning Has Broken: Love, Loss & Reclaiming Joy, was published by HarperCollins in 2019. After leaving daily morning radio, she moved to Vancouver Island and continued broadcasting through podcasting and voice work. In 2026 she remains the host of the weekly sleep-story podcast Drift with Erin Davis and co-hosts Gracefully & Frankly with Lisa Brandt.

MENTIONED

Drift with Erin Davis

Davis’s weekly sleep-story podcast, launched in 2021 and still active in 2026.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Erin Davis — official site

Current biography, journal and links to Davis’s projects.

Visit ErinDavis.com

Mourning Has Broken: Love, Loss & Reclaiming Joy

Davis’s 2019 memoir about Lauren, grief and rebuilding a life after loss.

Google Books — Mourning Has Broken

AASM behavioral and psychological treatment guideline for chronic insomnia

Current evidence for CBT-I, stimulus control, sleep restriction and relaxation therapy.

Read the guideline

Slow breathing before bedtime — 2026 systematic review

Nine studies involving 457 participants; subjective sleep measures improved more consistently than objective measures.

Read the review

L-tryptophan and insomnia — AASM pharmacologic guideline

The guideline suggests clinicians not use tryptophan as a treatment for chronic sleep-onset or sleep-maintenance insomnia based on the evidence it reviewed.

Read the guideline

L-tryptophan and sleep quality — 2022 meta-analysis

Later evidence suggesting a possible reduction in wake after sleep onset, particularly at doses of at least 1 gram, without improvements across all measured sleep outcomes.

Read the meta-analysis

Alcohol and sleep — 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis

Twenty-seven studies examining dose, timing and changes in sleep architecture after alcohol.

Read the review

Electronic screen use and adult sleep — 2025

A study of more than 122,000 adults examining pre-bed screen use, sleep duration, timing and self-reported quality.

Read the study

Lucid dreaming therapy for nightmares — 2023 systematic review

Encouraging but limited evidence in adults; no included pediatric treatment studies.

Read the review

World Sleep Society endorsement on nightmare disorder — 2025

Supports lucid dreaming therapy as an option that may be used while noting the limited evidence base and stronger support for imagery rehearsal therapy.

Read the endorsement

Earlier Snooze Button conversations

Erin Davis & Mike Cooper — Waking Up With The Country’s #1 Morning Radio Show

Sharon Handy — Boring Books for Bedtime

Dr. Célyne Bastien — Sleep and the Science of Dreams

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>How Erin Davis went from morning-radio wakeups to bedtime stories</li><li> Why she calls retirement “rewirement”</li><li> How <em>Drift</em> was conceived and launched in 2021</li><li> The original <em>Drift</em> format: breathing, story and waves</li><li> Why bedtime narration requires a different broadcasting voice</li><li> Public-domain stories, original stories and choosing material that will not keep listeners awake</li><li> F. Scott Fitzgerald, Oscar Wilde, Edith Nesbit and why Edgar Allan Poe is risky bedtime material</li><li> What current research says about slow breathing before sleep</li><li> Why turning the bed into an office runs against stimulus-control therapy for chronic insomnia</li><li> Erin’s experience with L-tryptophan — and what the evidence actually says</li><li> Why alcohol’s effect on REM and deep sleep is more nuanced than the original conversation suggests</li><li> Neil’s complaint about the very blue <em>Anderson Cooper 360</em> set</li><li> Evening screens, circadian light and why “blue light costs two hours” is too simple</li><li> <em>Mourning Has Broken</em>, Lauren, grief and nighttime awakenings</li><li> Lucid dreaming and the limited evidence for treating nightmares</li><li> Decades of broken-up sleep around Canadian morning radio</li><li> Why <em>Drift</em> is still publishing weekly in 2026</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Erin Davis</h2><p><strong>Erin Davis</strong> is a Canadian broadcaster, author and podcaster best known for nearly three decades on the morning show at Toronto’s 98.1 CHFI. She was named a 2020 inductee into the Canadian Music &amp; Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame. Her memoir, <em>Mourning Has Broken: Love, Loss &amp; Reclaiming Joy</em>, was published by HarperCollins in 2019. After leaving daily morning radio, she moved to Vancouver Island and continued broadcasting through podcasting and voice work. In 2026 she remains the host of the weekly sleep-story podcast <em>Drift with Erin Davis</em> and co-hosts <em>Gracefully &amp; Frankly</em> with Lisa Brandt.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong><em>Drift with Erin Davis</em></strong></p><p>Davis’s weekly sleep-story podcast, launched in 2021 and still active in 2026.</p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/drift-with-erin-davis/id1567665912" rel="nofollow">Listen on Apple Podcasts</a></p><p><strong>Erin Davis — official site</strong></p><p>Current biography, journal and links to Davis’s projects.</p><p><a href="https://www.erindavis.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit ErinDavis.com</a></p><p><strong><em>Mourning Has Broken: Love, Loss &amp; Reclaiming Joy</em></strong></p><p>Davis’s 2019 memoir about Lauren, grief and rebuilding a life after loss.</p><p><a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Mourning_Has_Broken.html?id=zjZeDwAAQBAJ" rel="nofollow">Google Books — Mourning Has Broken</a></p><p><strong>AASM behavioral and psychological treatment guideline for chronic insomnia</strong></p><p>Current evidence for CBT-I, stimulus control, sleep restriction and relaxation therapy.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33164742/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>Slow breathing before bedtime — 2026 systematic review</strong></p><p>Nine studies involving 457 participants; subjective sleep measures improved more consistently than objective measures.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41886931/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>L-tryptophan and insomnia — AASM pharmacologic guideline</strong></p><p>The guideline suggests clinicians not use tryptophan as a treatment for chronic sleep-onset or sleep-maintenance insomnia based on the evidence it reviewed.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5263087/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>L-tryptophan and sleep quality — 2022 meta-analysis</strong></p><p>Later evidence suggesting a possible reduction in wake after sleep onset, particularly at doses of at least 1 gram, without improvements across all measured sleep outcomes.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33942088/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Alcohol and sleep — 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis</strong></p><p>Twenty-seven studies examining dose, timing and changes in sleep architecture after alcohol.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2024.102030" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Electronic screen use and adult sleep — 2025</strong></p><p>A study of more than 122,000 adults examining pre-bed screen use, sleep duration, timing and self-reported quality.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11950897/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Lucid dreaming therapy for nightmares — 2023 systematic review</strong></p><p>Encouraging but limited evidence in adults; no included pediatric treatment studies.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37005191/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>World Sleep Society endorsement on nightmare disorder — 2025</strong></p><p>Supports lucid dreaming therapy as an option that may be used while noting the limited evidence base and stronger support for imagery rehearsal therapy.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2025.01.001" rel="nofollow">Read the endorsement</a></p><p><strong>Earlier Snooze Button conversations</strong></p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/waking-up-with-the-countrys-1-morning-radio-show/" rel="nofollow">Erin Davis &amp; Mike Cooper — Waking Up With The Country’s #1 Morning Radio Show</a></p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/boring-books-for-bedtime-with-sharon-handy/" rel="nofollow">Sharon Handy — Boring Books for Bedtime</a></p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/sleep-and-the-science-of-dreams-with-dr-celyne-bastien/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Célyne Bastien — Sleep and the Science of Dreams</a></p> dd2169a9-7efd-48d5-bf02-9fa2aaa12a38 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/4973feae-bd47-485e-9cad-385a053cfacf Tue, 09 Nov 2021 08:30:33 +0000 1950 false full “The Rested Child” with Dr. Chris Winter “The Rested Child” with Dr. Chris Winter Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Season Three begins with children’s sleep
  • How sleep problems can overlap with ADHD, depression, anxiety and learning difficulties
  • Why screening for sleep problems should complement — not replace — appropriate diagnosis
  • Sleep “crutches” versus optional sleep enhancements
  • White noise as a household-noise buffer and the modern volume-safety caveat
  • What structured behavioral sleep-training studies actually show about attachment
  • The Mad About You “cry it out” episode with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt
  • Dr. Winter’s skepticism about the SNOO as a device that “teaches” sleep
  • The SNOO’s later FDA De Novo authorization and the 2026 FDA warning letter
  • Why Winter emphasizes wake time instead of putting enormous pressure on bedtime
  • Age-based pediatric sleep-duration recommendations
  • What COVID school closures taught researchers about later mornings and adolescent sleep
  • Why the evidence for later school starts is stronger for sleep and mood than for test scores
  • Winter’s prediction of a pandemic childhood growth surge — and what later evidence does and does not show
  • Simone Biles, the Tokyo Olympics and why “I could barely nap” mattered as a warning sign
  • Why learning healthy sleep early may be easier than repairing fear of sleep decades later


About Dr. Chris Winter

W. Chris Winter, MD, is a sleep medicine specialist and neurologist who has studied sleep since the early 1990s. He owns Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and has worked extensively on sleep and athletic performance with professional and collegiate sports organizations. He is the author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It and The Rested Child: Why Your Tired, Wired, or Irritable Child May Have a Sleep Disorder — and How to Help.

MENTIONED

The Rested Child by W. Chris Winter, MD

Publisher page for Winter’s 2021 book on pediatric sleep disorders and daytime symptoms.

Penguin Random House — The Rested Child

Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine

Dr. Winter’s current clinical practice.

Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine

Recommended sleep duration for children and teenagers

American Academy of Sleep Medicine pediatric sleep-duration consensus.

Read the consensus statement

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea and ADHD — 2026 meta-analysis

Updated evidence on the overlap between OSA and ADHD symptoms in children.

Read the meta-analysis

Pediatric OSA and depression — 2025 meta-analysis

Evidence supporting screening across sleep and mood symptoms rather than assuming they are unrelated.

Read the meta-analysis

Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems

A randomized trial of graduated extinction and bedtime fading with 12-month attachment and behavioral follow-up.

Read the trial

Five-year follow-up of behavioral infant sleep intervention

Long-term follow-up examining child, parent-child and parental outcomes.

Read the study

SNOO Smart Sleeper — FDA De Novo authorization

The 2023 FDA decision establishing the device category and authorized indication for facilitating supine sleep.

Read the FDA decision summary

FDA warning letter to Happiest Baby — June 2026

FDA concerns involving unreviewed SNOO modifications, hospital use and product-quality issues.

Read the warning letter

Infant sleep machines and noise exposure

American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on safer use of white-noise sleep machines.

Read the AAP policy statement

Remote learning, adolescent sleep and mood

Actigraphy study comparing in-person and remote learning during COVID-19.

Read the study

School start times, sleep and youth outcomes — 2022 meta-analysis

Twenty-eight studies and more than 1.7 million participants.

Read the meta-analysis

School start times and academic achievement

Systematic review examining grades and test scores separately from sleep and mood outcomes.

Read the review

Sleep and growth hormone in children

A 2024 review of the complex and still limited evidence connecting pediatric sleep and growth-hormone physiology.

Read the review

COVID lockdown and preschool height growth

A later study relevant to Winter’s on-air prediction of a pandemic growth surge.

Read the study

Simone Biles after withdrawing from the Tokyo team final

The press-conference context for the “could barely nap” comment discussed in the episode.

ESPN — Biles explains the withdrawal

Earlier Snooze Button conversations

Dr. Chris Winter — High Performance Athletes, High Performance Kids

Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt — the Mad About You sleep-training episode

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Season Three begins with children’s sleep</li><li> How sleep problems can overlap with ADHD, depression, anxiety and learning difficulties</li><li> Why screening for sleep problems should complement — not replace — appropriate diagnosis</li><li> Sleep “crutches” versus optional sleep enhancements</li><li> White noise as a household-noise buffer and the modern volume-safety caveat</li><li> What structured behavioral sleep-training studies actually show about attachment</li><li> The <em>Mad About You</em> “cry it out” episode with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt</li><li> Dr. Winter’s skepticism about the SNOO as a device that “teaches” sleep</li><li> The SNOO’s later FDA De Novo authorization and the 2026 FDA warning letter</li><li> Why Winter emphasizes wake time instead of putting enormous pressure on bedtime</li><li> Age-based pediatric sleep-duration recommendations</li><li> What COVID school closures taught researchers about later mornings and adolescent sleep</li><li> Why the evidence for later school starts is stronger for sleep and mood than for test scores</li><li> Winter’s prediction of a pandemic childhood growth surge — and what later evidence does and does not show</li><li> Simone Biles, the Tokyo Olympics and why “I could barely nap” mattered as a warning sign</li><li> Why learning healthy sleep early may be easier than repairing fear of sleep decades later</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Chris Winter</h2><p><strong>W. Chris Winter, MD</strong>, is a sleep medicine specialist and neurologist who has studied sleep since the early 1990s. He owns Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and has worked extensively on sleep and athletic performance with professional and collegiate sports organizations. He is the author of <em>The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It</em> and <em>The Rested Child: Why Your Tired, Wired, or Irritable Child May Have a Sleep Disorder — and How to Help</em>.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong><em>The Rested Child</em> by W. Chris Winter, MD</strong></p><p>Publisher page for Winter’s 2021 book on pediatric sleep disorders and daytime symptoms.</p><p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667926/the-rested-child-by-w-chris-winter-md/9780593330081/" rel="nofollow">Penguin Random House — The Rested Child</a></p><p><strong>Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine</strong></p><p>Dr. Winter’s current clinical practice.</p><p><a href="https://www.cvilleneuroandsleep.com/" rel="nofollow">Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine</a></p><p><strong>Recommended sleep duration for children and teenagers</strong></p><p>American Academy of Sleep Medicine pediatric sleep-duration consensus.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27250809/" rel="nofollow">Read the consensus statement</a></p><p><strong>Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea and ADHD — 2026 meta-analysis</strong></p><p>Updated evidence on the overlap between OSA and ADHD symptoms in children.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41910119/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Pediatric OSA and depression — 2025 meta-analysis</strong></p><p>Evidence supporting screening across sleep and mood symptoms rather than assuming they are unrelated.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39662148/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems</strong></p><p>A randomized trial of graduated extinction and bedtime fading with 12-month attachment and behavioral follow-up.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27221288/" rel="nofollow">Read the trial</a></p><p><strong>Five-year follow-up of behavioral infant sleep intervention</strong></p><p>Long-term follow-up examining child, parent-child and parental outcomes.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22966034/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>SNOO Smart Sleeper — FDA De Novo authorization</strong></p><p>The 2023 FDA decision establishing the device category and authorized indication for facilitating supine sleep.</p><p><a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/reviews/DEN210039.pdf" rel="nofollow">Read the FDA decision summary</a></p><p><strong>FDA warning letter to Happiest Baby — June 2026</strong></p><p>FDA concerns involving unreviewed SNOO modifications, hospital use and product-quality issues.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/happiest-baby-inc-718306-06152026" rel="nofollow">Read the warning letter</a></p><p><strong>Infant sleep machines and noise exposure</strong></p><p>American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on safer use of white-noise sleep machines.</p><p><a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/152/5/e2023063752/194468/Preventing-Excessive-Noise-Exposure-in-Infants" rel="nofollow">Read the AAP policy statement</a></p><p><strong>Remote learning, adolescent sleep and mood</strong></p><p>Actigraphy study comparing in-person and remote learning during COVID-19.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34273194/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>School start times, sleep and youth outcomes — 2022 meta-analysis</strong></p><p>Twenty-eight studies and more than 1.7 million participants.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35593065/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>School start times and academic achievement</strong></p><p>Systematic review examining grades and test scores separately from sleep and mood outcomes.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34968850/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and growth hormone in children</strong></p><p>A 2024 review of the complex and still limited evidence connecting pediatric sleep and growth-hormone physiology.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10847528/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>COVID lockdown and preschool height growth</strong></p><p>A later study relevant to Winter’s on-air prediction of a pandemic growth surge.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38234429/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Simone Biles after withdrawing from the Tokyo team final</strong></p><p>The press-conference context for the “could barely nap” comment discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31897727/why-simone-biles-withdrew-team-final-be-100-percent" rel="nofollow">ESPN — Biles explains the withdrawal</a></p><p><strong>Earlier Snooze Button conversations</strong></p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/high-performance-athletes-high-performance-kids-with-dr-chris-winter/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Chris Winter — High Performance Athletes, High Performance Kids</a></p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/14-paul-reiser-helen-hunt/" rel="nofollow">Paul Reiser &amp; Helen Hunt — the Mad About You sleep-training episode</a></p> 4c451d78-d027-43ef-af28-3e8c25b0d3b9 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/e266efec-2975-4c64-8193-dcdfc4044b55 Tue, 12 Oct 2021 07:30:40 +0000 2354 false full Sleep and The Mental Game in the NBA Finals Sleep and The Mental Game in the NBA Finals Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why injury can become an identity crisis for an elite athlete
  • Marcus Stroman’s 2015 ACL comeback — and what the original episode got slightly wrong about the timeline
  • Why younger and older athletes may value recovery differently
  • How modern sports performance moved from “more work” toward specialized recovery
  • Why preparation improves the odds without guaranteeing performance
  • The psychology behind searching for a competitive edge
  • Why sleep complaints are so common in athletes
  • Phones, social media, arousal and small behavioral sleep experiments
  • Why sleep hygiene is not the same thing as treating chronic insomnia
  • Why Game 7 sleep starts in the preseason
  • Michael Grandner’s idea of sleep as an investment in tomorrow’s performance
  • What the 2020 NBA bubble taught researchers about travel and home-court advantage
  • NBA and WNBA evidence on travel, circadian disruption and performance
  • What Neil got right — and wrong — about Ravi Allada’s MLB jet-lag study
  • Why Neil’s historical Ambien and melatonin claims needed more nuance
  • How sleep loss can show up in attention, decision-making and emotion regulation
  • DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love and the normalization of athlete mental-health conversations
  • Why Auerbach believes everyone is a performer in their own domain


About Dr. Alex Auerbach

Alex Auerbach, PhD, MBA, is a performance psychologist and executive coach. At the time of this 2021 interview he was Director of Wellness and Development for the Toronto Raptors, responsible for mental health, mental performance and player development. He later served as Senior Director of Wellness and Development before leaving the organization. His work has included athletes in the NBA, NFL, WNBA and NCAA, elite military units and business leaders. In 2026 his work is focused on private performance and talent advisory for executives and high performers.

MENTIONED

Alex Auerbach

Auerbach’s current performance psychology and executive advisory work.

Alex Auerbach — official site

Alex Auerbach and the Toronto Raptors

A 2021 Raptors feature from the period of this interview, discussing the organization’s mental-health work and Auerbach’s role.

Toronto Raptors: When it comes to mental health, we are all on the same team

Marcus Stroman’s 2015 return from ACL surgery

MLB’s report on Stroman returning in September after initially being ruled out for the season.

MLB: Stroman returns to the Blue Jays

Sleep and the athlete — 2021 expert consensus

Consensus recommendations emphasizing individualized athlete sleep needs, travel, training, stress and recovery.

Read the consensus statement

NBA COVID bubble, travel and circadian disruption

The natural experiment Auerbach remembers in the interview.

Read the study

Jonathan Charest — NBA back-to-back travel study

Travel distance, direction, recovery and outcomes across the 2013–2020 NBA seasons.

Read the study

Eastward jet lag and NBA performance

A later analysis finding worse home-team performance as eastward jet lag increased.

Read the study

WNBA travel, jet lag and home-court advantage — 2026

An 18-season analysis extending the travel/circadian-performance question to professional women’s basketball.

Read the study

Sleep extension and basketball performance

The 2011 Stanford study of sleep extension, sprint speed, shooting accuracy, reaction time and mood in collegiate basketball players.

Read the study

Sleep and basketball — systematic review

A review of 28 studies on sleep, basketball performance and recovery.

Read the review

Ravi Allada and MLB jet lag

The 20-season, 46,535-game study Neil discusses in the episode.

Read the study

AASM behavioral insomnia guideline

Current evidence hierarchy for CBT-I, sleep restriction, stimulus control, relaxation and sleep hygiene.

Read the guideline

Zolpidem, melatonin and chronic insomnia

The AASM pharmacologic guideline discussed in the 2026 archive clarification.

Read the guideline

FDA warning for Ambien and other Z-drugs

The boxed warning covering rare but serious complex sleep behaviors.

FDA safety communication

Melatonin for circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders

The AASM guideline showing why the episode’s “melatonin does nothing” claim was too broad.

Read the guideline

Kevin Love — Everyone Is Going Through Something

The 2018 essay Auerbach references as part of the changing public conversation around athlete mental health.

The Players’ Tribune

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why injury can become an identity crisis for an elite athlete</li><li> Marcus Stroman’s 2015 ACL comeback — and what the original episode got slightly wrong about the timeline</li><li> Why younger and older athletes may value recovery differently</li><li> How modern sports performance moved from “more work” toward specialized recovery</li><li> Why preparation improves the odds without guaranteeing performance</li><li> The psychology behind searching for a competitive edge</li><li> Why sleep complaints are so common in athletes</li><li> Phones, social media, arousal and small behavioral sleep experiments</li><li> Why sleep hygiene is not the same thing as treating chronic insomnia</li><li> Why Game 7 sleep starts in the preseason</li><li> Michael Grandner’s idea of sleep as an investment in tomorrow’s performance</li><li> What the 2020 NBA bubble taught researchers about travel and home-court advantage</li><li> NBA and WNBA evidence on travel, circadian disruption and performance</li><li> What Neil got right — and wrong — about Ravi Allada’s MLB jet-lag study</li><li> Why Neil’s historical Ambien and melatonin claims needed more nuance</li><li> How sleep loss can show up in attention, decision-making and emotion regulation</li><li> DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love and the normalization of athlete mental-health conversations</li><li> Why Auerbach believes everyone is a performer in their own domain</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Alex Auerbach</h2><p><strong>Alex Auerbach, PhD, MBA</strong>, is a performance psychologist and executive coach. At the time of this 2021 interview he was Director of Wellness and Development for the Toronto Raptors, responsible for mental health, mental performance and player development. He later served as Senior Director of Wellness and Development before leaving the organization. His work has included athletes in the NBA, NFL, WNBA and NCAA, elite military units and business leaders. In 2026 his work is focused on private performance and talent advisory for executives and high performers.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Alex Auerbach</strong></p><p>Auerbach’s current performance psychology and executive advisory work.</p><p><a href="https://www.alexauerbach.com/" rel="nofollow">Alex Auerbach — official site</a></p><p><strong>Alex Auerbach and the Toronto Raptors</strong></p><p>A 2021 Raptors feature from the period of this interview, discussing the organization’s mental-health work and Auerbach’s role.</p><p><a href="https://www.nba.com/raptors/when-it-comes-mental-health-we-are-all-same-team" rel="nofollow">Toronto Raptors: When it comes to mental health, we are all on the same team</a></p><p><strong>Marcus Stroman’s 2015 return from ACL surgery</strong></p><p>MLB’s report on Stroman returning in September after initially being ruled out for the season.</p><p><a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/marcus-stroman-returns-to-blue-jays-roster/c-148697532" rel="nofollow">MLB: Stroman returns to the Blue Jays</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and the athlete — 2021 expert consensus</strong></p><p>Consensus recommendations emphasizing individualized athlete sleep needs, travel, training, stress and recovery.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33144349/" rel="nofollow">Read the consensus statement</a></p><p><strong>NBA COVID bubble, travel and circadian disruption</strong></p><p>The natural experiment Auerbach remembers in the interview.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33311539/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Jonathan Charest — NBA back-to-back travel study</strong></p><p>Travel distance, direction, recovery and outcomes across the 2013–2020 NBA seasons.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34170248/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Eastward jet lag and NBA performance</strong></p><p>A later analysis finding worse home-team performance as eastward jet lag increased.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9245584/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>WNBA travel, jet lag and home-court advantage — 2026</strong></p><p>An 18-season analysis extending the travel/circadian-performance question to professional women’s basketball.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13350567/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep extension and basketball performance</strong></p><p>The 2011 Stanford study of sleep extension, sprint speed, shooting accuracy, reaction time and mood in collegiate basketball players.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21731144/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and basketball — systematic review</strong></p><p>A review of 28 studies on sleep, basketball performance and recovery.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36421894/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Ravi Allada and MLB jet lag</strong></p><p>The 20-season, 46,535-game study Neil discusses in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28115724/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>AASM behavioral insomnia guideline</strong></p><p>Current evidence hierarchy for CBT-I, sleep restriction, stimulus control, relaxation and sleep hygiene.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33164742/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>Zolpidem, melatonin and chronic insomnia</strong></p><p>The AASM pharmacologic guideline discussed in the 2026 archive clarification.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27998379/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>FDA warning for Ambien and other Z-drugs</strong></p><p>The boxed warning covering rare but serious complex sleep behaviors.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/medical-product-safety-information/certain-prescription-insomnia-medicines-new-boxed-warning-due-risk-serious-injuries-caused" rel="nofollow">FDA safety communication</a></p><p><strong>Melatonin for circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders</strong></p><p>The AASM guideline showing why the episode’s “melatonin does nothing” claim was too broad.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26414986/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>Kevin Love — Everyone Is Going Through Something</strong></p><p>The 2018 essay Auerbach references as part of the changing public conversation around athlete mental health.</p><p><a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something" rel="nofollow">The Players’ Tribune</a></p> 59d724ea-3201-4656-bd43-47577572d91e https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/96b545bb-ca97-4e74-8d7a-3227c3d093c8 Mon, 12 Jul 2021 07:30:48 +0000 2216 false full Sleeping In Space - Insomnia's Final Frontier? With Astronaut Nicole Stott Sleeping In Space - Insomnia's Final Frontier? With Astronaut Nicole Stott Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why this interview was recorded on the day Ingenuity first flew on Mars
  • Nicole Stott’s 104 days in space and becoming the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk
  • What 16 daily sunrises and sunsets mean for circadian timing aboard the ISS
  • How adjustable LED lighting helps create stronger day-and-night signals
  • Why Earth-gazing can make an astronaut lose track of bedtime
  • How sleeping bags and private crew quarters work in microgravity
  • Why Stott’s spine elongated and made her first nights in space uncomfortable
  • Why she later experienced some of the best sleep of her life in orbit
  • Why Stott’s sleep experience was better than the average seen in astronaut sleep studies
  • The 2009 airlock campout procedure before her spacewalk — and why NASA no longer uses it routinely
  • Stott’s rule for the night before a high-stakes event: do not introduce a brand-new sleep routine
  • Earplugs, regular bedtime and preparing the morning before going to sleep
  • Michael Grandner on sleep performance anxiety
  • Paradoxical intention and why trying to stay awake can sometimes help insomnia
  • Sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control and the modern CBT-I evidence hierarchy
  • Why Neil’s “melatonin only works for jet lag” claim needs narrowing
  • Space for Art and Stott’s post-NASA mission


About Nicole Stott

Nicole Stott is a veteran NASA astronaut, aquanaut, engineer, artist and author. She flew twice in space and logged 104 days in orbit, including service as a flight engineer on ISS Expeditions 20 and 21. She became the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk, was the first person to use the ISS robotic arm to capture a free-flying cargo vehicle, and painted the first watercolor in space. She is a founding director of the Space for Art Foundation and currently serves as an ISS Advisory Committee member.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, and his research focuses on sleep health, insomnia, circadian timing and the relationship between sleep and physical and mental health.

MENTIONED

Nicole Stott — NASA

NASA’s current biography, including Stott’s 104 days in space and her place as the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk.

NASA biography

Nicole Stott’s September 1, 2009 spacewalk

NASA’s record of Stott and John Olivas’s six-hour, 35-minute EVA.

NASA spacewalk archive

Sleeping and circadian rhythms aboard the ISS

NASA’s overview of sleep environment, schedules, lighting and the 16 daily sunrises experienced in low-Earth orbit.

NASA: Seven Ways Astronauts Improve Sleep

NASA’s current inadequate-sleep risk page

Current agency framing of sleep loss, circadian desynchronization and work overload as human-spaceflight risks.

NASA Human Research Program

Sleep deficiency and hypnotic use in astronauts

The 2014 actigraphy study covering shuttle and ISS crews, including average inflight sleep and sleep-medication use.

Read the study

ISS airlock “campout” prebreathe protocol

NASA technical background on the overnight reduced-pressure procedure used during the era of Stott’s spacewalk.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Paradoxical intention for insomnia

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 trials.

Read the review

AASM behavioral insomnia guideline

The modern evidence hierarchy for CBT-I, sleep restriction, stimulus control and relaxation therapy.

Read the guideline

Melatonin and chronic insomnia

The AASM pharmacologic guideline, which suggests against melatonin as a treatment for chronic sleep-onset or sleep-maintenance insomnia in adults.

Read the guideline

Melatonin and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders

The guideline showing why “melatonin only works for jet lag” is too broad.

Read the guideline

Ingenuity’s first flight on Mars

The April 19, 2021 flight that had happened only hours before this interview was recorded.

NASA: Ingenuity’s first flight

Space for Art Foundation

The organization Stott discusses near the end of the interview.

Space for Art Foundation

Back to Earth

Nicole Stott’s 2021 book about what spaceflight taught her about Earth and our responsibility to it.

Book information

Michael Grandner — University of Arizona

Current university profile for Grandner and his behavioral sleep medicine work.

University of Arizona profile

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why this interview was recorded on the day Ingenuity first flew on Mars</li><li> Nicole Stott’s 104 days in space and becoming the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk</li><li> What 16 daily sunrises and sunsets mean for circadian timing aboard the ISS</li><li> How adjustable LED lighting helps create stronger day-and-night signals</li><li> Why Earth-gazing can make an astronaut lose track of bedtime</li><li> How sleeping bags and private crew quarters work in microgravity</li><li> Why Stott’s spine elongated and made her first nights in space uncomfortable</li><li> Why she later experienced some of the best sleep of her life in orbit</li><li> Why Stott’s sleep experience was better than the average seen in astronaut sleep studies</li><li> The 2009 airlock campout procedure before her spacewalk — and why NASA no longer uses it routinely</li><li> Stott’s rule for the night before a high-stakes event: do not introduce a brand-new sleep routine</li><li> Earplugs, regular bedtime and preparing the morning before going to sleep</li><li> Michael Grandner on sleep performance anxiety</li><li> Paradoxical intention and why trying to stay awake can sometimes help insomnia</li><li> Sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control and the modern CBT-I evidence hierarchy</li><li> Why Neil’s “melatonin only works for jet lag” claim needs narrowing</li><li> Space for Art and Stott’s post-NASA mission</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Nicole Stott</h2><p><strong>Nicole Stott</strong> is a veteran NASA astronaut, aquanaut, engineer, artist and author. She flew twice in space and logged 104 days in orbit, including service as a flight engineer on ISS Expeditions 20 and 21. She became the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk, was the first person to use the ISS robotic arm to capture a free-flying cargo vehicle, and painted the first watercolor in space. She is a founding director of the Space for Art Foundation and currently serves as an ISS Advisory Committee member.</p><h2>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h2><p><strong>Michael Grandner, PhD</strong>, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, and his research focuses on sleep health, insomnia, circadian timing and the relationship between sleep and physical and mental health.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Nicole Stott — NASA</strong></p><p>NASA’s current biography, including Stott’s 104 days in space and her place as the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/people/nicole-stott/" rel="nofollow">NASA biography</a></p><p><strong>Nicole Stott’s September 1, 2009 spacewalk</strong></p><p>NASA’s record of Stott and John Olivas’s six-hour, 35-minute EVA.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-spacewalks/" rel="nofollow">NASA spacewalk archive</a></p><p><strong>Sleeping and circadian rhythms aboard the ISS</strong></p><p>NASA’s overview of sleep environment, schedules, lighting and the 16 daily sunrises experienced in low-Earth orbit.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/seven-ways-astronauts-improve-sleep-may-help-you-snooze-better-on-earth/" rel="nofollow">NASA: Seven Ways Astronauts Improve Sleep</a></p><p><strong>NASA’s current inadequate-sleep risk page</strong></p><p>Current agency framing of sleep loss, circadian desynchronization and work overload as human-spaceflight risks.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/reference/risk-from-inadequate-sleep-and-irregular-schedules" rel="nofollow">NASA Human Research Program</a></p><p><strong>Sleep deficiency and hypnotic use in astronauts</strong></p><p>The 2014 actigraphy study covering shuttle and ISS crews, including average inflight sleep and sleep-medication use.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25127232/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>ISS airlock “campout” prebreathe protocol</strong></p><p>NASA technical background on the overnight reduced-pressure procedure used during the era of Stott’s spacewalk.</p><p><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20000108920" rel="nofollow">NASA Technical Reports Server</a></p><p><strong>Paradoxical intention for insomnia</strong></p><p>A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 trials.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34405469/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>AASM behavioral insomnia guideline</strong></p><p>The modern evidence hierarchy for CBT-I, sleep restriction, stimulus control and relaxation therapy.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33164742/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>Melatonin and chronic insomnia</strong></p><p>The AASM pharmacologic guideline, which suggests against melatonin as a treatment for chronic sleep-onset or sleep-maintenance insomnia in adults.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27998379/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>Melatonin and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders</strong></p><p>The guideline showing why “melatonin only works for jet lag” is too broad.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26414986/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>Ingenuity’s first flight on Mars</strong></p><p>The April 19, 2021 flight that had happened only hours before this interview was recorded.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight/" rel="nofollow">NASA: Ingenuity’s first flight</a></p><p><strong>Space for Art Foundation</strong></p><p>The organization Stott discusses near the end of the interview.</p><p><a href="https://www.spaceforartfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow">Space for Art Foundation</a></p><p><strong>Back to Earth</strong></p><p>Nicole Stott’s 2021 book about what spaceflight taught her about Earth and our responsibility to it.</p><p><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/nicole-stott/back-to-earth/9781541675032/" rel="nofollow">Book information</a></p><p><strong>Michael Grandner — University of Arizona</strong></p><p>Current university profile for Grandner and his behavioral sleep medicine work.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm" rel="nofollow">University of Arizona profile</a></p> 91860780-470d-4c13-9ce5-28f31f7e9623 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/9e2fb2bb-f8a4-4e2a-a830-794bd29f95f5 Mon, 03 May 2021 07:30:42 +0000 3675 false full The Art of The Nap with Dr. Sara Mednick The Art of The Nap with Dr. Sara Mednick Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Sara Mednick rated her previous night’s sleep a six out of ten
  • Alcohol, sleep onset, REM sleep and fragmented sleep
  • The China Jintan study of 3,819 children and midday napping
  • Academic performance, happiness, grit, behavior and IQ — and what the study can and cannot prove
  • Why daytime naps may tolerate more light and stimulation than nighttime sleep
  • Sleep pressure, slow-wave sleep and the difference between an early short nap and a late long nap
  • Why insomnia treatment can be an exception to generic nap advice
  • Habitual nappers, non-nappers and sleep inertia
  • Why Mednick says you should stop trying if naps repeatedly make you feel terrible
  • The 2003 “a nap is as good as a night” perceptual-learning experiment — and what that phrase actually means
  • Why taking a break may matter even when sleeping does not work for you
  • The coffee-nap argument and the evidence that complicates Mednick’s rejection of it
  • Why a strategic nap and chronic long daytime sleeping are not the same research question
  • Restless legs syndrome and its circadian pattern
  • How guidance on pramipexole/Mirapex for RLS has changed since 2021
  • Mednick’s then-upcoming book, The Power of the Downstate, published in 2022


About Dr. Sara Mednick

Sara C. Mednick, PhD, is Professor of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She directs the Sleep and Cognition Lab, where her work examines memory consolidation, sleep, aging, pharmacology and brain stimulation. She is the author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life and The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body’s Own Restorative Systems.

MENTIONED

Dr. Sara Mednick — University of California, Irvine

Current UCI profile for Mednick, her research areas and Sleep and Cognition Lab.

UCI expert profile

Midday napping in children

The 2019 China Jintan Cohort Study of 3,819 elementary-school children discussed in the episode.

Read the study

Sleep-dependent learning: a nap is as good as a night

Mednick, Nakayama and Stickgold’s 2003 perceptual-learning study.

Read the study

Nap habit and four weeks of nap practice

Mednick-group research examining whether habitual and non-habitual nappers respond differently and whether nap practice changes that pattern.

Read the study

Memory in habitual and non-habitual nappers

A 2021 study finding long-term memory benefits from a 90-minute nap even in non-habitual nappers.

Read the study

Light during daytime sleep

The 2011 experiment exposing young adults to narrowband green light during afternoon naps.

Read the study

Caffeine plus a short nap

The controlled 1997 driving study that complicates the episode’s dismissal of the coffee nap.

Read the study

Afternoon naps and subsequent nighttime sleep

A 2025 randomized crossover study of 25- and 90-minute nap opportunities in student athletes.

Read the study

Daytime napping and health outcomes

A 2026 umbrella review separating the performance benefits of shorter naps from associations seen with longer habitual daytime sleep.

Read the umbrella review

Circadian rhythm in restless legs syndrome

A modern review of the evening/night pattern Mednick speculates about during the interview.

Read the review

Current AASM guideline for restless legs syndrome

The 2025 guideline explaining the changed recommendation on pramipexole and other dopamine agonists.

Read the guideline

The Power of the Downstate

The book Mednick previews in the episode, published April 19, 2022.

Book information

Dementia and Sleep: It’s Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts

The Snooze Button interview with Laura Bojarskaitė referenced during the discussion of sleep architecture.

Listen/read in the archive

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Sara Mednick rated her previous night’s sleep a six out of ten</li><li> Alcohol, sleep onset, REM sleep and fragmented sleep</li><li> The China Jintan study of 3,819 children and midday napping</li><li> Academic performance, happiness, grit, behavior and IQ — and what the study can and cannot prove</li><li> Why daytime naps may tolerate more light and stimulation than nighttime sleep</li><li> Sleep pressure, slow-wave sleep and the difference between an early short nap and a late long nap</li><li> Why insomnia treatment can be an exception to generic nap advice</li><li> Habitual nappers, non-nappers and sleep inertia</li><li> Why Mednick says you should stop trying if naps repeatedly make you feel terrible</li><li> The 2003 “a nap is as good as a night” perceptual-learning experiment — and what that phrase actually means</li><li> Why taking a break may matter even when sleeping does not work for you</li><li> The coffee-nap argument and the evidence that complicates Mednick’s rejection of it</li><li> Why a strategic nap and chronic long daytime sleeping are not the same research question</li><li> Restless legs syndrome and its circadian pattern</li><li> How guidance on pramipexole/Mirapex for RLS has changed since 2021</li><li> Mednick’s then-upcoming book, <em>The Power of the Downstate</em>, published in 2022</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Sara Mednick</h2><p><strong>Sara C. Mednick, PhD</strong>, is Professor of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She directs the Sleep and Cognition Lab, where her work examines memory consolidation, sleep, aging, pharmacology and brain stimulation. She is the author of <em>Take a Nap! Change Your Life</em> and <em>The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body’s Own Restorative Systems</em>.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Sara Mednick — University of California, Irvine</strong></p><p>Current UCI profile for Mednick, her research areas and Sleep and Cognition Lab.</p><p><a href="https://experts.communications.uci.edu/profile.php?e=sarah.mednick" rel="nofollow">UCI expert profile</a></p><p><strong>Midday napping in children</strong></p><p>The 2019 China Jintan Cohort Study of 3,819 elementary-school children discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31135911/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep-dependent learning: a nap is as good as a night</strong></p><p>Mednick, Nakayama and Stickgold’s 2003 perceptual-learning study.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12819785/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Nap habit and four weeks of nap practice</strong></p><p>Mednick-group research examining whether habitual and non-habitual nappers respond differently and whether nap practice changes that pattern.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6180010/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Memory in habitual and non-habitual nappers</strong></p><p>A 2021 study finding long-term memory benefits from a 90-minute nap even in non-habitual nappers.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33313925/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Light during daytime sleep</strong></p><p>The 2011 experiment exposing young adults to narrowband green light during afternoon naps.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21281656/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Caffeine plus a short nap</strong></p><p>The controlled 1997 driving study that complicates the episode’s dismissal of the coffee nap.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9401427/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Afternoon naps and subsequent nighttime sleep</strong></p><p>A 2025 randomized crossover study of 25- and 90-minute nap opportunities in student athletes.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40537913/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Daytime napping and health outcomes</strong></p><p>A 2026 umbrella review separating the performance benefits of shorter naps from associations seen with longer habitual daytime sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41710553/" rel="nofollow">Read the umbrella review</a></p><p><strong>Circadian rhythm in restless legs syndrome</strong></p><p>A modern review of the evening/night pattern Mednick speculates about during the interview.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36908590/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Current AASM guideline for restless legs syndrome</strong></p><p>The 2025 guideline explaining the changed recommendation on pramipexole and other dopamine agonists.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11701286/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>The Power of the Downstate</strong></p><p>The book Mednick previews in the episode, published April 19, 2022.</p><p><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sara-c-mednick-phd/the-power-of-the-downstate/9780306925795/" rel="nofollow">Book information</a></p><p><strong>Dementia and Sleep: It’s Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts</strong></p><p>The Snooze Button interview with Laura Bojarskaitė referenced during the discussion of sleep architecture.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/dementia-and-sleep-its-not-just-deep-sleep-that-counts/" rel="nofollow">Listen/read in the archive</a></p> b98192c9-8517-4423-9678-a23fa57581c0 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/6ce79286-8e3d-4ca6-a003-3abff025f49b Sun, 25 Apr 2021 07:30:55 +0000 2263 false full Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and her Surprising Sleep Routine Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and her Surprising Sleep Routine Neil Hedley In this episode
  • How Stacey Plaskett usually sleeps — and why she says she has never been a great sleeper
  • The effect of the 2017 Virgin Islands hurricanes on her nighttime stress
  • Teeth grinding, a custom mouth guard and repeated awakenings
  • What Plaskett did the night before presenting in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial
  • Why cleaning and cooking function as therapy for her
  • Warm showers, body temperature and sleep onset
  • What newer evidence says about lavender and aromatherapy
  • Why bourbon can feel sedating while still disrupting sleep architecture
  • Dr. Dayna Johnson’s work on racial disparities in sleep
  • Why the archive now treats the episode’s slavery-to-sleep claim with more nuance
  • Later school start times and Plaskett’s idea for examining post-hurricane school shifts in the Virgin Islands
  • The origin of the episode’s 16.5% teen-crash statistic
  • Plaskett’s not-quite-spoken suggestion about sex and sleep
  • Grandner’s scientific take on sexual activity as a possible sleep aid
  • What 2023–2025 research added to that question
  • How Season Two’s celebrity-tip → scientific-filter → Neil-tests-it format was supposed to work


About the guests

Stacey E. Plaskett is the at-large Delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed her as one of nine House impeachment managers for the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. She continues to represent the Virgin Islands in the 119th Congress, serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee.

Michael A. Grandner, PhD, is a behavioral sleep-medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, and his research examines sleep health, insufficient sleep, cardiometabolic and neurocognitive outcomes, sleep disparities and behavioral interventions.

MENTIONED

Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett

Official House biography and current committee assignments.

Official biography

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial

House history of the impeachment and the nine managers appointed to conduct the case in the Senate.

U.S. House History, Art & Archives

Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona

Current profile for the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic.

Center for Sleep and Circadian Studies

Warm showers and baths before bedtime

2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of passive body heating and sleep.

Read the study

Lavender essential oil and sleep

2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Read the meta-analysis

Alcohol and subsequent sleep

2024 systematic review and meta-analysis showing REM disruption even at relatively low doses.

Read the meta-analysis

Alcohol, snoring and sleep apnea

Systematic review and meta-analysis examining apnea severity and oxygen saturation after alcohol.

Read the meta-analysis

Sleep inequality — Dr. Dayna Johnson

Emory overview of Johnson’s work on racial disparities, neighborhoods and sleep.

Read the Emory feature

Black–White differences in sleep

Review of established racial differences in sleep quantity, quality and sleep-disorder risk.

Read the review

Discrimination and sleep

Systematic review finding consistent associations between discrimination and poorer sleep outcomes.

Read the systematic review

Later school start times — 2024 evidence

Meta-analysis of 37 studies linking later starts with longer weekday sleep and less social jet lag.

Read the meta-analysis

The 16.5% teen-crash study

The county study behind the specific crash statistic mentioned in the episode.

Read the study

Sex and sleep — 2019 survey

The study already available when this episode aired, examining perceived sleep effects of sexual activity and orgasm.

Read the study

Sex and sleep — 2023 diary study

Partnered sex with orgasm was associated with shorter perceived sleep latency and better sleep quality.

Read the study

Sex and sleep — 2025 pilot experiment

A small cohabiting-couple study examining objective and subjective sleep after sexual activity.

Read the pilot study

How Your Race Impacts Your Sleep with Dr. Dayna Johnson

The Snooze Button episode referenced during the Plaskett interview.

Listen/read in the archive

Chilina Kennedy and the Science of Comfort

The earlier Season Two episode referenced in the conversation.

Listen/read in the archive

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>How Stacey Plaskett usually sleeps — and why she says she has never been a great sleeper</li><li> The effect of the 2017 Virgin Islands hurricanes on her nighttime stress</li><li> Teeth grinding, a custom mouth guard and repeated awakenings</li><li> What Plaskett did the night before presenting in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial</li><li> Why cleaning and cooking function as therapy for her</li><li> Warm showers, body temperature and sleep onset</li><li> What newer evidence says about lavender and aromatherapy</li><li> Why bourbon can feel sedating while still disrupting sleep architecture</li><li> Dr. Dayna Johnson’s work on racial disparities in sleep</li><li> Why the archive now treats the episode’s slavery-to-sleep claim with more nuance</li><li> Later school start times and Plaskett’s idea for examining post-hurricane school shifts in the Virgin Islands</li><li> The origin of the episode’s 16.5% teen-crash statistic</li><li> Plaskett’s not-quite-spoken suggestion about sex and sleep</li><li> Grandner’s scientific take on sexual activity as a possible sleep aid</li><li> What 2023–2025 research added to that question</li><li> How Season Two’s celebrity-tip → scientific-filter → Neil-tests-it format was supposed to work</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About the guests</h2><p><strong>Stacey E. Plaskett</strong> is the at-large Delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed her as one of nine House impeachment managers for the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. She continues to represent the Virgin Islands in the 119th Congress, serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee.</p><p><strong>Michael A. Grandner, PhD</strong>, is a behavioral sleep-medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, and his research examines sleep health, insufficient sleep, cardiometabolic and neurocognitive outcomes, sleep disparities and behavioral interventions.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett</strong></p><p>Official House biography and current committee assignments.</p><p><a href="https://plaskett.house.gov/biography/" rel="nofollow">Official biography</a></p><p><strong>Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial</strong></p><p>House history of the impeachment and the nine managers appointed to conduct the case in the Senate.</p><p><a href="https://history.house.gov/Institution/Impeachment/Impeachment-List/" rel="nofollow">U.S. House History, Art &amp; Archives</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona</strong></p><p>Current profile for the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic.</p><p><a href="https://sleep.arizona.edu/people" rel="nofollow">Center for Sleep and Circadian Studies</a></p><p><strong>Warm showers and baths before bedtime</strong></p><p>2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of passive body heating and sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31102877/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Lavender essential oil and sleep</strong></p><p>2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40600743/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Alcohol and subsequent sleep</strong></p><p>2024 systematic review and meta-analysis showing REM disruption even at relatively low doses.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39631226/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Alcohol, snoring and sleep apnea</strong></p><p>Systematic review and meta-analysis examining apnea severity and oxygen saturation after alcohol.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32513091/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Sleep inequality — Dr. Dayna Johnson</strong></p><p>Emory overview of Johnson’s work on racial disparities, neighborhoods and sleep.</p><p><a href="https://news.emory.edu/features/2020/10/sleep-inequality/" rel="nofollow">Read the Emory feature</a></p><p><strong>Black–White differences in sleep</strong></p><p>Review of established racial differences in sleep quantity, quality and sleep-disorder risk.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25754383/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Discrimination and sleep</strong></p><p>Systematic review finding consistent associations between discrimination and poorer sleep outcomes.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25770043/" rel="nofollow">Read the systematic review</a></p><p><strong>Later school start times — 2024 evidence</strong></p><p>Meta-analysis of 37 studies linking later starts with longer weekday sleep and less social jet lag.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39098151/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>The 16.5% teen-crash study</strong></p><p>The county study behind the specific crash statistic mentioned in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19110880/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sex and sleep — 2019 survey</strong></p><p>The study already available when this episode aired, examining perceived sleep effects of sexual activity and orgasm.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30886838/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sex and sleep — 2023 diary study</strong></p><p>Partnered sex with orgasm was associated with shorter perceived sleep latency and better sleep quality.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36646500/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sex and sleep — 2025 pilot experiment</strong></p><p>A small cohabiting-couple study examining objective and subjective sleep after sexual activity.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40016080/" rel="nofollow">Read the pilot study</a></p><p><strong>How Your Race Impacts Your Sleep with Dr. Dayna Johnson</strong></p><p>The Snooze Button episode referenced during the Plaskett interview.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/how-your-race-impacts-your-sleep-with-dr-dayna-johnson/" rel="nofollow">Listen/read in the archive</a></p><p><strong>Chilina Kennedy and the Science of Comfort</strong></p><p>The earlier Season Two episode referenced in the conversation.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/chilina-kennedy-and-the-science-of-comfort/" rel="nofollow">Listen/read in the archive</a></p> 856074b6-319d-49c0-a5fc-0252c5e9e5b0 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/be1972f9-bbe2-4e0f-806a-7a8be32069b4 Mon, 19 Apr 2021 07:30:46 +0000 3065 false full High Performance Athletes, High Performance Kids with Dr. Chris Winter High Performance Athletes, High Performance Kids with Dr. Chris Winter Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why falling asleep instantly everywhere may indicate sleepiness rather than “great sleep”
  • The middle ground between medical sleep disorders and self-inflicted sleep problems
  • How expectations, culture and education shape insomnia
  • Why subjective sleep and objective sleep do not always tell the same story
  • Rare genetic natural short sleepers — and why most short sleepers are not one of them
  • Why athletes make unusually measurable subjects for sleep-performance work
  • The corrected timeline and scale of Ravi Allada’s Major League Baseball jet-lag study
  • Why sleep should be trained before the playoffs, not treated as a playoff emergency
  • Sleep extension, naps and the performance cost of sleep deprivation
  • Why wakeful rest is useful without being a replacement for sleep
  • Tiger Woods, Kevin Ollie and the relationship between recovery and athletic longevity
  • Why The Rested Child looks beyond infant sleep
  • The case for later school start times
  • What later evidence says about Winter’s prediction of long-lasting pandemic effects on children


About Dr. Chris Winter

W. Chris Winter, MD, is a neurologist and sleep-medicine physician in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has spent decades treating adults and children with sleep disorders and consulting with professional athletes and teams. He is the author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It and The Rested Child: Why Your Tired, Wired, or Irritable Child May Have a Sleep Disorder — and How to Help. Since 2022, he has also hosted the weekly Sleep Unplugged podcast.

MENTIONED

Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine

Dr. Chris Winter’s current clinical practice.

Visit the clinic

Sleep Unplugged

Winter’s weekly sleep-science podcast, launched in 2022.

Visit Sleep Unplugged

The Sleep Solution

Winter’s first book on sleep, insomnia and sleep myths.

Penguin Random House

The Rested Child

Winter’s guide to sleep problems and sleep disorders from infancy through adolescence.

Penguin Random House

How Jet Lag Impairs Major League Baseball Performance

The Ravi Allada study discussed in the episode: 20 MLB seasons, 1992–2011.

Read the study

The Impact of Sleep Interventions on Athletic Performance

A 2023 systematic review of sleep extension, naps and other athlete sleep interventions.

Read the systematic review

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Sports Performance

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis examining endurance, power, speed, skill and perceived exertion.

Read the meta-analysis

Natural Short Sleeper Genetics

A review of rare genetic variants associated with familial natural short sleep.

Read the review

Wakeful Rest and Memory Consolidation

A 2025 meta-analysis showing real cognitive benefits from quiet wakeful rest — without making rest equivalent to sleep.

Read the meta-analysis

Later School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep

A 2024 meta-analysis of 37 studies examining later school starts, sleep duration, chronotype and social jet lag.

Read the meta-analysis

Delayed School Start Times — 2026 Meta-analysis

A newer synthesis finding an average increase of about 69 minutes of sleep after delayed school starts, with substantial heterogeneity.

Read the meta-analysis

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why falling asleep instantly everywhere may indicate sleepiness rather than “great sleep”</li><li> The middle ground between medical sleep disorders and self-inflicted sleep problems</li><li> How expectations, culture and education shape insomnia</li><li> Why subjective sleep and objective sleep do not always tell the same story</li><li> Rare genetic natural short sleepers — and why most short sleepers are not one of them</li><li> Why athletes make unusually measurable subjects for sleep-performance work</li><li> The corrected timeline and scale of Ravi Allada’s Major League Baseball jet-lag study</li><li> Why sleep should be trained before the playoffs, not treated as a playoff emergency</li><li> Sleep extension, naps and the performance cost of sleep deprivation</li><li> Why wakeful rest is useful without being a replacement for sleep</li><li> Tiger Woods, Kevin Ollie and the relationship between recovery and athletic longevity</li><li> Why <em>The Rested Child</em> looks beyond infant sleep</li><li> The case for later school start times</li><li> What later evidence says about Winter’s prediction of long-lasting pandemic effects on children</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Chris Winter</h2><p>W. Chris Winter, MD, is a neurologist and sleep-medicine physician in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has spent decades treating adults and children with sleep disorders and consulting with professional athletes and teams. He is the author of <em>The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It</em> and <em>The Rested Child: Why Your Tired, Wired, or Irritable Child May Have a Sleep Disorder — and How to Help</em>. Since 2022, he has also hosted the weekly <em>Sleep Unplugged</em> podcast.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine</strong></p><p>Dr. Chris Winter’s current clinical practice.</p><p><a href="https://www.cvilleneuroandsleep.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit the clinic</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Unplugged</strong></p><p>Winter’s weekly sleep-science podcast, launched in 2022.</p><p><a href="https://www.sleepunplugged.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit Sleep Unplugged</a></p><p><strong>The Sleep Solution</strong></p><p>Winter’s first book on sleep, insomnia and sleep myths.</p><p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/540559/the-sleep-solution-by-w-chris-winter-md/" rel="nofollow">Penguin Random House</a></p><p><strong>The Rested Child</strong></p><p>Winter’s guide to sleep problems and sleep disorders from infancy through adolescence.</p><p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667926/the-rested-child-by-w-chris-winter-md/" rel="nofollow">Penguin Random House</a></p><p><strong>How Jet Lag Impairs Major League Baseball Performance</strong></p><p>The Ravi Allada study discussed in the episode: 20 MLB seasons, 1992–2011.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28115724/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>The Impact of Sleep Interventions on Athletic Performance</strong></p><p>A 2023 systematic review of sleep extension, naps and other athlete sleep interventions.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37462808/" rel="nofollow">Read the systematic review</a></p><p><strong>Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Sports Performance</strong></p><p>A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis examining endurance, power, speed, skill and perceived exertion.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40236824/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Natural Short Sleeper Genetics</strong></p><p>A review of rare genetic variants associated with familial natural short sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34722012/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Wakeful Rest and Memory Consolidation</strong></p><p>A 2025 meta-analysis showing real cognitive benefits from quiet wakeful rest — without making rest equivalent to sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40087245/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Later School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep</strong></p><p>A 2024 meta-analysis of 37 studies examining later school starts, sleep duration, chronotype and social jet lag.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39098151/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Delayed School Start Times — 2026 Meta-analysis</strong></p><p>A newer synthesis finding an average increase of about 69 minutes of sleep after delayed school starts, with substantial heterogeneity.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42449039/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p> fcfc70b4-ced5-4456-97b6-8bebeccaced3 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/0bad22e4-fc47-4c82-90d5-767d7019160d Mon, 12 Apr 2021 07:30:34 +0000 2130 false full Chilina Kennedy and The Science of Comfort Chilina Kennedy and The Science of Comfort Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why sleep headlines and affiliate-driven product claims deserve more scrutiny
  • What the evidence did — and did not — say about white noise in 2021
  • Why a 5:30 a.m. productivity routine tells you almost nothing without bedtime and total sleep duration
  • The corrected eight-year comparison from Adrian Owen’s sleep-and-cognition study
  • How the pandemic interrupted Chilina Kennedy’s theatre work
  • Why portraying Carole King felt different from playing a fictional character
  • The difference between Kennedy’s Broadway debut and the later night Carole King secretly attended
  • Why Kennedy specifically did not want to know when famous people were in the audience
  • “Tomorrow doesn’t happen until tomorrow” as a way of reducing performance anxiety
  • How Kennedy responds when she cannot sleep without turning wakefulness into an emergency
  • Reading, guided imagery, body scanning and calm bedtime routines
  • How she uses the same principles with her son
  • Grandner’s distinction between relaxation and actually inducing sleep
  • Why one bad night does not have to become two
  • Where Kennedy’s routine overlaps with behavioral insomnia treatment
  • What Nightfood meant by “sleep-friendly ice cream” — and what happened to the company afterward
  • How Kennedy’s musical Call It Love evolved into Wild About You


About Chilina Kennedy

Chilina Kennedy is a Canadian actor, singer, songwriter and musical-theatre creator. She is best known for playing Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway for more than 1,200 performances, with additional Broadway and Off-Broadway credits including Paradise Square and The Great Gatsby. She is an Artistic Producer Emeritus of Toronto’s Eclipse Theatre Company. Her musical project discussed in this episode as Call It Love later evolved into Wild About You, with music and lyrics by Kennedy.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, CBSM, FAASM, is Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the University of Arizona. His work examines how sleep and circadian health affect cardiovascular disease, mental health, performance and public health, with particular attention to the real-world social and behavioral forces that shape sleep.

MENTIONED

Chilina Kennedy

Kennedy’s official site and current work.

Visit Chilina Kennedy’s site

Wild About You

The musical discussed in this episode as Call It Love continued development under a new title.

Official Wild About You site

Eclipse Theatre Company

The Toronto theatre company Kennedy helped build and where she is now Artistic Producer Emeritus.

Visit Eclipse Theatre

Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona

Grandner’s current faculty profile and research roles.

University of Arizona profile

Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults

The 2021 American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline covering CBT-I, stimulus control, relaxation therapy and related treatments.

Read the AASM guideline

Noise as a Sleep Aid: A Systematic Review

The 2020 review behind the episode’s skepticism about universal white-noise claims.

Read the systematic review

White Noise and Sleep — 2025 Meta-analysis

A later randomized-trial meta-analysis finding benefits in some populations while substantial heterogeneity remained.

Read the meta-analysis

Dissociable Effects of Self-Reported Daily Sleep Duration on High-Level Cognitive Abilities

The Adrian Owen study referenced in the Beditorial, including the published eight-year cognitive-performance comparison.

Read the study

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why sleep headlines and affiliate-driven product claims deserve more scrutiny</li><li>What the evidence did — and did not — say about white noise in 2021</li><li>Why a 5:30 a.m. productivity routine tells you almost nothing without bedtime and total sleep duration</li><li>The corrected eight-year comparison from Adrian Owen’s sleep-and-cognition study</li><li>How the pandemic interrupted Chilina Kennedy’s theatre work</li><li>Why portraying Carole King felt different from playing a fictional character</li><li>The difference between Kennedy’s Broadway debut and the later night Carole King secretly attended</li><li>Why Kennedy specifically did not want to know when famous people were in the audience</li><li>“Tomorrow doesn’t happen until tomorrow” as a way of reducing performance anxiety</li><li>How Kennedy responds when she cannot sleep without turning wakefulness into an emergency</li><li>Reading, guided imagery, body scanning and calm bedtime routines</li><li>How she uses the same principles with her son</li><li>Grandner’s distinction between relaxation and actually inducing sleep</li><li>Why one bad night does not have to become two</li><li>Where Kennedy’s routine overlaps with behavioral insomnia treatment</li><li>What Nightfood meant by “sleep-friendly ice cream” — and what happened to the company afterward</li><li>How Kennedy’s musical <em>Call It Love</em> evolved into <em>Wild About You</em></li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Chilina Kennedy</h2><p>Chilina Kennedy is a Canadian actor, singer, songwriter and musical-theatre creator. She is best known for playing Carole King in <em>Beautiful: The Carole King Musical</em> on Broadway for more than 1,200 performances, with additional Broadway and Off-Broadway credits including <em>Paradise Square</em> and <em>The Great Gatsby</em>. She is an Artistic Producer Emeritus of Toronto’s Eclipse Theatre Company. Her musical project discussed in this episode as <em>Call It Love</em> later evolved into <em>Wild About You</em>, with music and lyrics by Kennedy.</p><h2>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h2><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, CBSM, FAASM, is Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the University of Arizona. His work examines how sleep and circadian health affect cardiovascular disease, mental health, performance and public health, with particular attention to the real-world social and behavioral forces that shape sleep.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Chilina Kennedy</strong></p><p>Kennedy’s official site and current work.</p><p><a href="https://www.chilinakennedy.com/home" rel="nofollow">Visit Chilina Kennedy’s site</a></p><p><strong>Wild About You</strong></p><p>The musical discussed in this episode as <em>Call It Love</em> continued development under a new title.</p><p><a href="https://www.wildaboutyoumusical.com/" rel="nofollow">Official Wild About You site</a></p><p><strong>Eclipse Theatre Company</strong></p><p>The Toronto theatre company Kennedy helped build and where she is now Artistic Producer Emeritus.</p><p><a href="https://eclipsetheatre.ca/" rel="nofollow">Visit Eclipse Theatre</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona</strong></p><p>Grandner’s current faculty profile and research roles.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm" rel="nofollow">University of Arizona profile</a></p><p><strong>Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults</strong></p><p>The 2021 American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline covering CBT-I, stimulus control, relaxation therapy and related treatments.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33164742/" rel="nofollow">Read the AASM guideline</a></p><p><strong>Noise as a Sleep Aid: A Systematic Review</strong></p><p>The 2020 review behind the episode’s skepticism about universal white-noise claims.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33007706/" rel="nofollow">Read the systematic review</a></p><p><strong>White Noise and Sleep — 2025 Meta-analysis</strong></p><p>A later randomized-trial meta-analysis finding benefits in some populations while substantial heterogeneity remained.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41151421/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Dissociable Effects of Self-Reported Daily Sleep Duration on High-Level Cognitive Abilities</strong></p><p>The Adrian Owen study referenced in the Beditorial, including the published eight-year cognitive-performance comparison.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30212878/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p> 14668ef2-1456-4596-9ca8-e8affe89dd99 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/a5012dc8-1aa4-4803-bb77-d9e64057f58c Mon, 05 Apr 2021 07:30:15 +0000 2893 false full Cognition, COVID and Continuation Cognition, COVID and Continuation Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Season Two shifts from learning about sleep to testing sleep interventions
  • The role cognition was intended to play in judging whether a sleep experiment worked
  • Why adolescent biology clashes with very early school start times
  • Where the 16.5% teen-car-crash figure actually came from
  • What later meta-analyses found about delayed school starts and sleep duration
  • How sleep labs adapted to COVID with PAP precautions, ventilation, screening and telemedicine
  • Pandemic stress, insomnia and disrupted schedules
  • Early questions about COVID’s effects on the brain and what later long-COVID research found
  • The association between obstructive sleep apnea and worse COVID outcomes
  • Why a possible PAP benefit should not be confused with proof of protection
  • Sleep duration and vaccine antibody response
  • Adrian Owen’s large study of habitual sleep duration and cognition
  • Why the published “brain aging” comparison was eight years, not ten
  • Reasoning and verbal performance versus short-term memory
  • Why self-reported, observational sleep data cannot establish causation
  • How repeated cognitive testing can reduce — but not eliminate — practice effects
  • Baselines, changing one variable at a time and washout periods
  • Why an N-of-1 experiment can be useful personally without becoming clinical evidence
  • How Cambridge Brain Sciences became Creyos


About Dr. Seema Khosla

Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. She is Medical Director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and the longtime host of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast Talking Sleep, where she discusses research, technology and clinical practice across sleep medicine.

About Dr. Adrian Owen

Adrian Owen, PhD, OBE, is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging in the Departments of Psychology and Physiology & Pharmacology at Western University in London, Ontario. He leads the Owen Lab, where his research combines neuroimaging with cognitive studies in healthy participants and people with brain injuries and neurological disease. He is also Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Creyos, formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences.

MENTIONED

School Start Times, Sleep, Behavioral, Health, and Academic Outcomes

The 2016 review of 38 reports discussed on the original episode page.

Read the review

Adolescent Sleep, School Start Times, and Teen Motor Vehicle Crashes

The Kentucky study behind the 16.5% reduction in teen crash rates quoted in the episode.

Read the study

School Start Times, Sleep, and Youth Outcomes

A 2022 meta-analysis of 28 studies and more than 1.7 million participants.

Read the meta-analysis

2026 Delayed School Start-Time Meta-analysis

A newer analysis finding an average increase of about 69 minutes of sleep, with high heterogeneity between studies.

Read the 2026 study

Talking Sleep

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast hosted by Seema Khosla.

Talking Sleep

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and COVID-19 Outcomes

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies and 54,276 COVID patients.

Read the meta-analysis

OSA, PAP Therapy and COVID-19 Outcomes

A 2026 retrospective cohort study examining whether PAP adherence modified COVID outcomes.

Read the study

Sleep Duration and Vaccine Response

A 2023 meta-analysis linking objectively measured short sleep around vaccination with reduced antibody response.

Read the meta-analysis

Long-Term Neurological and Cognitive Effects of COVID-19

A large systematic review and meta-analysis examining persistent cognitive, memory, concentration and sleep symptoms after COVID.

Read the meta-analysis

Dissociable Effects of Self-Reported Daily Sleep Duration on High-Level Cognitive Abilities

The 2018 sleep-and-cognition study by Conor Wild, Adrian Owen and colleagues discussed throughout the interview.

Read the study

Creyos — formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences

The cognitive-assessment platform discussed in the episode was renamed Creyos in November 2022.

About the rebrand

Adrian Owen at Western University

Owen’s current Western University faculty profile and research roles.

Western University profile

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Season Two shifts from learning about sleep to testing sleep interventions</li><li>The role cognition was intended to play in judging whether a sleep experiment worked</li><li>Why adolescent biology clashes with very early school start times</li><li>Where the 16.5% teen-car-crash figure actually came from</li><li>What later meta-analyses found about delayed school starts and sleep duration</li><li>How sleep labs adapted to COVID with PAP precautions, ventilation, screening and telemedicine</li><li>Pandemic stress, insomnia and disrupted schedules</li><li>Early questions about COVID’s effects on the brain and what later long-COVID research found</li><li>The association between obstructive sleep apnea and worse COVID outcomes</li><li>Why a possible PAP benefit should not be confused with proof of protection</li><li>Sleep duration and vaccine antibody response</li><li>Adrian Owen’s large study of habitual sleep duration and cognition</li><li>Why the published “brain aging” comparison was eight years, not ten</li><li>Reasoning and verbal performance versus short-term memory</li><li>Why self-reported, observational sleep data cannot establish causation</li><li>How repeated cognitive testing can reduce — but not eliminate — practice effects</li><li>Baselines, changing one variable at a time and washout periods</li><li>Why an N-of-1 experiment can be useful personally without becoming clinical evidence</li><li>How Cambridge Brain Sciences became Creyos</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Seema Khosla</h2><p>Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. She is Medical Director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and the longtime host of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast <em>Talking Sleep</em>, where she discusses research, technology and clinical practice across sleep medicine.</p><h2>About Dr. Adrian Owen</h2><p>Adrian Owen, PhD, OBE, is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging in the Departments of Psychology and Physiology &amp; Pharmacology at Western University in London, Ontario. He leads the Owen Lab, where his research combines neuroimaging with cognitive studies in healthy participants and people with brain injuries and neurological disease. He is also Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Creyos, formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>School Start Times, Sleep, Behavioral, Health, and Academic Outcomes</strong></p><p>The 2016 review of 38 reports discussed on the original episode page.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4824552/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Adolescent Sleep, School Start Times, and Teen Motor Vehicle Crashes</strong></p><p>The Kentucky study behind the 16.5% reduction in teen crash rates quoted in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19110880/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>School Start Times, Sleep, and Youth Outcomes</strong></p><p>A 2022 meta-analysis of 28 studies and more than 1.7 million participants.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35593065/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>2026 Delayed School Start-Time Meta-analysis</strong></p><p>A newer analysis finding an average increase of about 69 minutes of sleep, with high heterogeneity between studies.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42449039/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 study</a></p><p><strong>Talking Sleep</strong></p><p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast hosted by Seema Khosla.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/professional-development/talking-sleep-podcast/" rel="nofollow">Talking Sleep</a></p><p><strong>Obstructive Sleep Apnea and COVID-19 Outcomes</strong></p><p>A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies and 54,276 COVID patients.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33892451/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>OSA, PAP Therapy and COVID-19 Outcomes</strong></p><p>A 2026 retrospective cohort study examining whether PAP adherence modified COVID outcomes.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42029862/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Duration and Vaccine Response</strong></p><p>A 2023 meta-analysis linking objectively measured short sleep around vaccination with reduced antibody response.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36917932/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Long-Term Neurological and Cognitive Effects of COVID-19</strong></p><p>A large systematic review and meta-analysis examining persistent cognitive, memory, concentration and sleep symptoms after COVID.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40514644/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Dissociable Effects of Self-Reported Daily Sleep Duration on High-Level Cognitive Abilities</strong></p><p>The 2018 sleep-and-cognition study by Conor Wild, Adrian Owen and colleagues discussed throughout the interview.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30212878/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Creyos — formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences</strong></p><p>The cognitive-assessment platform discussed in the episode was renamed Creyos in November 2022.</p><p><a href="https://creyos.com/blog/cambridge-brain-sciences-now-creyos" rel="nofollow">About the rebrand</a></p><p><strong>Adrian Owen at Western University</strong></p><p>Owen’s current Western University faculty profile and research roles.</p><p><a href="https://psychology.uwo.ca/people/faculty/Owen.html" rel="nofollow">Western University profile</a></p> 2d446dfd-ca28-4304-8c8e-818ab63607f9 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/d7b5ac3b-9859-45d9-9b9a-86bea2450e80 Mon, 29 Mar 2021 07:30:09 +0000 2893 false full COVIDsomnia - How It's Hurting Adults & Kids Alike COVIDsomnia - How It's Hurting Adults & Kids Alike Neil Hedley In this episode
  • What “COVIDsomnia” meant in 2020 — and why it was never one formal new sleep disorder
  • Lynelle Schneeberg’s three drivers of children’s pandemic sleep problems: schedules, physical activity and anxiety
  • Why family activity sometimes had to replace recess and school-based exercise
  • How bedtime can become accidentally associated with worry
  • The “worry jar” and scheduled worry time
  • Why taking a child’s concern seriously does not require solving it in bed at night
  • Remote school, later wake times and adolescent circadian biology
  • The case for later middle- and high-school start times
  • What later research found about sleep duration, mood and academic performance after delayed school starts
  • Seema Khosla’s firsthand observations of COVID in a sleep-medicine practice
  • Changes in CPAP downloads and unusually long sleep during acute illness
  • Stress-related insomnia versus sleep disturbance during and after COVID infection
  • How persistent sleep disturbance became part of the long-COVID picture
  • CBT-I, sleep medication and the importance of an exit strategy
  • What the 2026 AASM insomnia guideline adds to that treatment discussion
  • Remote work, telemedicine and the sleep gained by eliminating long commutes
  • Which pandemic-era schedule changes were worth keeping


About Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg

Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD, is a behavioral sleep psychologist, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Connecticut Children’s Sleep Center. She treats sleep difficulties in children, adolescents and adults, with specialties including insomnia, circadian sleep disorders and pediatric sleep problems. She is the author of Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor’s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10.

About Dr. Seema Khosla

Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. She is Medical Director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and remains the host of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast Talking Sleep, where she covers current clinical research, technology and treatment in sleep medicine.

MENTIONED

Lynelle Schneeberg at Yale School of Medicine

Current Yale profile and clinical/research roles.

Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD

Lynelle Schneeberg at Connecticut Children’s

Her current pediatric sleep-medicine role and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program.

Connecticut Children’s profile

Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach

Schneeberg’s 2019 guide for parents of children ages 3–10.

Publisher information

Worry Jars and Worry Time

Connecticut Children’s current explanation of the bedtime tool discussed in this episode.

3 Bedtime Challenges Your Kids Might Be Having Now — and How to Solve Them

Children’s Sleep During COVID-19

A 2024 meta-analysis of 57 studies and 206,601 children and adolescents.

Prevalence of Sleep Disturbances in Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 Pandemic

School Start Times, Sleep and Youth Outcomes

The 2022 Pediatrics meta-analysis covering 28 studies and more than 1.7 million participants.

School Start Times, Sleep, and Youth Outcomes: A Meta-analysis

2026 Delayed School Start-Time Meta-analysis

A newer synthesis estimating roughly 69 additional minutes of sleep after delayed starts, with substantial heterogeneity.

Delayed School Start Times to Improve Sleep Duration and Mitigate Depression in Adolescents

Sleep Disturbance Across the COVID-19 Pandemic

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 250 studies and nearly half a million participants.

Sleep Disturbances During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sleep and Long COVID

A meta-analysis of sleep disturbances in 13,935 patients with long COVID.

Prevalence of Sleep Disturbances in Patients With Long COVID

2026 AASM Insomnia Treatment Guideline

Current guidance on combining CBT-I with medication for chronic insomnia.

Combination Treatment for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults

Talking Sleep

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast hosted by Seema Khosla.

Talking Sleep

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>What “COVIDsomnia” meant in 2020 — and why it was never one formal new sleep disorder</li><li> Lynelle Schneeberg’s three drivers of children’s pandemic sleep problems: schedules, physical activity and anxiety</li><li> Why family activity sometimes had to replace recess and school-based exercise</li><li> How bedtime can become accidentally associated with worry</li><li> The “worry jar” and scheduled worry time</li><li> Why taking a child’s concern seriously does not require solving it in bed at night</li><li> Remote school, later wake times and adolescent circadian biology</li><li> The case for later middle- and high-school start times</li><li> What later research found about sleep duration, mood and academic performance after delayed school starts</li><li> Seema Khosla’s firsthand observations of COVID in a sleep-medicine practice</li><li> Changes in CPAP downloads and unusually long sleep during acute illness</li><li> Stress-related insomnia versus sleep disturbance during and after COVID infection</li><li> How persistent sleep disturbance became part of the long-COVID picture</li><li> CBT-I, sleep medication and the importance of an exit strategy</li><li> What the 2026 AASM insomnia guideline adds to that treatment discussion</li><li> Remote work, telemedicine and the sleep gained by eliminating long commutes</li><li> Which pandemic-era schedule changes were worth keeping</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg</h2><p>Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD, is a behavioral sleep psychologist, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Connecticut Children’s Sleep Center. She treats sleep difficulties in children, adolescents and adults, with specialties including insomnia, circadian sleep disorders and pediatric sleep problems. She is the author of <em>Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor’s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10</em>.</p><h2>About Dr. Seema Khosla</h2><p>Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. She is Medical Director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and remains the host of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast <em>Talking Sleep</em>, where she covers current clinical research, technology and treatment in sleep medicine.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Lynelle Schneeberg at Yale School of Medicine</strong></p><p>Current Yale profile and clinical/research roles.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/lynelle-schneeberg/" rel="nofollow">Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD</a></p><p><strong>Lynelle Schneeberg at Connecticut Children’s</strong></p><p>Her current pediatric sleep-medicine role and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program.</p><p><a href="https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/doctors/lynelle-schneeberg-psyd" rel="nofollow">Connecticut Children’s profile</a></p><p><strong>Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach</strong></p><p>Schneeberg’s 2019 guide for parents of children ages 3–10.</p><p><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dr-lynelle-schneeberg/become-your-childs-sleep-coach-the-bedtime-doctors-5-step-guide-ages-3-10" rel="nofollow">Publisher information</a></p><p><strong>Worry Jars and Worry Time</strong></p><p>Connecticut Children’s current explanation of the bedtime tool discussed in this episode.</p><p><a href="https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/growing-healthy/3-bedtime-challenges-how-to-solve-them" rel="nofollow">3 Bedtime Challenges Your Kids Might Be Having Now — and How to Solve Them</a></p><p><strong>Children’s Sleep During COVID-19</strong></p><p>A 2024 meta-analysis of 57 studies and 206,601 children and adolescents.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38191533/" rel="nofollow">Prevalence of Sleep Disturbances in Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 Pandemic</a></p><p><strong>School Start Times, Sleep and Youth Outcomes</strong></p><p>The 2022 Pediatrics meta-analysis covering 28 studies and more than 1.7 million participants.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35593065/" rel="nofollow">School Start Times, Sleep, and Youth Outcomes: A Meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>2026 Delayed School Start-Time Meta-analysis</strong></p><p>A newer synthesis estimating roughly 69 additional minutes of sleep after delayed starts, with substantial heterogeneity.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42449039/" rel="nofollow">Delayed School Start Times to Improve Sleep Duration and Mitigate Depression in Adolescents</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Disturbance Across the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong></p><p>A systematic review and meta-analysis of 250 studies and nearly half a million participants.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35131664/" rel="nofollow">Sleep Disturbances During the COVID-19 Pandemic</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and Long COVID</strong></p><p>A meta-analysis of sleep disturbances in 13,935 patients with long COVID.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37898059/" rel="nofollow">Prevalence of Sleep Disturbances in Patients With Long COVID</a></p><p><strong>2026 AASM Insomnia Treatment Guideline</strong></p><p>Current guidance on combining CBT-I with medication for chronic insomnia.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41975142/" rel="nofollow">Combination Treatment for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults</a></p><p><strong>Talking Sleep</strong></p><p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine podcast hosted by Seema Khosla.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/professional-development/talking-sleep-podcast/" rel="nofollow">Talking Sleep</a></p> eb150716-0809-41e7-9d56-855326eba58c https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/16e71656-487d-4130-9832-c97c6c625336 Mon, 19 Oct 2020 07:30:56 +0000 1794 false full The REM Sleep You're Not Getting Could Be Killing You with Dr. Eileen Leary The REM Sleep You're Not Getting Could Be Killing You with Dr. Eileen Leary Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Eileen Leary’s Stanford dissertation on REM sleep and mortality
  • The difference between association and causation
  • The 13% higher all-cause mortality rate associated with each five-point reduction in REM percentage in MrOS
  • Replication in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort
  • Why sleep apnea, depression, antidepressants and sleep duration did not explain away the central association
  • The important nuance in the cause-specific mortality results
  • The possible mortality threshold below about 15% REM sleep
  • The third Sleep Heart Health Study cohort and the later 10,000-plus-participant meta-analysis
  • A 2026 replication signal in coronary artery disease plus obstructive sleep apnea
  • Why the evidence still does not prove that increasing REM will extend life
  • Machine learning and the relative importance of REM among the measured sleep stages
  • Why consumer wearable REM percentages are not interchangeable with polysomnography
  • Eileen’s current work in orexin-agonist clinical development
  • Michael Grandner on scientific literacy, animal models and amateur epidemiology
  • Why access to a scientific paper is not the same thing as knowing how to interpret it
  • The University of Helsinki pandemic-dream study
  • What the Helsinki study actually found — and what the original on-air summary overstated
  • Seema Khosla on ordinary bad dreams versus nightmare disorder
  • Imagery rehearsal therapy and “rewriting” recurring nightmares
  • How REM sleep behavior disorder differs from simply having nightmares
  • Sleep testing and obstructive sleep apnea during COVID
  • What later evidence found about OSA and COVID outcomes
  • Neil’s first weeks sleeping with the Dreem 2 EEG headband
  • Dreem versus Fitbit sleep-duration and staging discrepancies
  • Why “the trend is your friend” remains useful wearable advice


About Dr. Eileen Leary

Eileen Leary, PhD, RPSGT, is an epidemiologist and sleep researcher with more than two decades of clinical-research experience. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research from Stanford University, where her dissertation examined the relationship between REM sleep and mortality. She has worked across academic sleep research and biopharmaceutical development and is currently Senior Director of Clinical Development at Centessa Pharmaceuticals, with work that includes orexin-receptor agonist programs for disorders of excessive sleepiness.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, CBSM, FAASM, is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center, with research spanning sleep health, behavioral sleep medicine, circadian health and population-level sleep.

About Dr. Seema Khosla

Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is a pulmonary, critical-care and sleep-medicine physician and medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep. She has held multiple leadership and technology roles with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and is the longtime host of the AASM podcast Talking Sleep.

MENTIONED

Eileen Leary: REM Sleep and Mortality

The 2020 JAMA Neurology paper at the center of this episode.

Association of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep With Mortality in Middle-aged and Older Adults

Sleep and Death: Leary’s Stanford Dissertation Project

Eileen’s project page includes the three-cohort work, poster and dissertation material.

The Association Between REM Sleep and Mortality in Three Independent Cohorts

The Third REM-Mortality Cohort

The 2021 reply reporting the Sleep Heart Health Study replication and meta-analysis of more than 10,000 participants.

Living to Dream — Reply

2026 REM-Mortality Follow-Through

A later study in patients with coronary artery disease and obstructive sleep apnea that again found lower REM associated with greater mortality.

RICCADSA REM Sleep and Mortality Study

Eileen Leary

Current CV, publications and clinical-development work.

Eileen Leary’s CV

Michael Grandner

Current University of Arizona profile.

Michael Grandner at the University of Arizona

Pandemic Dreams

The University of Helsinki study discussed with Seema Khosla.

Pandemic Dreams: Network Analysis of Dream Content During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Imagery Rehearsal Therapy for Nightmares

The AASM position paper supporting the nightmare-rewriting treatment Seema describes.

AASM Position Paper for the Treatment of Nightmare Disorder in Adults

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

The current AASM clinical-practice guideline for RBD.

Management of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Sleep Disturbances and COVID-19 Outcomes

A 2024 meta-analysis of 48 observational studies covering more than 8.6 million people.

Pre-existing Sleep Disturbances and Risk of COVID-19

Dementia and Sleep: It’s Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts

The earlier Snooze Button conversation with Laura Bojarskaite referenced during the REM discussion.

Listen to the Laura Bojarskaite episode

Tracking My Sleep: Forget Everything I’ve Ever Said

The immediately preceding Seema Khosla episode about consumer trackers and the Dreem 2 headband.

Listen to the sleep-tracker episode

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Eileen Leary’s Stanford dissertation on REM sleep and mortality</li><li> The difference between association and causation</li><li> The 13% higher all-cause mortality rate associated with each five-point reduction in REM percentage in MrOS</li><li> Replication in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort</li><li> Why sleep apnea, depression, antidepressants and sleep duration did not explain away the central association</li><li> The important nuance in the cause-specific mortality results</li><li> The possible mortality threshold below about 15% REM sleep</li><li> The third Sleep Heart Health Study cohort and the later 10,000-plus-participant meta-analysis</li><li> A 2026 replication signal in coronary artery disease plus obstructive sleep apnea</li><li> Why the evidence still does not prove that increasing REM will extend life</li><li> Machine learning and the relative importance of REM among the measured sleep stages</li><li> Why consumer wearable REM percentages are not interchangeable with polysomnography</li><li> Eileen’s current work in orexin-agonist clinical development</li><li> Michael Grandner on scientific literacy, animal models and amateur epidemiology</li><li> Why access to a scientific paper is not the same thing as knowing how to interpret it</li><li> The University of Helsinki pandemic-dream study</li><li> What the Helsinki study actually found — and what the original on-air summary overstated</li><li> Seema Khosla on ordinary bad dreams versus nightmare disorder</li><li> Imagery rehearsal therapy and “rewriting” recurring nightmares</li><li> How REM sleep behavior disorder differs from simply having nightmares</li><li> Sleep testing and obstructive sleep apnea during COVID</li><li> What later evidence found about OSA and COVID outcomes</li><li> Neil’s first weeks sleeping with the Dreem 2 EEG headband</li><li> Dreem versus Fitbit sleep-duration and staging discrepancies</li><li> Why “the trend is your friend” remains useful wearable advice</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Eileen Leary</h2><p>Eileen Leary, PhD, RPSGT, is an epidemiologist and sleep researcher with more than two decades of clinical-research experience. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research from Stanford University, where her dissertation examined the relationship between REM sleep and mortality. She has worked across academic sleep research and biopharmaceutical development and is currently Senior Director of Clinical Development at Centessa Pharmaceuticals, with work that includes orexin-receptor agonist programs for disorders of excessive sleepiness.</p><h2>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h2><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, CBSM, FAASM, is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center, with research spanning sleep health, behavioral sleep medicine, circadian health and population-level sleep.</p><h2>About Dr. Seema Khosla</h2><p>Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is a pulmonary, critical-care and sleep-medicine physician and medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep. She has held multiple leadership and technology roles with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and is the longtime host of the AASM podcast <em>Talking Sleep</em>.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Eileen Leary: REM Sleep and Mortality</strong></p><p>The 2020 JAMA Neurology paper at the center of this episode.</p><p><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2767713" rel="nofollow">Association of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep With Mortality in Middle-aged and Older Adults</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and Death: Leary’s Stanford Dissertation Project</strong></p><p>Eileen’s project page includes the three-cohort work, poster and dissertation material.</p><p><a href="https://www.eileenleary.com/project/rem-mortality" rel="nofollow">The Association Between REM Sleep and Mortality in Three Independent Cohorts</a></p><p><strong>The Third REM-Mortality Cohort</strong></p><p>The 2021 reply reporting the Sleep Heart Health Study replication and meta-analysis of more than 10,000 participants.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.0056" rel="nofollow">Living to Dream — Reply</a></p><p><strong>2026 REM-Mortality Follow-Through</strong></p><p>A later study in patients with coronary artery disease and obstructive sleep apnea that again found lower REM associated with greater mortality.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12923483/" rel="nofollow">RICCADSA REM Sleep and Mortality Study</a></p><p><strong>Eileen Leary</strong></p><p>Current CV, publications and clinical-development work.</p><p><a href="https://www.eileenleary.com/elearycv" rel="nofollow">Eileen Leary’s CV</a></p><p><strong>Michael Grandner</strong></p><p>Current University of Arizona profile.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm" rel="nofollow">Michael Grandner at the University of Arizona</a></p><p><strong>Pandemic Dreams</strong></p><p>The University of Helsinki study discussed with Seema Khosla.</p><p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.573961/full" rel="nofollow">Pandemic Dreams: Network Analysis of Dream Content During the COVID-19 Lockdown</a></p><p><strong>Imagery Rehearsal Therapy for Nightmares</strong></p><p>The AASM position paper supporting the nightmare-rewriting treatment Seema describes.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5991964/" rel="nofollow">AASM Position Paper for the Treatment of Nightmare Disorder in Adults</a></p><p><strong>REM Sleep Behavior Disorder</strong></p><p>The current AASM clinical-practice guideline for RBD.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36515157/" rel="nofollow">Management of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Disturbances and COVID-19 Outcomes</strong></p><p>A 2024 meta-analysis of 48 observational studies covering more than 8.6 million people.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39070174/" rel="nofollow">Pre-existing Sleep Disturbances and Risk of COVID-19</a></p><p><strong>Dementia and Sleep: It’s Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts</strong></p><p>The earlier Snooze Button conversation with Laura Bojarskaite referenced during the REM discussion.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/dementia-and-sleep-its-not-just-deep-sleep-that-counts/" rel="nofollow">Listen to the Laura Bojarskaite episode</a></p><p><strong>Tracking My Sleep: Forget Everything I’ve Ever Said</strong></p><p>The immediately preceding Seema Khosla episode about consumer trackers and the Dreem 2 headband.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/tracking-my-sleep-forget-everything-ive-ever-said/" rel="nofollow">Listen to the sleep-tracker episode</a></p> aad5ab0f-8d81-4cdc-ba3d-2f502623907f https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/8c8eeee5-c256-49c7-825a-e697a3cd736f Mon, 12 Oct 2020 07:30:13 +0000 4295 false full Tracking My Sleep: Forget Everything I've Ever Said with Dr. Seema Khosla Tracking My Sleep: Forget Everything I've Ever Said with Dr. Seema Khosla Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Neil abandoned Fitbit as the primary measurement tool for his sleep-experiment project
  • Seema Khosla’s box of sleep technology
  • AYO blue-light glasses and circadian timing
  • Why the timing of bright light matters as much as the light itself
  • Ravi Allada’s Major League Baseball jet-lag study — and the corrected 20-season dataset
  • Forehead oximetry and the arrival of blood oxygen on Apple Watch Series 6
  • Why more sensors do not automatically mean better clinical information
  • Apple’s original simpler sleep-tracking approach
  • Orthosomnia and the danger of letting a sleep score decide how you feel
  • Why Seema first asks patients what prompted them to start tracking
  • Consumer tracker data as a reason to ask a clinician a better question
  • The Dreem 2 EEG headband and why it changed Neil’s book plan
  • What EEG adds that an ordinary wrist tracker does not directly measure
  • How Dreem later performed in PSG validation studies
  • Why a Dreem movement count cannot be compared directly with a laboratory PLMI
  • The current Waveband descendant of Dreem technology
  • CBT-I inside a consumer sleep device
  • Why dose and timing matter when talking about melatonin
  • Internet sleep advice, cannabis anecdotes and evidence
  • Why the tracker should contribute information rather than dictate reality
  • Seema’s continuing role as host of AASM’s Talking Sleep


About Dr. Seema Khosla

Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and a physician board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. She has served in multiple leadership and technology roles with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, including chairing its Consumer and Clinical Technology Committee. She is the longtime host of the AASM podcast Talking Sleep.

MENTIONED

Dr. Seema Khosla

Current professional bio and sleep-medicine work.

Seema Khosla and Talking Sleep at the AASM

Consumer Sleep Technology: AASM Position Statement

The 2018 position statement led by Khosla on how consumer-generated sleep data can — and cannot — be used clinically.

Read the AASM statement

World Sleep Society Recommendations for Sleep Trackers

The 2025 recommendations on fundamental sleep measures, proprietary metrics, clinical use and device selection.

Read the recommendations

2025 Wrist-Worn Sleep Tracker Meta-Analysis

Twenty-four studies and 798 participants comparing consumer wrist devices with polysomnography.

Read the meta-analysis

Orthosomnia

The original 2017 clinical case series that introduced the term for unhealthy perfectionism around tracker-generated sleep data.

Read the paper

Dreem Headband vs. Polysomnography

The 2020 EEG and sleep-staging validation study discussed in the archive update.

Read the Dreem validation study

Dreem in Older Adults and Alzheimer’s Disease

A 2025 independent evaluation showing both useful accuracy and important stage- and signal-specific limitations.

Read the 2025 evaluation

Beacon Biosignals / Waveband

The current descendant of Dreem’s clinical EEG-headband technology.

Beacon’s Dreem acquisition and Waveband

Apple Watch Series 6 and Blood Oxygen

Apple’s September 2020 announcement that had just happened when this conversation was recorded.

Apple’s 2020 announcement

Apple Watch Sleep Apnea Notifications

The 2024 regulatory milestone showing how consumer sensors later moved toward a specific validated clinical screening use.

FDA clearance notice

Ravi Allada: Jet Lag and Major League Baseball

The 20-season, 46,535-game study discussed during the light-therapy segment.

Read the baseball study

Personal Light Treatment Devices

Newer work on wearable blue-light and blue-blocking devices for circadian alignment in an operational setting.

Read the study

Talking Sleep: Wearable Sleep Tech

Seema’s 2026 follow-through with members of the World Sleep Society tracker task force.

Listen at the AASM

Julie Flygare on Narcolepsy

The earlier Snooze Button episode highlighted here for World Narcolepsy Day.

Listen to Julie Flygare on The Snooze Button

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Neil abandoned Fitbit as the primary measurement tool for his sleep-experiment project</li><li> Seema Khosla’s box of sleep technology</li><li> AYO blue-light glasses and circadian timing</li><li> Why the timing of bright light matters as much as the light itself</li><li> Ravi Allada’s Major League Baseball jet-lag study — and the corrected 20-season dataset</li><li> Forehead oximetry and the arrival of blood oxygen on Apple Watch Series 6</li><li> Why more sensors do not automatically mean better clinical information</li><li> Apple’s original simpler sleep-tracking approach</li><li> Orthosomnia and the danger of letting a sleep score decide how you feel</li><li> Why Seema first asks patients what prompted them to start tracking</li><li> Consumer tracker data as a reason to ask a clinician a better question</li><li> The Dreem 2 EEG headband and why it changed Neil’s book plan</li><li> What EEG adds that an ordinary wrist tracker does not directly measure</li><li> How Dreem later performed in PSG validation studies</li><li> Why a Dreem movement count cannot be compared directly with a laboratory PLMI</li><li> The current Waveband descendant of Dreem technology</li><li> CBT-I inside a consumer sleep device</li><li> Why dose and timing matter when talking about melatonin</li><li> Internet sleep advice, cannabis anecdotes and evidence</li><li> Why the tracker should contribute information rather than dictate reality</li><li> Seema’s continuing role as host of AASM’s <em>Talking Sleep</em></li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Seema Khosla</h2><p>Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and a physician board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. She has served in multiple leadership and technology roles with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, including chairing its Consumer and Clinical Technology Committee. She is the longtime host of the AASM podcast <em>Talking Sleep</em>.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Seema Khosla</strong></p><p>Current professional bio and sleep-medicine work.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/professional-development/talking-sleep-podcast/" rel="nofollow">Seema Khosla and Talking Sleep at the AASM</a></p><p><strong>Consumer Sleep Technology: AASM Position Statement</strong></p><p>The 2018 position statement led by Khosla on how consumer-generated sleep data can — and cannot — be used clinically.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5940440/" rel="nofollow">Read the AASM statement</a></p><p><strong>World Sleep Society Recommendations for Sleep Trackers</strong></p><p>The 2025 recommendations on fundamental sleep measures, proprietary metrics, clinical use and device selection.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300398/" rel="nofollow">Read the recommendations</a></p><p><strong>2025 Wrist-Worn Sleep Tracker Meta-Analysis</strong></p><p>Twenty-four studies and 798 participants comparing consumer wrist devices with polysomnography.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11460" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Orthosomnia</strong></p><p>The original 2017 clinical case series that introduced the term for unhealthy perfectionism around tracker-generated sleep data.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27855740/" rel="nofollow">Read the paper</a></p><p><strong>Dreem Headband vs. Polysomnography</strong></p><p>The 2020 EEG and sleep-staging validation study discussed in the archive update.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32433768/" rel="nofollow">Read the Dreem validation study</a></p><p><strong>Dreem in Older Adults and Alzheimer’s Disease</strong></p><p>A 2025 independent evaluation showing both useful accuracy and important stage- and signal-specific limitations.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40319389/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2025 evaluation</a></p><p><strong>Beacon Biosignals / Waveband</strong></p><p>The current descendant of Dreem’s clinical EEG-headband technology.</p><p><a href="https://beacon.bio/press-releases/beacon-biosignals-acquires-dreem-launches-at-home-sleep-monitoring-services-for-clinical-trials/" rel="nofollow">Beacon’s Dreem acquisition and Waveband</a></p><p><strong>Apple Watch Series 6 and Blood Oxygen</strong></p><p>Apple’s September 2020 announcement that had just happened when this conversation was recorded.</p><p><a href="https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2020/09/apple-watch-series-6-delivers-breakthrough-wellness-and-fitness-capabilities/" rel="nofollow">Apple’s 2020 announcement</a></p><p><strong>Apple Watch Sleep Apnea Notifications</strong></p><p>The 2024 regulatory milestone showing how consumer sensors later moved toward a specific validated clinical screening use.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-roundup-september-17-2024" rel="nofollow">FDA clearance notice</a></p><p><strong>Ravi Allada: Jet Lag and Major League Baseball</strong></p><p>The 20-season, 46,535-game study discussed during the light-therapy segment.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28115724/" rel="nofollow">Read the baseball study</a></p><p><strong>Personal Light Treatment Devices</strong></p><p>Newer work on wearable blue-light and blue-blocking devices for circadian alignment in an operational setting.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11725645/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Talking Sleep: Wearable Sleep Tech</strong></p><p>Seema’s 2026 follow-through with members of the World Sleep Society tracker task force.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/talking-sleep-wearable-sleep-tech-clinical-use-and-best-practices/" rel="nofollow">Listen at the AASM</a></p><p><strong>Julie Flygare on Narcolepsy</strong></p><p>The earlier Snooze Button episode highlighted here for World Narcolepsy Day.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/narcolepsy-or-wide-awake-and-dreaming-with-julie-flygare/" rel="nofollow">Listen to Julie Flygare on The Snooze Button</a></p> 24c3d1ce-08b7-4347-aedc-514b75c7a940 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/c9dd86f6-654a-4444-bc8f-1c1ef12f362a Mon, 21 Sep 2020 07:30:47 +0000 2575 false full The Coach, The Expert and The President The Coach, The Expert and The President Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Beth Wyatt’s “rest instead of sleep” approach when sleep will not come
  • Breath awareness, racing thoughts and reducing pressure at bedtime
  • Why chronic insomnia is rarely solved by another generic sleep-hygiene tip
  • How Beth ended up with a mild sleep-apnea diagnosis when she expected narcolepsy or hypersomnia
  • The first-night effect in polysomnography
  • Neil’s repeat sleep-lab experience and the modern correction on pramipexole for RLS
  • Short naps, comfort and feeling safe enough to sleep
  • How COVID-19 changed Beth’s coaching work and her clients’ sleep
  • Listener Amy’s questions about upper airway resistance syndrome
  • Why UARS is now considered part of the OSA spectrum rather than a separate disease
  • RERAs, arousal-based scoring and why AHI can miss part of the clinical story
  • Whether cone-beam CT can diagnose an airway-related sleep problem
  • Small or recessed jaws, anatomy, loop gain, airway muscles and arousal threshold
  • Why permanent dental or surgical intervention deserves caution when the diagnosis is uncertain
  • What to do when an airway-focused treatment has not worked
  • Why the patient’s own symptoms and treatment response belong in the decision
  • The 936-million global OSA estimate
  • The 2020 open-source framework for validating consumer sleep trackers
  • Michael Grandner’s argument that sleep stages are useful human categories, not perfect boundaries in nature
  • How hypnodensity and multisensor wearables later followed the direction Michael predicted
  • The prediction that Alzheimer biomarker testing would become easier — and the 2025 blood-test milestone
  • The 2020 white-noise systematic review and what newer evidence says now


About Beth Wyatt

Beth Wyatt is a sleep coach, author, podcaster and meditation teacher. She is the author of The Calm & Cozy Book of Sleep: Rest + Dream + Live and host of the archive of The Calm & Cozy Podcast. Her current coaching work focuses particularly on sleep in midlife, including stress and hormonal change.

About Dr. Atul Malhotra

Atul Malhotra, MD, is a professor of medicine and sleep-medicine specialist at UC San Diego Health whose research focuses on obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory physiology, OSA endotypes, treatment adherence and personalized approaches to sleep-disordered breathing.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep-medicine specialist at the University of Arizona, where he directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep and Circadian Medicine Clinic. He later served as president of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and is now a past president of the organization.

MENTIONED

Sleep Coach Beth

Beth Wyatt’s current sleep-coaching work and resources.

Sleep Coach Beth

The Calm & Cozy Book of Sleep

Beth’s 2020 book from Rock Point/Quarto.

Book details from Quarto

Behavioral Treatment of Chronic Insomnia

The AASM clinical guideline supporting multicomponent CBT-I and advising against sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment.

Read the guideline

2025 VA/DoD Insomnia and OSA Guideline

Current evidence-based guidance for chronic insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.

Read the guideline resources

First-Night Effect in Polysomnography

A 2024 review of how the first night of sleep monitoring can alter sleep architecture.

Read the review

AASM Restless Legs Syndrome Guideline

The modern guideline that conditionally recommends against standard pramipexole use because of augmentation risk.

RLS and PLMD treatment guideline

Dr. Atul Malhotra

UC San Diego Health profile and current clinical work.

Atul Malhotra at UC San Diego Health

Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and OSA

The 2023 international consensus statement explains why UARS is no longer treated as a separate diagnostic entity and why RERAs still matter.

International Consensus Statement on OSA

Arousal-Based Scoring in OSA

The AASM position statement on hypopneas, RERAs and respiratory disturbance index.

AASM position statement

Global Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The 2019 analysis, coauthored by Malhotra, estimating 936 million adults aged 30–69 with mild-to-severe OSA.

Read the global prevalence study

OSA Endotypes and Phenotypes

Malhotra and colleagues on airway anatomy, muscle responsiveness, ventilatory control and arousal threshold.

Read the review

Standardized Framework for Testing Sleep Trackers

The open-source validation framework Michael was excited about in this episode.

Read the paper

Hypnodensity and Probabilistic Sleep Staging

A modern approach to representing stage ambiguity rather than forcing every epoch into one perfectly clean box.

Read the hypnodensity review

World Sleep Society Recommendations for Consumer Sleep Trackers

The 2025 recommendations on fundamental sleep measures, proprietary metrics and responsible tracker use.

Read the recommendations

Noise as a Sleep Aid

The 2020 systematic review of white and continuous broadband noise discussed with Michael.

Read the systematic review

2025 White-Noise Meta-Analysis

Newer randomized-trial evidence showing benefits in some populations while retaining substantial heterogeneity.

Read the meta-analysis

FDA-Cleared Alzheimer’s Blood Test

The 2025 milestone that followed Grandner’s prediction that Alzheimer biomarker testing would become easier and less invasive.

FDA announcement

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Beth Wyatt’s “rest instead of sleep” approach when sleep will not come</li><li> Breath awareness, racing thoughts and reducing pressure at bedtime</li><li> Why chronic insomnia is rarely solved by another generic sleep-hygiene tip</li><li> How Beth ended up with a mild sleep-apnea diagnosis when she expected narcolepsy or hypersomnia</li><li> The first-night effect in polysomnography</li><li> Neil’s repeat sleep-lab experience and the modern correction on pramipexole for RLS</li><li> Short naps, comfort and feeling safe enough to sleep</li><li> How COVID-19 changed Beth’s coaching work and her clients’ sleep</li><li> Listener Amy’s questions about upper airway resistance syndrome</li><li> Why UARS is now considered part of the OSA spectrum rather than a separate disease</li><li> RERAs, arousal-based scoring and why AHI can miss part of the clinical story</li><li> Whether cone-beam CT can diagnose an airway-related sleep problem</li><li> Small or recessed jaws, anatomy, loop gain, airway muscles and arousal threshold</li><li> Why permanent dental or surgical intervention deserves caution when the diagnosis is uncertain</li><li> What to do when an airway-focused treatment has not worked</li><li> Why the patient’s own symptoms and treatment response belong in the decision</li><li> The 936-million global OSA estimate</li><li> The 2020 open-source framework for validating consumer sleep trackers</li><li> Michael Grandner’s argument that sleep stages are useful human categories, not perfect boundaries in nature</li><li> How hypnodensity and multisensor wearables later followed the direction Michael predicted</li><li> The prediction that Alzheimer biomarker testing would become easier — and the 2025 blood-test milestone</li><li> The 2020 white-noise systematic review and what newer evidence says now</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Beth Wyatt</h2><p>Beth Wyatt is a sleep coach, author, podcaster and meditation teacher. She is the author of <em>The Calm &amp; Cozy Book of Sleep: Rest + Dream + Live</em> and host of the archive of <em>The Calm &amp; Cozy Podcast</em>. Her current coaching work focuses particularly on sleep in midlife, including stress and hormonal change.</p><h2>About Dr. Atul Malhotra</h2><p>Atul Malhotra, MD, is a professor of medicine and sleep-medicine specialist at UC San Diego Health whose research focuses on obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory physiology, OSA endotypes, treatment adherence and personalized approaches to sleep-disordered breathing.</p><h2>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h2><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep-medicine specialist at the University of Arizona, where he directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep and Circadian Medicine Clinic. He later served as president of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and is now a past president of the organization.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Sleep Coach Beth</strong></p><p>Beth Wyatt’s current sleep-coaching work and resources.</p><p><a href="https://www.sleepcoachbeth.com/" rel="nofollow">Sleep Coach Beth</a></p><p><strong>The Calm &amp; Cozy Book of Sleep</strong></p><p>Beth’s 2020 book from Rock Point/Quarto.</p><p><a href="https://www.quarto.com/books/9781631066870/the-calm-and-cozy-book-of-sleep" rel="nofollow">Book details from Quarto</a></p><p><strong>Behavioral Treatment of Chronic Insomnia</strong></p><p>The AASM clinical guideline supporting multicomponent CBT-I and advising against sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33164742/" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline</a></p><p><strong>2025 VA/DoD Insomnia and OSA Guideline</strong></p><p>Current evidence-based guidance for chronic insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.</p><p><a href="https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/CD/insomnia/index.asp" rel="nofollow">Read the guideline resources</a></p><p><strong>First-Night Effect in Polysomnography</strong></p><p>A 2024 review of how the first night of sleep monitoring can alter sleep architecture.</p><p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/slp2.12" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>AASM Restless Legs Syndrome Guideline</strong></p><p>The modern guideline that conditionally recommends against standard pramipexole use because of augmentation risk.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39324694/" rel="nofollow">RLS and PLMD treatment guideline</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Atul Malhotra</strong></p><p>UC San Diego Health profile and current clinical work.</p><p><a href="https://providers.ucsd.edu/details/22362/sleep-medicine-pulmonology-(lung)" rel="nofollow">Atul Malhotra at UC San Diego Health</a></p><p><strong>Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and OSA</strong></p><p>The 2023 international consensus statement explains why UARS is no longer treated as a separate diagnostic entity and why RERAs still matter.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10359192/" rel="nofollow">International Consensus Statement on OSA</a></p><p><strong>Arousal-Based Scoring in OSA</strong></p><p>The AASM position statement on hypopneas, RERAs and respiratory disturbance index.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/polysomnography-for-obstructive-sleep-apnea-should-include-arousal-based-scoring-an-american-academy-of-sleep-medicine-position-statement/" rel="nofollow">AASM position statement</a></p><p><strong>Global Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea</strong></p><p>The 2019 analysis, coauthored by Malhotra, estimating 936 million adults aged 30–69 with mild-to-severe OSA.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31300334/" rel="nofollow">Read the global prevalence study</a></p><p><strong>OSA Endotypes and Phenotypes</strong></p><p>Malhotra and colleagues on airway anatomy, muscle responsiveness, ventilatory control and arousal threshold.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7544644/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Standardized Framework for Testing Sleep Trackers</strong></p><p>The open-source validation framework Michael was excited about in this episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32882005/" rel="nofollow">Read the paper</a></p><p><strong>Hypnodensity and Probabilistic Sleep Staging</strong></p><p>A modern approach to representing stage ambiguity rather than forcing every epoch into one perfectly clean box.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41426496/" rel="nofollow">Read the hypnodensity review</a></p><p><strong>World Sleep Society Recommendations for Consumer Sleep Trackers</strong></p><p>The 2025 recommendations on fundamental sleep measures, proprietary metrics and responsible tracker use.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300398/" rel="nofollow">Read the recommendations</a></p><p><strong>Noise as a Sleep Aid</strong></p><p>The 2020 systematic review of white and continuous broadband noise discussed with Michael.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33007706/" rel="nofollow">Read the systematic review</a></p><p><strong>2025 White-Noise Meta-Analysis</strong></p><p>Newer randomized-trial evidence showing benefits in some populations while retaining substantial heterogeneity.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41151421/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>FDA-Cleared Alzheimer’s Blood Test</strong></p><p>The 2025 milestone that followed Grandner’s prediction that Alzheimer biomarker testing would become easier and less invasive.</p><p><a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USFDA/bulletins/3e0c769" rel="nofollow">FDA announcement</a></p> 4f724bdf-5b9f-4b90-9a10-5676233ca53f https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/8f1d75f6-9c13-42ea-87f9-c94a1fc28820 Mon, 14 Sep 2020 07:30:03 +0000 4873 false full Dementia and Sleep: It's Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts with Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė Dementia and Sleep: It's Not Just Deep Sleep That Counts with Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė Neil Hedley In this episode
  • What the glymphatic system is — and why “brainwashing” is a surprisingly useful metaphor
  • Astrocytes and their role in sleep and brain-fluid biology
  • Why amyloid-beta, tau and other proteins matter in neurodegenerative disease research
  • Why the connection between poor sleep and dementia is more complicated than a straight line
  • Laura’s 2020 hypothesis that REM sleep and sleep-stage cycling might matter for brain-fluid transport
  • What Laura’s 2023 Nature Communications paper later found
  • Why the old claim that “REM sleep clears waste too” was too strong
  • The current scientific argument over whether sleep increases or decreases brain clearance
  • Human evidence from sleep-deprivation and biomarker studies
  • Neil’s fear that low deep sleep had put him on a collision course with Alzheimer’s
  • Why there is no universal perfect percentage of deep or REM sleep to chase
  • Laura’s warning that worrying too much about sleep can itself become a sleep problem
  • Mouse studies of exercise and glymphatic function
  • How breathing changes cerebrospinal-fluid movement in humans
  • Why greater CSF motion does not automatically prove greater waste clearance
  • The notorious low-dose-alcohol mouse study — and what it actually showed
  • How brain waste connects with meningeal and cervical lymphatic drainage
  • Why Alzheimer blood testing has changed dramatically since this interview


About Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė

Laura Bojarskaitė, PhD, is a neuroscientist and sleep researcher whose work focuses on astrocytes, sleep, cerebrospinal-fluid dynamics and brain clearance. She completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Oslo and has continued as a postdoctoral researcher associated with the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital. She is also a science communicator, speaker, radio host and author of 300 Questions and Answers About Sleep.

MENTIONED

Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė

Laura’s current work in neuroscience, sleep research and science communication.

Laura Bojarskaitė

Astrocytic Ca²⁺ Signaling and Slow-Wave Sleep

Laura’s 2020 Nature Communications paper on astrocyte calcium signaling across sleep and wake.

Read the 2020 paper

Sleep Cycle-Dependent Vascular Dynamics

The 2023 paper that followed the unpublished REM/NREM research Laura discusses in this episode.

Read the 2023 paper

Aquaporin-4 and Extracellular Solute Clearance

Laura and colleagues’ 2024 study examining the role of aquaporin-4 polarization in brain solute clearance.

Read the 2024 paper

Sleep Deprivation and Human Brain Clearance

A 2021 human MRI study reporting impaired molecular clearance after one night of total sleep deprivation.

Read the human study

Human Brain Solute Transport During Sleep and Sleep Deprivation

A 2023 MRI-informed modeling study of brain-wide solute transport in humans.

Read the 2023 human study

Brain Clearance Is Reduced During Sleep and Anesthesia

The controversial 2024 mouse paper challenging a central glymphatic claim.

Read the 2024 paper

A Curious Concept of CNS Clearance

The 2025 response from Maiken Nedergaard and colleagues disputing the interpretation of the 2024 clearance study.

Read the response

Sleep, Amyloid-Beta and Tau Clearance in Humans

A 2026 randomized crossover study reporting sleep-associated movement of Alzheimer-related biomarkers from brain toward plasma.

Read the 2026 study

Breathing and Cerebrospinal-Fluid Flow

A foundational human MRI study showing strong respiratory regulation of CSF flow.

Read the MRI study

Yogic Breathing and CSF Dynamics

A 2022 human MRI study examining immediate changes in pulsatile CSF movement during different breathing patterns.

Read the breathing study

Exercise and Glymphatic Function in Mice

A voluntary-running study examining glymphatic tracer influx in awake mice.

Read the exercise study

Alcohol and Glymphatic Function in Mice

The 2018 study behind the episode’s heavily qualified discussion of low-dose alcohol.

Read the alcohol study

FDA-Cleared Alzheimer’s Blood Test

The FDA’s 2025 announcement of the first blood test cleared to aid Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

FDA announcement

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>What the glymphatic system is — and why “brainwashing” is a surprisingly useful metaphor</li><li> Astrocytes and their role in sleep and brain-fluid biology</li><li> Why amyloid-beta, tau and other proteins matter in neurodegenerative disease research</li><li> Why the connection between poor sleep and dementia is more complicated than a straight line</li><li> Laura’s 2020 hypothesis that REM sleep and sleep-stage cycling might matter for brain-fluid transport</li><li> What Laura’s 2023 <em>Nature Communications</em> paper later found</li><li> Why the old claim that “REM sleep clears waste too” was too strong</li><li> The current scientific argument over whether sleep increases or decreases brain clearance</li><li> Human evidence from sleep-deprivation and biomarker studies</li><li> Neil’s fear that low deep sleep had put him on a collision course with Alzheimer’s</li><li> Why there is no universal perfect percentage of deep or REM sleep to chase</li><li> Laura’s warning that worrying too much about sleep can itself become a sleep problem</li><li> Mouse studies of exercise and glymphatic function</li><li> How breathing changes cerebrospinal-fluid movement in humans</li><li> Why greater CSF motion does not automatically prove greater waste clearance</li><li> The notorious low-dose-alcohol mouse study — and what it actually showed</li><li> How brain waste connects with meningeal and cervical lymphatic drainage</li><li> Why Alzheimer blood testing has changed dramatically since this interview</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė</h2><p>Laura Bojarskaitė, PhD, is a neuroscientist and sleep researcher whose work focuses on astrocytes, sleep, cerebrospinal-fluid dynamics and brain clearance. She completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Oslo and has continued as a postdoctoral researcher associated with the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital. She is also a science communicator, speaker, radio host and author of <em>300 Questions and Answers About Sleep</em>.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Laura Bojarskaitė</strong></p><p>Laura’s current work in neuroscience, sleep research and science communication.</p><p><a href="https://laurabojarskaite.com/" rel="nofollow">Laura Bojarskaitė</a></p><p><strong>Astrocytic Ca²⁺ Signaling and Slow-Wave Sleep</strong></p><p>Laura’s 2020 <em>Nature Communications</em> paper on astrocyte calcium signaling across sleep and wake.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32632168/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2020 paper</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Cycle-Dependent Vascular Dynamics</strong></p><p>The 2023 paper that followed the unpublished REM/NREM research Laura discusses in this episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36806170/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2023 paper</a></p><p><strong>Aquaporin-4 and Extracellular Solute Clearance</strong></p><p>Laura and colleagues’ 2024 study examining the role of aquaporin-4 polarization in brain solute clearance.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38532513/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 paper</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Deprivation and Human Brain Clearance</strong></p><p>A 2021 human MRI study reporting impaired molecular clearance after one night of total sleep deprivation.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33829232/" rel="nofollow">Read the human study</a></p><p><strong>Human Brain Solute Transport During Sleep and Sleep Deprivation</strong></p><p>A 2023 MRI-informed modeling study of brain-wide solute transport in humans.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37596635/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2023 human study</a></p><p><strong>Brain Clearance Is Reduced During Sleep and Anesthesia</strong></p><p>The controversial 2024 mouse paper challenging a central glymphatic claim.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38741022/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 paper</a></p><p><strong>A Curious Concept of CNS Clearance</strong></p><p>The 2025 response from Maiken Nedergaard and colleagues disputing the interpretation of the 2024 clearance study.</p><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01897-3" rel="nofollow">Read the response</a></p><p><strong>Sleep, Amyloid-Beta and Tau Clearance in Humans</strong></p><p>A 2026 randomized crossover study reporting sleep-associated movement of Alzheimer-related biomarkers from brain toward plasma.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41593094/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 study</a></p><p><strong>Breathing and Cerebrospinal-Fluid Flow</strong></p><p>A foundational human MRI study showing strong respiratory regulation of CSF flow.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25673843/" rel="nofollow">Read the MRI study</a></p><p><strong>Yogic Breathing and CSF Dynamics</strong></p><p>A 2022 human MRI study examining immediate changes in pulsatile CSF movement during different breathing patterns.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35764793/" rel="nofollow">Read the breathing study</a></p><p><strong>Exercise and Glymphatic Function in Mice</strong></p><p>A voluntary-running study examining glymphatic tracer influx in awake mice.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29079431/" rel="nofollow">Read the exercise study</a></p><p><strong>Alcohol and Glymphatic Function in Mice</strong></p><p>The 2018 study behind the episode’s heavily qualified discussion of low-dose alcohol.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29396480/" rel="nofollow">Read the alcohol study</a></p><p><strong>FDA-Cleared Alzheimer’s Blood Test</strong></p><p>The FDA’s 2025 announcement of the first blood test cleared to aid Alzheimer’s diagnosis.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-clears-first-blood-test-used-diagnosing-alzheimers-disease" rel="nofollow">FDA announcement</a></p> d4979558-9162-4dfb-aa17-ce22d65bf83d https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/63b3bc8a-e739-4595-be95-3082daafc24c Mon, 07 Sep 2020 07:30:41 +0000 2065 false full Insomnia from Two Sides: Evo Terra & Dr. Spencer Dawson Insomnia from Two Sides: Evo Terra & Dr. Spencer Dawson Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Evo Terra’s “40th podcast” claim is really a Podcast Alley historical marker
  • Evo’s 15-year experience with sleep-maintenance insomnia
  • How a 20-minute workplace nap became part of his routine
  • What short naps can — and cannot — reliably do
  • Evo’s near-nightly cannabis use for sleep onset
  • Why anecdotal benefit is not the same thing as evidence of a treatment
  • What newer cannabis-and-sleep research says about sleep architecture
  • Spencer Dawson’s own middle-of-the-night strategy
  • Stimulus control and getting out of bed when sleep is not happening
  • Neil’s first sleep-lab mismatch between remembered sleep and measured sleep
  • Sleep-state misperception, paradoxical insomnia and sleep discrepancy
  • Why newer research questions whether PSG captures everything about feeling awake
  • How CBT-I can reduce subjective-objective sleep discrepancy
  • Why a consumer tracker should not be treated as the final judge of whether you slept
  • How periodic limb movements can complicate movement-based sleep estimates
  • Why insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea can coexist
  • Dawson’s later MATRICS trial of CBT-I plus PAP
  • Why “heard through a closed door” appears in real sleep-apnea screening
  • Snoring, choking, gasping and resistant high blood pressure as reasons to investigate
  • The diagnostic value of a bed partner
  • Neil’s 2020 “sleep divorce” problem
  • Why narcolepsy and hypersomnia can take years to diagnose
  • Behavioral treatment as an adjunct to medical care for hypersomnia


About Evo Terra

Evo Terra is a podcast strategist, producer, author and one of the medium’s earliest practitioners. According to Podcast Alley, he began as its 40th listed podcaster in October 2004. He co-authored multiple editions of Podcasting For Dummies, founded Podiobooks, hosted Podcast Pontifications and was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2022.

About Dr. Spencer Dawson

Spencer Dawson, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Director of Clinical Training in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington and continues to provide behavioral sleep services through Better Sleep Bloomington. His work has included insomnia, sleep discrepancy, comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea, narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.

MENTIONED

Evo Terra / Simpler Media

Terra’s current podcast strategy and production company.

Simpler Media

Podcast Hall of Fame — Evo Terra

Terra was inducted as part of the Hall of Fame’s 2022 class.

Podcast Hall of Fame

Podcasting For Dummies, 5th Edition

The 2024 edition co-authored by Tee Morris, Chuck Tomasi and Evo Terra.

Podcasting For Dummies, 5th Edition

Dr. Spencer Dawson — Indiana University

Dawson’s current university profile and behavioral sleep medicine roles.

Spencer Dawson — Indiana University

Dr. Spencer Dawson — Better Sleep Bloomington

Dawson’s behavioral sleep medicine practice.

Better Sleep Bloomington

Reconsidering Sleep Perception in Insomnia

A 2023 review asking whether “misperception” can partly reflect limitations in how standard sleep measurements define sleep and wake.

Read the review

Neurobiological Mechanisms of Sleep-State Misperception

A 2025 review of hyperarousal, sensory gating and other candidate mechanisms.

Read the 2025 review

CBT-I and Subjective-Objective Sleep Discrepancy

A later treatment study showing reduced discrepancy between actigraphy and self-reported sleep after CBT-I.

Read the CBT-I study

MATRICS: CBT-I and PAP for Comorbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea

The randomized trial co-authored by Dawson that followed the COMISA discussion in this episode.

Read the MATRICS trial

STOP-Bang Sleep Apnea Questionnaire

The validated screening tool that includes loud snoring heard through a closed door among its questions.

STOP-Bang screening questionnaire

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hypersomnia

The 2020 telehealth feasibility study by Jason Ong, Spencer Dawson and colleagues for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.

Read the CBT-H study

Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Narcolepsy

A 2024 feasibility study co-authored by Dawson examining an intervention adapted for people with narcolepsy.

Read the study

Diagnostic Delays in Narcolepsy and Idiopathic Hypersomnia

A 2025 study documenting continued multi-year diagnostic delays across central disorders of hypersomnolence.

Read the diagnostic-delay study

Cannabis and Sleep Architecture

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis finding inconsistent objective effects of cannabis administration on sleep architecture, with more consistent sleep disruption during withdrawal.

Read the systematic review

Short Naps and Sleep Inertia

A review of naps of 30 minutes or less and why nap length alone does not determine whether sleep inertia occurs.

Read the nap review

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Evo Terra’s “40th podcast” claim is really a Podcast Alley historical marker</li><li> Evo’s 15-year experience with sleep-maintenance insomnia</li><li> How a 20-minute workplace nap became part of his routine</li><li> What short naps can — and cannot — reliably do</li><li> Evo’s near-nightly cannabis use for sleep onset</li><li> Why anecdotal benefit is not the same thing as evidence of a treatment</li><li> What newer cannabis-and-sleep research says about sleep architecture</li><li> Spencer Dawson’s own middle-of-the-night strategy</li><li> Stimulus control and getting out of bed when sleep is not happening</li><li> Neil’s first sleep-lab mismatch between remembered sleep and measured sleep</li><li> Sleep-state misperception, paradoxical insomnia and sleep discrepancy</li><li> Why newer research questions whether PSG captures everything about feeling awake</li><li> How CBT-I can reduce subjective-objective sleep discrepancy</li><li> Why a consumer tracker should not be treated as the final judge of whether you slept</li><li> How periodic limb movements can complicate movement-based sleep estimates</li><li> Why insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea can coexist</li><li> Dawson’s later MATRICS trial of CBT-I plus PAP</li><li> Why “heard through a closed door” appears in real sleep-apnea screening</li><li> Snoring, choking, gasping and resistant high blood pressure as reasons to investigate</li><li> The diagnostic value of a bed partner</li><li> Neil’s 2020 “sleep divorce” problem</li><li> Why narcolepsy and hypersomnia can take years to diagnose</li><li> Behavioral treatment as an adjunct to medical care for hypersomnia</li></ul><h2><br></h2><h2>About Evo Terra</h2><p>Evo Terra is a podcast strategist, producer, author and one of the medium’s earliest practitioners. According to Podcast Alley, he began as its 40th listed podcaster in October 2004. He co-authored multiple editions of <em>Podcasting For Dummies</em>, founded Podiobooks, hosted <em>Podcast Pontifications</em> and was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2022.</p><h2>About Dr. Spencer Dawson</h2><p>Spencer Dawson, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Director of Clinical Training in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington and continues to provide behavioral sleep services through Better Sleep Bloomington. His work has included insomnia, sleep discrepancy, comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea, narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Evo Terra / Simpler Media</strong></p><p>Terra’s current podcast strategy and production company.</p><p><a href="https://simpler.media/" rel="nofollow">Simpler Media</a></p><p><strong>Podcast Hall of Fame — Evo Terra</strong></p><p>Terra was inducted as part of the Hall of Fame’s 2022 class.</p><p><a href="https://podcasthall.com/hall-of-fame/" rel="nofollow">Podcast Hall of Fame</a></p><p><strong>Podcasting For Dummies, 5th Edition</strong></p><p>The 2024 edition co-authored by Tee Morris, Chuck Tomasi and Evo Terra.</p><p><a href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/podcasting-for-dummies/9781394264520/" rel="nofollow">Podcasting For Dummies, 5th Edition</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Spencer Dawson — Indiana University</strong></p><p>Dawson’s current university profile and behavioral sleep medicine roles.</p><p><a href="https://news.iu.edu/live/profiles/2122-spencer-dawson" rel="nofollow">Spencer Dawson — Indiana University</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Spencer Dawson — Better Sleep Bloomington</strong></p><p>Dawson’s behavioral sleep medicine practice.</p><p><a href="https://www.bettersleepbloomington.com/" rel="nofollow">Better Sleep Bloomington</a></p><p><strong>Reconsidering Sleep Perception in Insomnia</strong></p><p>A 2023 review asking whether “misperception” can partly reflect limitations in how standard sleep measurements define sleep and wake.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37678561/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Neurobiological Mechanisms of Sleep-State Misperception</strong></p><p>A 2025 review of hyperarousal, sensory gating and other candidate mechanisms.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40327948/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2025 review</a></p><p><strong>CBT-I and Subjective-Objective Sleep Discrepancy</strong></p><p>A later treatment study showing reduced discrepancy between actigraphy and self-reported sleep after CBT-I.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38959289/" rel="nofollow">Read the CBT-I study</a></p><p><strong>MATRICS: CBT-I and PAP for Comorbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea</strong></p><p>The randomized trial co-authored by Dawson that followed the COMISA discussion in this episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32170307/" rel="nofollow">Read the MATRICS trial</a></p><p><strong>STOP-Bang Sleep Apnea Questionnaire</strong></p><p>The validated screening tool that includes loud snoring heard through a closed door among its questions.</p><p><a href="https://www.stopbang.ca/osa/screening.php" rel="nofollow">STOP-Bang screening questionnaire</a></p><p><strong>Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hypersomnia</strong></p><p>The 2020 telehealth feasibility study by Jason Ong, Spencer Dawson and colleagues for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32804069/" rel="nofollow">Read the CBT-H study</a></p><p><strong>Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Narcolepsy</strong></p><p>A 2024 feasibility study co-authored by Dawson examining an intervention adapted for people with narcolepsy.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38895897/" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></p><p><strong>Diagnostic Delays in Narcolepsy and Idiopathic Hypersomnia</strong></p><p>A 2025 study documenting continued multi-year diagnostic delays across central disorders of hypersomnolence.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40817031/" rel="nofollow">Read the diagnostic-delay study</a></p><p><strong>Cannabis and Sleep Architecture</strong></p><p>A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis finding inconsistent objective effects of cannabis administration on sleep architecture, with more consistent sleep disruption during withdrawal.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2025.102164" rel="nofollow">Read the systematic review</a></p><p><strong>Short Naps and Sleep Inertia</strong></p><p>A review of naps of 30 minutes or less and why nap length alone does not determine whether sleep inertia occurs.</p><h3><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28366332/" rel="nofollow">Read the nap review</a></h3> 86c6d7b9-9c3a-4500-8c69-dacbf7b7ae56 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/45a45736-ad13-4f49-b881-f5b9cf1fef94 Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:30:25 +0000 3366 false full Getting Beyond CPAP for Sleep Apnea with Dr. Mark Boulos Getting Beyond CPAP for Sleep Apnea with Dr. Mark Boulos Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Mark Boulos’s 2020 Wayne A. Hening Sleep Medicine Investigator Award
  • Why sleep apnea matters in stroke and TIA
  • Neil’s original periodic limb movement index of 82
  • What happened to that PLMI during CPAP titration
  • Why Neil’s dramatic CPAP result should not be generalized to everyone with PLMS
  • Mirapex/pramipexole, dopamine and restless legs syndrome
  • Richard Allen’s argument for looking closely at iron
  • The major 2024–2026 shift away from routine dopamine agonists for RLS
  • Why iron evaluation now occupies a central place in RLS treatment guidance
  • How the pandemic accelerated interest in home sleep apnea testing
  • Boulos’s later SLEAP SMART trial after stroke and TIA
  • Why CPAP remains highly effective — and why alternatives still matter
  • The early research on dronabinol and sleep apnea
  • Why cannabis is still not a recommended OSA treatment
  • Oral appliances, hypoglossal-nerve stimulation and other non-CPAP options
  • The 2024 FDA approval of tirzepatide for obesity-related moderate-to-severe OSA
  • Why snoring alone does not prove sleep apnea
  • How little sleep medicine historically appeared in medical-school curricula
  • Michael Grandner on the pandemic as a giant natural experiment in sleep timing
  • What later Fitbit data showed about sleeping longer and later during lockdowns
  • Why later school start times fit adolescent circadian biology
  • “COVIDsomnia,” nighttime worry and difficulty detaching
  • Food, activity, mental health and sleep as an interconnected system
  • Why sleep is the third leg of the health stool


About Dr. Mark Boulos

Mark Boulos, MD, FRCPC, CSCN(EEG), MSc, is an Associate Professor in Neurology at the University of Toronto, Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the University of Toronto Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His research examines the relationship between sleep disorders and stroke, TIA and other neurological conditions, along with home sleep monitoring and novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.

Photo credit: Doug Nicholson, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine researcher at the University of Arizona. His research examines how sleep connects with physical and mental health, cognition, social conditions and population health.

MENTIONED

Dr. Mark Boulos — University of Toronto

Boulos’s current faculty profile, research focus and clinical leadership roles.

Mark Boulos — University of Toronto Department of Medicine

Dr. Mark Boulos — Sunnybrook

Sunnybrook profile with his research focus and selected publications.

Mark Boulos — Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Wayne A. Hening Sleep Medicine Investigator Award

The American Academy of Neurology award discussed in the episode.

American Academy of Neurology — Hening Award

SLEAP SMART: Sleep Apnea Screening Using Mobile Ambulatory Recorders After TIA/Stroke

Boulos’s 250-patient randomized trial comparing home sleep apnea testing with in-laboratory polysomnography after stroke or TIA.

Read the SLEAP SMART trial

Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

The current AASM clinical practice guideline that changed the role of pramipexole and elevated iron and alpha-2-delta ligands.

Read the RLS/PLMD guideline

Changes in Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep After CPAP Therapy

A 14-study meta-analysis showing why Neil’s PLMI response to CPAP should be treated as an individual result rather than a general rule.

Read the CPAP/PLMS meta-analysis

Medical Cannabis and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement explaining why cannabis is not recommended as OSA treatment.

Read the AASM cannabis/OSA position statement

Cannabinoids for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review

The 2024 review of the small and still short-term evidence base.

Read the cannabinoid systematic review

FDA Approval of Tirzepatide for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The December 2024 U.S. approval of Zepbound for moderate-to-severe OSA in adults with obesity.

Read the FDA announcement

Changes in Sleep Duration, Timing and Variability During COVID-19

Large-scale Fitbit data that later confirmed the delayed and generally longer sleep Grandner was observing in 2020.

Read the Fitbit pandemic-sleep study

School Start Times, Sleep, and Youth Outcomes

A 2022 meta-analysis of 28 studies and more than 1.7 million participants.

Read the school-start-time meta-analysis

Delayed School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep

A 2026 meta-analysis estimating the effect of delayed starts on sleep duration and depressive symptoms.

Read the 2026 meta-analysis

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Mark Boulos’s 2020 Wayne A. Hening Sleep Medicine Investigator Award</li><li> Why sleep apnea matters in stroke and TIA</li><li> Neil’s original periodic limb movement index of 82</li><li> What happened to that PLMI during CPAP titration</li><li> Why Neil’s dramatic CPAP result should not be generalized to everyone with PLMS</li><li> Mirapex/pramipexole, dopamine and restless legs syndrome</li><li> Richard Allen’s argument for looking closely at iron</li><li> The major 2024–2026 shift away from routine dopamine agonists for RLS</li><li> Why iron evaluation now occupies a central place in RLS treatment guidance</li><li> How the pandemic accelerated interest in home sleep apnea testing</li><li> Boulos’s later SLEAP SMART trial after stroke and TIA</li><li> Why CPAP remains highly effective — and why alternatives still matter</li><li> The early research on dronabinol and sleep apnea</li><li> Why cannabis is still not a recommended OSA treatment</li><li> Oral appliances, hypoglossal-nerve stimulation and other non-CPAP options</li><li> The 2024 FDA approval of tirzepatide for obesity-related moderate-to-severe OSA</li><li> Why snoring alone does not prove sleep apnea</li><li> How little sleep medicine historically appeared in medical-school curricula</li><li> Michael Grandner on the pandemic as a giant natural experiment in sleep timing</li><li> What later Fitbit data showed about sleeping longer and later during lockdowns</li><li> Why later school start times fit adolescent circadian biology</li><li> “COVIDsomnia,” nighttime worry and difficulty detaching</li><li> Food, activity, mental health and sleep as an interconnected system</li><li> Why sleep is the third leg of the health stool</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Mark Boulos</h3><p>Mark Boulos, MD, FRCPC, CSCN(EEG), MSc, is an Associate Professor in Neurology at the University of Toronto, Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the University of Toronto Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His research examines the relationship between sleep disorders and stroke, TIA and other neurological conditions, along with home sleep monitoring and novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.</p><p><em>Photo credit: Doug Nicholson, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.</em></p><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine researcher at the University of Arizona. His research examines how sleep connects with physical and mental health, cognition, social conditions and population health.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Mark Boulos — University of Toronto</strong></p><p>Boulos’s current faculty profile, research focus and clinical leadership roles.</p><p><a href="https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos" rel="nofollow">Mark Boulos — University of Toronto Department of Medicine</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Mark Boulos — Sunnybrook</strong></p><p>Sunnybrook profile with his research focus and selected publications.</p><p><a href="https://sunnybrook.ca/team/member.asp?m=533&page=&t=19" rel="nofollow">Mark Boulos — Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre</a></p><p><strong>Wayne A. Hening Sleep Medicine Investigator Award</strong></p><p>The American Academy of Neurology award discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://www.aan.com/research/wayne-a-hening-sleep-medicine-investigator-award" rel="nofollow">American Academy of Neurology — Hening Award</a></p><p><strong>SLEAP SMART: Sleep Apnea Screening Using Mobile Ambulatory Recorders After TIA/Stroke</strong></p><p>Boulos’s 250-patient randomized trial comparing home sleep apnea testing with in-laboratory polysomnography after stroke or TIA.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34628939/" rel="nofollow">Read the SLEAP SMART trial</a></p><p><strong>Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder</strong></p><p>The current AASM clinical practice guideline that changed the role of pramipexole and elevated iron and alpha-2-delta ligands.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39324694/" rel="nofollow">Read the RLS/PLMD guideline</a></p><p><strong>Changes in Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep After CPAP Therapy</strong></p><p>A 14-study meta-analysis showing why Neil’s PLMI response to CPAP should be treated as an individual result rather than a general rule.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35720099/" rel="nofollow">Read the CPAP/PLMS meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Medical Cannabis and Obstructive Sleep Apnea</strong></p><p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement explaining why cannabis is not recommended as OSA treatment.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29609727/" rel="nofollow">Read the AASM cannabis/OSA position statement</a></p><p><strong>Cannabinoids for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review</strong></p><p>The 2024 review of the small and still short-term evidence base.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39498540/" rel="nofollow">Read the cannabinoid systematic review</a></p><p><strong>FDA Approval of Tirzepatide for Obstructive Sleep Apnea</strong></p><p>The December 2024 U.S. approval of Zepbound for moderate-to-severe OSA in adults with obesity.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-medication-obstructive-sleep-apnea" rel="nofollow">Read the FDA announcement</a></p><p><strong>Changes in Sleep Duration, Timing and Variability During COVID-19</strong></p><p>Large-scale Fitbit data that later confirmed the delayed and generally longer sleep Grandner was observing in 2020.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33771534/" rel="nofollow">Read the Fitbit pandemic-sleep study</a></p><p><strong>School Start Times, Sleep, and Youth Outcomes</strong></p><p>A 2022 meta-analysis of 28 studies and more than 1.7 million participants.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35593065/" rel="nofollow">Read the school-start-time meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Delayed School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep</strong></p><p>A 2026 meta-analysis estimating the effect of delayed starts on sleep duration and depressive symptoms.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42449039/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 meta-analysis</a></p> b2fb43dc-ea29-4e29-9439-c6d81ac51524 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/e9143f01-c312-4dea-aa13-8f60c9dd1db8 Mon, 24 Aug 2020 07:30:35 +0000 1562 false full The Only Thing Your Wearable Sleep Tracker Is Good For with Dr. Michael Chee The Only Thing Your Wearable Sleep Tracker Is Good For with Dr. Michael Chee Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why “sleep quality” is not the same thing as sleep duration or a device-generated sleep score
  • What Michael Chee’s adolescent Fitbit validation study actually found
  • Why wearables can be useful even when the absolute numbers are wrong
  • Why night-to-night trends can matter more than minute-level precision
  • How much confidence to place in deep-sleep and REM estimates
  • How wrist wearables use PPG to measure pulse
  • Why sensor contact and individual characteristics affect accuracy
  • Orthosomnia — and why it is a clinical concept, not a formal sleep-disorder diagnosis
  • Fitbit versus Oura versus an EEG headband
  • Why long-term wearable data and one-night polysomnography answer different questions
  • Michael Chee’s 2025 World Sleep Society recommendations on consumer sleep trackers
  • What newer validation studies say about modern Fitbit, Oura and Apple sleep tracking
  • Brooke Mason’s SLEEP 2020 work on nighttime phone use and mental health
  • Alexa Gozar’s SLEEP 2020 work on nighttime phone use and productivity
  • Why those smartphone studies show association rather than simple causation
  • Do Not Disturb, notification whitelists and taking control of interruptions
  • Why blue light is only part of the nighttime-device problem
  • Grandner’s “stand next to the bed” and grayscale tricks
  • Circadian timing, shift work and what sleep-friendly employers can actually do


About Professor Michael Chee

Michael Chee, MBBS, is Professor and Director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. His research spans sleep, cognition, neuroimaging, sleep restriction, cognitive aging and the use of wearable and smartphone technologies to understand sleep in the real world.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine researcher at the University of Arizona. His work examines the links among sleep, mental and physical health, cognition, social conditions and population health.

MENTIONED

Professor Michael Chee — NUS Centre for Sleep and Cognition

Chee’s current laboratory and research profile at the National University of Singapore.

NUS Sleep and Cognition Laboratory

Validation of a Consumer Sleep Wearable Device With Actigraphy and Polysomnography in Adolescents Across Sleep Opportunity Manipulations

Chee and colleagues’ 2019 multi-night Fitbit Alta HR validation study in 58 adolescents.

Read the Fitbit validation study

Multi-Night Validation of a Sleep Tracking Ring in Adolescents Compared with a Research Actigraph and Polysomnography

Chee’s group later tested the Oura Ring across multiple nights and sleep opportunities.

Read the Oura validation study

World Sleep Society recommendations for wearable consumer health trackers that monitor sleep

The 2025 international recommendations led by Michael Chee.

Read the World Sleep Society recommendations

State of the science and recommendations for using wearable technology in sleep and circadian research

A 2024 Sleep Research Society review of what modern wearables can and cannot reliably contribute to sleep research.

Read the 2024 wearable-technology review

Performance of consumer wrist-worn sleep tracking devices compared to polysomnography: a meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of 24 studies and 798 participants showing persistent differences between consumer devices and PSG.

Read the meta-analysis

Accuracy of Three Commercial Wearable Devices for Sleep Tracking in Healthy Adults

A 2024 PSG comparison of Oura Ring Gen 3, Fitbit Sense 2 and Apple Watch Series 8.

Read the device-comparison study

Orthosomnia: Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far?

The three-patient 2017 case series that coined the term.

Read the orthosomnia case series

Use Of Mobile Devices At Night Associated With Mental Health In Young Adults

Brooke Mason and colleagues’ SLEEP 2020 abstract from Grandner’s SHADES study.

Read the mental-health abstract

Mobile Device Use in Bed and Relationships to Work Productivity: Impact of Anxiety

Alexa Gozar and colleagues’ SLEEP 2020 abstract on nighttime phone use, productivity and anxiety.

Read the productivity abstract

Fitbit’s New “Sleep Score,” and What It Means

The Snooze Button’s earlier interview with Fitbit sleep scientist Dr. Conor Heneghan.

Read the Sleep Score article

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why “sleep quality” is not the same thing as sleep duration or a device-generated sleep score</li><li> What Michael Chee’s adolescent Fitbit validation study actually found</li><li> Why wearables can be useful even when the absolute numbers are wrong</li><li> Why night-to-night trends can matter more than minute-level precision</li><li> How much confidence to place in deep-sleep and REM estimates</li><li> How wrist wearables use PPG to measure pulse</li><li> Why sensor contact and individual characteristics affect accuracy</li><li> Orthosomnia — and why it is a clinical concept, not a formal sleep-disorder diagnosis</li><li> Fitbit versus Oura versus an EEG headband</li><li> Why long-term wearable data and one-night polysomnography answer different questions</li><li> Michael Chee’s 2025 World Sleep Society recommendations on consumer sleep trackers</li><li> What newer validation studies say about modern Fitbit, Oura and Apple sleep tracking</li><li> Brooke Mason’s SLEEP 2020 work on nighttime phone use and mental health</li><li> Alexa Gozar’s SLEEP 2020 work on nighttime phone use and productivity</li><li> Why those smartphone studies show association rather than simple causation</li><li> Do Not Disturb, notification whitelists and taking control of interruptions</li><li> Why blue light is only part of the nighttime-device problem</li><li> Grandner’s “stand next to the bed” and grayscale tricks</li><li> Circadian timing, shift work and what sleep-friendly employers can actually do</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Professor Michael Chee</h3><p>Michael Chee, MBBS, is Professor and Director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. His research spans sleep, cognition, neuroimaging, sleep restriction, cognitive aging and the use of wearable and smartphone technologies to understand sleep in the real world.</p><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine researcher at the University of Arizona. His work examines the links among sleep, mental and physical health, cognition, social conditions and population health.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Professor Michael Chee — NUS Centre for Sleep and Cognition</strong></p><p>Chee’s current laboratory and research profile at the National University of Singapore.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/csc/research-labs/sleep-and-cognition-laboratory/" rel="nofollow">NUS Sleep and Cognition Laboratory</a></p><p><strong>Validation of a Consumer Sleep Wearable Device With Actigraphy and Polysomnography in Adolescents Across Sleep Opportunity Manipulations</strong></p><p>Chee and colleagues’ 2019 multi-night Fitbit Alta HR validation study in 58 adolescents.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31538605/" rel="nofollow">Read the Fitbit validation study</a></p><p><strong>Multi-Night Validation of a Sleep Tracking Ring in Adolescents Compared with a Research Actigraph and Polysomnography</strong></p><p>Chee’s group later tested the Oura Ring across multiple nights and sleep opportunities.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33623459/" rel="nofollow">Read the Oura validation study</a></p><p><strong>World Sleep Society recommendations for wearable consumer health trackers that monitor sleep</strong></p><p>The 2025 international recommendations led by Michael Chee.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300398/" rel="nofollow">Read the World Sleep Society recommendations</a></p><p><strong>State of the science and recommendations for using wearable technology in sleep and circadian research</strong></p><p>A 2024 Sleep Research Society review of what modern wearables can and cannot reliably contribute to sleep research.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38149978/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 wearable-technology review</a></p><p><strong>Performance of consumer wrist-worn sleep tracking devices compared to polysomnography: a meta-analysis</strong></p><p>A meta-analysis of 24 studies and 798 participants showing persistent differences between consumer devices and PSG.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39484805/" rel="nofollow">Read the meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Accuracy of Three Commercial Wearable Devices for Sleep Tracking in Healthy Adults</strong></p><p>A 2024 PSG comparison of Oura Ring Gen 3, Fitbit Sense 2 and Apple Watch Series 8.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39460013/" rel="nofollow">Read the device-comparison study</a></p><p><strong>Orthosomnia: Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far?</strong></p><p>The three-patient 2017 case series that coined the term.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27855740/" rel="nofollow">Read the orthosomnia case series</a></p><p><strong>Use Of Mobile Devices At Night Associated With Mental Health In Young Adults</strong></p><p>Brooke Mason and colleagues’ SLEEP 2020 abstract from Grandner’s SHADES study.</p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/43/Supplement_1/A416/5847020" rel="nofollow">Read the mental-health abstract</a></p><p><strong>Mobile Device Use in Bed and Relationships to Work Productivity: Impact of Anxiety</strong></p><p>Alexa Gozar and colleagues’ SLEEP 2020 abstract on nighttime phone use, productivity and anxiety.</p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/43/Supplement_1/A5/5847126" rel="nofollow">Read the productivity abstract</a></p><p><strong>Fitbit’s New “Sleep Score,” and What It Means</strong></p><p>The Snooze Button’s earlier interview with Fitbit sleep scientist Dr. Conor Heneghan.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/fitbit-new-sleep-score-what-it-means/" rel="nofollow">Read the Sleep Score article</a></p> 9c9798a8-f2d9-4cc3-bc57-8fa3941cee3e https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/79dd3bed-8b13-4930-998c-1358532d454a Mon, 17 Aug 2020 07:30:32 +0000 2423 false full Daytime Sleepiness and Suicide: The Science with Dr. Michael Grandner Daytime Sleepiness and Suicide: The Science with Dr. Michael Grandner Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Michael Grandner’s reaction to Jason Ellis’s acute-insomnia work
  • Why the pandemic looked likely to accelerate sleep research
  • Sleep as a bridge between social disruption and biology
  • The early SARS-CoV-2 spike/neuropilin-1 pain hypothesis
  • Why the “seven minutes of sleep education” number needs correction
  • What UK medical-school surveys actually found about sleep teaching
  • Why sleep health needs to reach schools and communities, not just doctors
  • The NIH-funded PRIDE Institute and diversity in sleep research
  • Damien Léger’s French lockdown study on media exposure and sleep
  • Why cross-sectional pandemic surveys cannot prove cause and effect
  • Nocturnal wakefulness and suicide risk
  • Andrew Tubbs’s early work on morning wakefulness and suicidal ideation
  • How that research became the Mind After Midnight hypothesis
  • The $3.8 million NIMH-funded Mind After Midnight study launched in 2026
  • Why daytime sleepiness was not the significant finding in the study named in the episode title
  • Sleep duration, sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation in NHANES
  • Sydney Phan’s study of what people do in bed
  • Why reading in bed turned out differently from worrying, working or watching TV
  • What a 2024 stimulus-control review says about rigid bedroom rules


About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine researcher at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep and Circadian Medicine Clinic, and his work examines how sleep connects with cardiometabolic health, mental health, cognition, social and environmental conditions, and population health.

MENTIONED

Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona

Current faculty profile and overview of Grandner’s research and clinical work.

Michael Grandner at the University of Arizona

Medical student education in sleep and its disorders is still meagre 20 years on

The 2020 UK medical-school survey that helps correct the “seven minutes” claim.

Read the UK sleep-education study

Sleep education for medical students: A study exploring gaps and opportunities

A 2024 look at what final-year medical students recall learning about sleep and where curricula still fall short.

Read the 2024 medical-education study

NYU PRIDE Institute in Behavioral Medicine and Sleep Disorders Research

The NIH-supported mentoring program discussed by Grandner.

Read the PRIDE program evaluation

Poor sleep associated with overuse of media during the COVID-19 lockdown

Damien Léger and the COCONEL group’s survey of 1,005 French adults.

Read the lockdown/media study

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, neuropilin-1 and pain signaling

The University of Arizona mechanistic work later published in PAIN.

Read the spike/neuropilin-1 study

Nocturnal Wakefulness as a Previously Unrecognized Risk Factor for Suicide

The 2016 analysis that helped launch the nocturnal-wakefulness research thread.

Read the 2016 study

Population-level Suicide Ideation: Impact of Combined Roles of Sleep Duration, Sleep Disturbance, and Daytime Sleepiness

The 2020 conference abstract behind the episode’s daytime-sleepiness discussion. In the adjusted analysis, sleepiness itself was not significant.

Read the SLEEP 2020 abstract

Nocturnal and Morning Wakefulness Are Differentially Associated With Suicidal Ideation

The later nationally representative study extending the conference work.

Read the 2021 national study

The Mind After Midnight

The 2022 paper developing the nocturnal-wakefulness hypothesis into a broader model of behavioral dysregulation.

Read The Mind After Midnight

Mind After Midnight — 2026 clinical study

The current NIMH-supported mechanistic study led by Grandner, registered as NCT07438912.

View the registered study

Reconsidering Stimulus Control: Activities in Bed Associated with Sleep-Related Outcomes

Sydney Phan and colleagues’ 2020 abstract examining reading, TV, work, worry and other activities in bed.

Read the SLEEP 2020 abstract

The effectiveness of stimulus control in CBT-I

A 2024 systematic review and network meta-analysis revisiting which stimulus-control instructions matter and why.

Read the 2024 systematic review

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Michael Grandner’s reaction to Jason Ellis’s acute-insomnia work</li><li> Why the pandemic looked likely to accelerate sleep research</li><li> Sleep as a bridge between social disruption and biology</li><li> The early SARS-CoV-2 spike/neuropilin-1 pain hypothesis</li><li> Why the “seven minutes of sleep education” number needs correction</li><li> What UK medical-school surveys actually found about sleep teaching</li><li> Why sleep health needs to reach schools and communities, not just doctors</li><li> The NIH-funded PRIDE Institute and diversity in sleep research</li><li> Damien Léger’s French lockdown study on media exposure and sleep</li><li> Why cross-sectional pandemic surveys cannot prove cause and effect</li><li> Nocturnal wakefulness and suicide risk</li><li> Andrew Tubbs’s early work on morning wakefulness and suicidal ideation</li><li> How that research became the Mind After Midnight hypothesis</li><li> The $3.8 million NIMH-funded Mind After Midnight study launched in 2026</li><li> Why daytime sleepiness was <em>not</em> the significant finding in the study named in the episode title</li><li> Sleep duration, sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation in NHANES</li><li> Sydney Phan’s study of what people do in bed</li><li> Why reading in bed turned out differently from worrying, working or watching TV</li><li> What a 2024 stimulus-control review says about rigid bedroom rules</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine researcher at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep and Circadian Medicine Clinic, and his work examines how sleep connects with cardiometabolic health, mental health, cognition, social and environmental conditions, and population health.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona</strong></p><p>Current faculty profile and overview of Grandner’s research and clinical work.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm" rel="nofollow">Michael Grandner at the University of Arizona</a></p><p><strong>Medical student education in sleep and its disorders is still meagre 20 years on</strong></p><p>The 2020 UK medical-school survey that helps correct the “seven minutes” claim.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32166824/" rel="nofollow">Read the UK sleep-education study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep education for medical students: A study exploring gaps and opportunities</strong></p><p>A 2024 look at what final-year medical students recall learning about sleep and where curricula still fall short.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2024.05.052" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 medical-education study</a></p><p><strong>NYU PRIDE Institute in Behavioral Medicine and Sleep Disorders Research</strong></p><p>The NIH-supported mentoring program discussed by Grandner.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4762758/" rel="nofollow">Read the PRIDE program evaluation</a></p><p><strong>Poor sleep associated with overuse of media during the COVID-19 lockdown</strong></p><p>Damien Léger and the COCONEL group’s survey of 1,005 French adults.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32710627/" rel="nofollow">Read the lockdown/media study</a></p><p><strong>SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, neuropilin-1 and pain signaling</strong></p><p>The University of Arizona mechanistic work later published in <em>PAIN</em>.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33009246/" rel="nofollow">Read the spike/neuropilin-1 study</a></p><p><strong>Nocturnal Wakefulness as a Previously Unrecognized Risk Factor for Suicide</strong></p><p>The 2016 analysis that helped launch the nocturnal-wakefulness research thread.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27337421/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2016 study</a></p><p><strong>Population-level Suicide Ideation: Impact of Combined Roles of Sleep Duration, Sleep Disturbance, and Daytime Sleepiness</strong></p><p>The 2020 conference abstract behind the episode’s daytime-sleepiness discussion. In the adjusted analysis, sleepiness itself was not significant.</p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/43/Supplement_1/A416/5846974" rel="nofollow">Read the SLEEP 2020 abstract</a></p><p><strong>Nocturnal and Morning Wakefulness Are Differentially Associated With Suicidal Ideation</strong></p><p>The later nationally representative study extending the conference work.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34551221/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2021 national study</a></p><p><strong>The Mind After Midnight</strong></p><p>The 2022 paper developing the nocturnal-wakefulness hypothesis into a broader model of behavioral dysregulation.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35538929/" rel="nofollow">Read The Mind After Midnight</a></p><p><strong>Mind After Midnight — 2026 clinical study</strong></p><p>The current NIMH-supported mechanistic study led by Grandner, registered as NCT07438912.</p><p><a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07438912" rel="nofollow">View the registered study</a></p><p><strong>Reconsidering Stimulus Control: Activities in Bed Associated with Sleep-Related Outcomes</strong></p><p>Sydney Phan and colleagues’ 2020 abstract examining reading, TV, work, worry and other activities in bed.</p><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/43/Supplement_1/A208/5846629" rel="nofollow">Read the SLEEP 2020 abstract</a></p><p><strong>The effectiveness of stimulus control in CBT-I</strong></p><p>A 2024 systematic review and network meta-analysis revisiting which stimulus-control instructions matter and why.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37586843/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 systematic review</a></p> c11f44ff-1695-4f0f-aed5-c65444b1e272 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/6c55fbe6-027e-45c1-bad5-16ee131ac62a Mon, 03 Aug 2020 07:30:47 +0000 1568 false full Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) with Dr. Jason Ellis Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) with Dr. Jason Ellis Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Jason Ellis’s own go-to after a bad night is stimulus control
  • Getting out of bed before frustration becomes part of the bedroom
  • Sleep pressure and why staying awake temporarily can make the next attempt easier
  • Where acute insomnia ends and chronic insomnia begins
  • Why the three-month threshold is a diagnostic convention rather than a biological switch
  • Ellis’s research into the transition from acute to chronic insomnia
  • The original 2015 “single-shot” CBT-I randomized trial
  • What the famous 73% number actually represented
  • Why “73% cured after one hour” oversold a promising small study
  • The 2026 randomized primary-care trial of one-session CBT-I
  • What newer research says about extending time in bed after a poor night
  • Why CBT-I remains first-line treatment in current insomnia guidelines
  • Why access to trained CBT-I providers remains a problem
  • Alcohol as a sedative — and why it can fragment sleep later in the night
  • Ellis’s early COVID-era prediction of a surge in acute insomnia
  • What later pandemic sleep meta-analyses actually found
  • CBT-I when restless legs or periodic limb movements are also present
  • Why treating insomnia is not the same as eliminating RLS or PLMs
  • The unusual pilot study using lucid-dream training for insomnia
  • Why promising pilot results are not the same as an established treatment


About Professor Jason Ellis

Jason Ellis, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Northumbria University and Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research. His work focuses on insomnia, the transition from acute to chronic insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, behavioral sleep medicine and new ways of delivering effective insomnia treatment in settings where traditional multi-session therapy can be difficult to access.

MENTIONED

Professor Jason Ellis — Northumbria University

Ellis’s current faculty profile, research interests and recent publications.

Jason Ellis at Northumbria University

The One-Week Insomnia Cure

Ellis’s 2017 book applying CBT-I, mindfulness and related behavioral approaches to sleep problems.

The One-Week Insomnia Cure — Penguin

Treating Acute Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a “Single-Shot” of CBT-I

The 2015 randomized trial at the heart of this episode: 40 adults, one CBT-I session plus a pamphlet versus wait-list control.

Read the 2015 study

Group vs. Individual Treatment for Acute Insomnia

A later pilot testing whether Ellis’s one-shot intervention could retain its effect when delivered in groups.

Read the group-treatment study

One-Session CBT-I in Integrated Primary Care

The 2026 randomized preliminary study showing that the one-session approach is still being actively tested.

Read the 2026 primary-care trial

Sleep Opportunity Extension and the Transition to Chronic Insomnia

A 2026 study of 1,243 participants, co-authored by Ellis and Michael Grandner, challenging the idea that extending sleep opportunity after a poor night is the main driver of chronic insomnia.

Read the 2026 natural-history study

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Restless Legs Syndrome

A randomized study of CBT-I for people with RLS and comorbid insomnia.

Read the RLS/CBT-I study

Managing Insomnia Using Lucid Dreaming Training

The Ellis, Joseph De Koninck and Célyne Bastien open-label pilot discussed at the end of the episode.

Read the lucid-dreaming pilot

2025 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Chronic Insomnia

Current guideline recommending CBT-I for chronic insomnia and favoring it over medication as first-line treatment.

View the guideline resources

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Jason Ellis’s own go-to after a bad night is stimulus control</li><li> Getting out of bed before frustration becomes part of the bedroom</li><li> Sleep pressure and why staying awake temporarily can make the next attempt easier</li><li> Where acute insomnia ends and chronic insomnia begins</li><li> Why the three-month threshold is a diagnostic convention rather than a biological switch</li><li> Ellis’s research into the transition from acute to chronic insomnia</li><li> The original 2015 “single-shot” CBT-I randomized trial</li><li> What the famous 73% number actually represented</li><li> Why “73% cured after one hour” oversold a promising small study</li><li> The 2026 randomized primary-care trial of one-session CBT-I</li><li> What newer research says about extending time in bed after a poor night</li><li> Why CBT-I remains first-line treatment in current insomnia guidelines</li><li> Why access to trained CBT-I providers remains a problem</li><li> Alcohol as a sedative — and why it can fragment sleep later in the night</li><li> Ellis’s early COVID-era prediction of a surge in acute insomnia</li><li> What later pandemic sleep meta-analyses actually found</li><li> CBT-I when restless legs or periodic limb movements are also present</li><li> Why treating insomnia is not the same as eliminating RLS or PLMs</li><li> The unusual pilot study using lucid-dream training for insomnia</li><li> Why promising pilot results are not the same as an established treatment</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Professor Jason Ellis</h3><p>Jason Ellis, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Northumbria University and Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research. His work focuses on insomnia, the transition from acute to chronic insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, behavioral sleep medicine and new ways of delivering effective insomnia treatment in settings where traditional multi-session therapy can be difficult to access.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Professor Jason Ellis — Northumbria University</strong></p><p>Ellis’s current faculty profile, research interests and recent publications.</p><p><a href="https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/e/jason-ellis/" rel="nofollow">Jason Ellis at Northumbria University</a></p><p><strong><em>The One-Week Insomnia Cure</em></strong></p><p>Ellis’s 2017 book applying CBT-I, mindfulness and related behavioral approaches to sleep problems.</p><p><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/433237/the-one-week-insomnia-cure-by-professor-jason-ellis/9781785040634" rel="nofollow">The One-Week Insomnia Cure — Penguin</a></p><p><strong>Treating Acute Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a “Single-Shot” of CBT-I</strong></p><p>The 2015 randomized trial at the heart of this episode: 40 adults, one CBT-I session plus a pamphlet versus wait-list control.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25515106/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2015 study</a></p><p><strong>Group vs. Individual Treatment for Acute Insomnia</strong></p><p>A later pilot testing whether Ellis’s one-shot intervention could retain its effect when delivered in groups.</p><p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/7/1/1" rel="nofollow">Read the group-treatment study</a></p><p><strong>One-Session CBT-I in Integrated Primary Care</strong></p><p>The 2026 randomized preliminary study showing that the one-session approach is still being actively tested.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41816906/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 primary-care trial</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Opportunity Extension and the Transition to Chronic Insomnia</strong></p><p>A 2026 study of 1,243 participants, co-authored by Ellis and Michael Grandner, challenging the idea that extending sleep opportunity after a poor night is the main driver of chronic insomnia.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41705421/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 natural-history study</a></p><p><strong>Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Restless Legs Syndrome</strong></p><p>A randomized study of CBT-I for people with RLS and comorbid insomnia.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32861015/" rel="nofollow">Read the RLS/CBT-I study</a></p><p><strong>Managing Insomnia Using Lucid Dreaming Training</strong></p><p>The Ellis, Joseph De Koninck and Célyne Bastien open-label pilot discussed at the end of the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32162971/" rel="nofollow">Read the lucid-dreaming pilot</a></p><p><strong>2025 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Chronic Insomnia</strong></p><p>Current guideline recommending CBT-I for chronic insomnia and favoring it over medication as first-line treatment.</p><p><a href="https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/CD/insomnia/index.asp" rel="nofollow">View the guideline resources</a></p> cc863301-35f6-498b-b952-69d7718d072b https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/0faaf884-3009-4d2c-8c2f-67d1f327d5b5 Mon, 27 Jul 2020 07:30:18 +0000 2153 false full Cannabis & CBD for Sleep & Insomnia: The Science with Dr. Ryan Vandrey Cannabis & CBD for Sleep & Insomnia: The Science with Dr. Ryan Vandrey Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Dr. Ryan Vandrey on what cannabis research could — and could not — support in 2020
  • Why THC and CBD should not be treated as interchangeable
  • Research on THC as a sleep aid going back to the late 1960s and 1970s
  • THC and sleep-onset latency
  • Why evidence for CBD as a sleep aid was much weaker
  • REM sleep, slow-wave sleep and inconsistent sleep-architecture findings
  • Why most early studies did not actually involve patients with diagnosed sleep disorders
  • Tolerance, dependence and cannabis withdrawal
  • Why withdrawal insomnia can be mistaken for proof that cannabis is necessary for sleep
  • Vivid dreams and REM rebound after stopping heavy cannabis use
  • PTSD, nightmares and the limits of the early evidence
  • Why route of administration, THC/CBD ratio, dose and formulation matter
  • The problem of standardization and quality control in cannabis research
  • Why “it worked for me” is meaningful but not universal evidence
  • What 2025 randomized evidence says about cannabinoids and subjective sleep quality
  • Why CBD-only interventions still have not demonstrated a clear sleep benefit
  • What the 2025 sleep-architecture meta-analysis says about REM suppression
  • A 2026 Ryan Vandrey co-authored trial in people with diagnosed insomnia
  • Michael Grandner’s secret past as a college radio DJ
  • Christopher Depner and Kenneth Wright’s metabolomic search for a blood marker of insufficient sleep
  • Why one biomarker is probably not enough to measure sleep deprivation
  • How that biomarker research had advanced by 2024
  • Dr. Daniel Buysse, brief behavioral treatment for insomnia and “insomnia judo”
  • Using sleep pressure as part of behavioral insomnia treatment


About Dr. Ryan Vandrey

Ryan Vandrey, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and works with the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit and Cannabis Science Lab. His research includes cannabis dose and formulation, route of administration, pharmacokinetics, medicinal use, cannabis-drug interactions, cannabis product testing, cannabis withdrawal and Cannabis Use Disorder — including the effects of cannabis use and withdrawal on sleep.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. In this recurring segment, he joins Neil to translate new sleep research into something useful — and, occasionally, to reveal that he once had a radio voice of his own.

MENTIONED

Dr. Ryan Vandrey — Johns Hopkins Medicine

Vandrey’s current faculty profile and research interests.

Ryan Vandrey at Johns Hopkins

Cannabinoid therapies in the management of sleep disorders

The 2020 systematic review co-authored by Vandrey examining the preclinical and clinical evidence for cannabinoids and sleep.

Read the 2020 systematic review

Interactions between disordered sleep, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders

Vandrey and colleagues’ 2014 review of sleep, PTSD and substance use.

Read the PTSD, sleep and substance-use review

Effectiveness of cannabinoids on subjective sleep quality

The 2025 meta-analysis of six randomized trials and 1,077 participants, including separate analyses of CBD-only and non-CBD interventions.

Read the 2025 randomized-trial meta-analysis

Cannabis and sleep architecture: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The 2025 review of objective polysomnographic evidence, including REM sleep and withdrawal.

Read the sleep-architecture meta-analysis

Acute Effects of Oral Cannabinoids on Sleep and High-Density EEG in Insomnia

The 2026 pilot randomized trial in 20 adults with diagnosed insomnia, co-authored by Ryan Vandrey.

Read the 2026 insomnia trial

Cannabis and sleep disorders: What clinicians need to know

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s 2024 overview of the evidence and clinical cautions.

Read the AASM overview

Developing preliminary blood metabolomics-based biomarkers of insufficient sleep in humans

The Christopher Depner / Kenneth Wright paper Michael discusses in his weekly science segment.

Read the 2020 metabolomics paper

Accurate detection of acute sleep deprivation using a metabolomic biomarker

A 2024 machine-learning study showing how far the biomarker idea had progressed after this episode.

Read the 2024 sleep-deprivation biomarker study

Efficacy of brief behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia in older adults

Daniel Buysse and colleagues’ randomized trial of the brief behavioral insomnia treatment behind Michael’s “insomnia judo” discussion.

Read the BBTI trial

Songs About Sleep — The 15 Best Of All Time

The Snooze Button list that Michael’s former-radio-DJ story sends Neil back to.

Read the list

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Dr. Ryan Vandrey on what cannabis research could — and could not — support in 2020</li><li> Why THC and CBD should not be treated as interchangeable</li><li> Research on THC as a sleep aid going back to the late 1960s and 1970s</li><li> THC and sleep-onset latency</li><li> Why evidence for CBD as a sleep aid was much weaker</li><li> REM sleep, slow-wave sleep and inconsistent sleep-architecture findings</li><li> Why most early studies did not actually involve patients with diagnosed sleep disorders</li><li> Tolerance, dependence and cannabis withdrawal</li><li> Why withdrawal insomnia can be mistaken for proof that cannabis is necessary for sleep</li><li> Vivid dreams and REM rebound after stopping heavy cannabis use</li><li> PTSD, nightmares and the limits of the early evidence</li><li> Why route of administration, THC/CBD ratio, dose and formulation matter</li><li> The problem of standardization and quality control in cannabis research</li><li> Why “it worked for me” is meaningful but not universal evidence</li><li> What 2025 randomized evidence says about cannabinoids and subjective sleep quality</li><li> Why CBD-only interventions still have not demonstrated a clear sleep benefit</li><li> What the 2025 sleep-architecture meta-analysis says about REM suppression</li><li> A 2026 Ryan Vandrey co-authored trial in people with diagnosed insomnia</li><li> Michael Grandner’s secret past as a college radio DJ</li><li> Christopher Depner and Kenneth Wright’s metabolomic search for a blood marker of insufficient sleep</li><li> Why one biomarker is probably not enough to measure sleep deprivation</li><li> How that biomarker research had advanced by 2024</li><li> Dr. Daniel Buysse, brief behavioral treatment for insomnia and “insomnia judo”</li><li> Using sleep pressure as part of behavioral insomnia treatment</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Ryan Vandrey</h3><p>Ryan Vandrey, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and works with the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit and Cannabis Science Lab. His research includes cannabis dose and formulation, route of administration, pharmacokinetics, medicinal use, cannabis-drug interactions, cannabis product testing, cannabis withdrawal and Cannabis Use Disorder — including the effects of cannabis use and withdrawal on sleep.</p><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. In this recurring segment, he joins Neil to translate new sleep research into something useful — and, occasionally, to reveal that he once had a radio voice of his own.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Ryan Vandrey — Johns Hopkins Medicine</strong></p><p>Vandrey’s current faculty profile and research interests.</p><p><a href="https://profiles.hopkinsmedicine.org/provider/ryan-g-vandrey/2777317" rel="nofollow">Ryan Vandrey at Johns Hopkins</a></p><p><strong>Cannabinoid therapies in the management of sleep disorders</strong></p><p>The 2020 systematic review co-authored by Vandrey examining the preclinical and clinical evidence for cannabinoids and sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32603954/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2020 systematic review</a></p><p><strong>Interactions between disordered sleep, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders</strong></p><p>Vandrey and colleagues’ 2014 review of sleep, PTSD and substance use.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4052373/" rel="nofollow">Read the PTSD, sleep and substance-use review</a></p><p><strong>Effectiveness of cannabinoids on subjective sleep quality</strong></p><p>The 2025 meta-analysis of six randomized trials and 1,077 participants, including separate analyses of CBD-only and non-CBD interventions.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40929927/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2025 randomized-trial meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Cannabis and sleep architecture: A systematic review and meta-analysis</strong></p><p>The 2025 review of objective polysomnographic evidence, including REM sleep and withdrawal.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40967124/" rel="nofollow">Read the sleep-architecture meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>Acute Effects of Oral Cannabinoids on Sleep and High-Density EEG in Insomnia</strong></p><p>The 2026 pilot randomized trial in 20 adults with diagnosed insomnia, co-authored by Ryan Vandrey.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40631525/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 insomnia trial</a></p><p><strong>Cannabis and sleep disorders: What clinicians need to know</strong></p><p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s 2024 overview of the evidence and clinical cautions.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/viewpoints-cannabis-and-sleep-disorders-what-clinicians-need-to-know/" rel="nofollow">Read the AASM overview</a></p><p><strong>Developing preliminary blood metabolomics-based biomarkers of insufficient sleep in humans</strong></p><p>The Christopher Depner / Kenneth Wright paper Michael discusses in his weekly science segment.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31894238/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2020 metabolomics paper</a></p><p><strong>Accurate detection of acute sleep deprivation using a metabolomic biomarker</strong></p><p>A 2024 machine-learning study showing how far the biomarker idea had progressed after this episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38457492/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 sleep-deprivation biomarker study</a></p><p><strong>Efficacy of brief behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia in older adults</strong></p><p>Daniel Buysse and colleagues’ randomized trial of the brief behavioral insomnia treatment behind Michael’s “insomnia judo” discussion.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3101289/" rel="nofollow">Read the BBTI trial</a></p><p><strong>Songs About Sleep — The 15 Best Of All Time</strong></p><p>The Snooze Button list that Michael’s former-radio-DJ story sends Neil back to.</p><p><a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/songs-about-sleep-the-15-best-of-all-time/" rel="nofollow">Read the list</a></p> ce7607b3-d841-41ff-ad80-ce94faff04ed https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/f7b10dea-6f83-4611-bd3b-b6f72f2011f2 Mon, 20 Jul 2020 07:30:47 +0000 3146 false full LEAKED! The Snooze Button - The Book! LEAKED! The Snooze Button - The Book! Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why the podcast originally existed as the public research phase of The Snooze Button book
  • Neil reading three chapters of the raw 2020 manuscript
  • “Phillips Is an Ass” and the internal absurdity of a sleepless night
  • Clock-watching, bargaining, caffeine, meditation and sleep performance anxiety
  • “Sleepless in Everywhere” and three decades of morning radio
  • What a 3 a.m. alarm does to conventional sleep advice
  • Why becoming a father again changed the stakes of Neil’s sleep problem
  • “The Wake-Up Call” and the hazards of diagnosing yourself through Dr. Google
  • Sleep, tau and the difference between association and causation in Alzheimer’s research
  • Dr. Adrian Owen’s study of sleep duration and cognition in more than 10,000 people
  • Reasoning and verbal performance versus short-term memory
  • The correction from a “ten-year” cognitive-aging comparison to the published estimate of roughly eight years
  • Why the Owen study cannot prove that long or short sleep caused poorer cognition
  • Michael Grandner on expertise, humility and uncertainty
  • Why CBT-I can be first-line treatment and still be poorly represented in professional training
  • Consumer sleep trackers and the problem with “best,” “most accurate” and “gold standard”
  • Why PSG remains the reference standard for validating sleep measurement
  • Sleep-versus-wake accuracy versus actual sleep-stage accuracy
  • How consumer sleep technology guidance changed between 2020 and 2025
  • EEG-fMRI research into why some people remember dreams more often
  • Dream recall versus actually dreaming more
  • Grandner, Fabian-Xosé Fernandez and Julie Flygare on narcolepsy and COVID-19
  • Emmanuel Mignot’s response and the lessons scientists were drawing from H1N1
  • Why the Pandemrix-narcolepsy association should not be generalized to all H1N1 vaccines
  • What later research says about COVID, the blood-brain barrier and direct brain invasion


About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. In this recurring segment, he joins Neil to put new sleep research into context rather than simply repeating the headline.

MENTIONED

Dissociable effects of self-reported daily sleep duration on high-level cognitive abilities

The 2018 Wild, Owen and colleagues study of more than 10,000 people discussed in Chapter Three.

Read the Adrian Owen cognition study

Reduced non-rapid eye movement sleep is associated with tau pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease

The 2019 Washington University study linking reduced slow-wave sleep with Alzheimer’s-related tau pathology.

Read the tau and slow-wave-sleep study

Wearable technologies for developing sleep and circadian biomarkers

The 2020 international workshop paper Michael references while discussing validation and the role of PSG as a reference standard.

Read the wearable-technology paper

World Sleep Society recommendations for wearable consumer health trackers

The 2025 guidance showing how the field’s view of consumer trackers has evolved while retaining important limits on interpretation.

Read the 2025 recommendations

Brain functional connectivity upon awakening from sleep predicts interindividual differences in dream recall frequency

The French EEG-fMRI dream-recall study Michael discusses.

Read the dream-recall study

Narcolepsy and COVID-19: sleeping on an opportunity?

The 2020 piece by Fabian-Xosé Fernandez, Julie Flygare and Michael Grandner asking what the pandemic might teach researchers about immune triggers and narcolepsy.

Read the Grandner/Fernandez/Flygare paper

Narcolepsy risk and COVID-19

Emmanuel Mignot and Steve Black’s response expanding on the H1N1, vaccination and narcolepsy questions.

Read the Mignot and Black response

Infection, vaccination and narcolepsy type 1: Evidence and potential molecular mechanisms

A 2024 review of the evidence for autoimmune narcolepsy and the specific roles proposed for infection and Pandemrix vaccination.

Read the 2024 narcolepsy review

The neurobiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A 2024 Nature Reviews Neuroscience review explaining why COVID’s neurological effects do not automatically prove widespread direct viral invasion of the brain.

Read the SARS-CoV-2 neurobiology review

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why the podcast originally existed as the public research phase of <em>The Snooze Button</em> book</li><li> Neil reading three chapters of the raw 2020 manuscript</li><li> “Phillips Is an Ass” and the internal absurdity of a sleepless night</li><li> Clock-watching, bargaining, caffeine, meditation and sleep performance anxiety</li><li> “Sleepless in Everywhere” and three decades of morning radio</li><li> What a 3 a.m. alarm does to conventional sleep advice</li><li> Why becoming a father again changed the stakes of Neil’s sleep problem</li><li> “The Wake-Up Call” and the hazards of diagnosing yourself through Dr. Google</li><li> Sleep, tau and the difference between association and causation in Alzheimer’s research</li><li> Dr. Adrian Owen’s study of sleep duration and cognition in more than 10,000 people</li><li> Reasoning and verbal performance versus short-term memory</li><li> The correction from a “ten-year” cognitive-aging comparison to the published estimate of roughly eight years</li><li> Why the Owen study cannot prove that long or short sleep caused poorer cognition</li><li> Michael Grandner on expertise, humility and uncertainty</li><li> Why CBT-I can be first-line treatment and still be poorly represented in professional training</li><li> Consumer sleep trackers and the problem with “best,” “most accurate” and “gold standard”</li><li> Why PSG remains the reference standard for validating sleep measurement</li><li> Sleep-versus-wake accuracy versus actual sleep-stage accuracy</li><li> How consumer sleep technology guidance changed between 2020 and 2025</li><li> EEG-fMRI research into why some people remember dreams more often</li><li> Dream recall versus actually dreaming more</li><li> Grandner, Fabian-Xosé Fernandez and Julie Flygare on narcolepsy and COVID-19</li><li> Emmanuel Mignot’s response and the lessons scientists were drawing from H1N1</li><li> Why the Pandemrix-narcolepsy association should not be generalized to all H1N1 vaccines</li><li> What later research says about COVID, the blood-brain barrier and direct brain invasion</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. In this recurring segment, he joins Neil to put new sleep research into context rather than simply repeating the headline.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dissociable effects of self-reported daily sleep duration on high-level cognitive abilities</strong></p><p>The 2018 Wild, Owen and colleagues study of more than 10,000 people discussed in Chapter Three.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6289236/" rel="nofollow">Read the Adrian Owen cognition study</a></p><p><strong>Reduced non-rapid eye movement sleep is associated with tau pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease</strong></p><p>The 2019 Washington University study linking reduced slow-wave sleep with Alzheimer’s-related tau pathology.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30626715/" rel="nofollow">Read the tau and slow-wave-sleep study</a></p><p><strong>Wearable technologies for developing sleep and circadian biomarkers</strong></p><p>The 2020 international workshop paper Michael references while discussing validation and the role of PSG as a reference standard.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31641776/" rel="nofollow">Read the wearable-technology paper</a></p><p><strong>World Sleep Society recommendations for wearable consumer health trackers</strong></p><p>The 2025 guidance showing how the field’s view of consumer trackers has evolved while retaining important limits on interpretation.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300398/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2025 recommendations</a></p><p><strong>Brain functional connectivity upon awakening from sleep predicts interindividual differences in dream recall frequency</strong></p><p>The French EEG-fMRI dream-recall study Michael discusses.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32597973/" rel="nofollow">Read the dream-recall study</a></p><p><strong>Narcolepsy and COVID-19: sleeping on an opportunity?</strong></p><p>The 2020 piece by Fabian-Xosé Fernandez, Julie Flygare and Michael Grandner asking what the pandemic might teach researchers about immune triggers and narcolepsy.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7446099/" rel="nofollow">Read the Grandner/Fernandez/Flygare paper</a></p><p><strong>Narcolepsy risk and COVID-19</strong></p><p>Emmanuel Mignot and Steve Black’s response expanding on the H1N1, vaccination and narcolepsy questions.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7954017/" rel="nofollow">Read the Mignot and Black response</a></p><p><strong>Infection, vaccination and narcolepsy type 1: Evidence and potential molecular mechanisms</strong></p><p>A 2024 review of the evidence for autoimmune narcolepsy and the specific roles proposed for infection and Pandemrix vaccination.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39032452/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 narcolepsy review</a></p><p><strong>The neurobiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong></p><p>A 2024 Nature Reviews Neuroscience review explaining why COVID’s neurological effects do not automatically prove widespread direct viral invasion of the brain.</p><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-023-00769-8" rel="nofollow">Read the SARS-CoV-2 neurobiology review</a></p> 8e64172c-0205-4ad1-8117-907d6e03a526 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/9854a2c5-9c72-4514-8b30-7ed635d7dfc9 Mon, 13 Jul 2020 07:30:29 +0000 3200 false full Sleep vs The Common Cold (and other viruses) with Dr. Aric Prather Sleep vs The Common Cold (and other viruses) with Dr. Aric Prather Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why even a professional sleep scientist can have a four-year-old who wakes him at 4 a.m.
  • Why children are not simply “little adults” when it comes to sleep
  • Aric Prather’s viral-challenge experiment with rhinovirus and 164 healthy adults
  • Why the study measured clinically verified colds rather than simply asking who felt sick
  • The roughly fourfold increase in odds among the shortest sleepers
  • Why shorter sleep did not significantly predict who became infected
  • Clinical illness versus viral infection
  • Why the common-cold findings should not be casually generalized to COVID-19
  • Masking versus an extra hour of sleep in the middle of a pandemic
  • Sleep and the immune system
  • Hepatitis B vaccination and antibody response
  • Influenza vaccination and sleep in the days before the shot
  • Why poor sleep is not a reason to avoid vaccines
  • The 2023 meta-analysis on objectively measured short sleep and vaccine response
  • Why trying harder to sleep can become part of insomnia
  • CBT-I and treating chronic insomnia without trying to force unconsciousness
  • Aric’s WIRED “five levels” sleep video
  • What sleep researchers lose when they build overly clean study samples
  • Sleep, discrimination, cardiovascular risk and health equity
  • Why Prather calls sleep a social-justice issue
  • Aric’s 2026 appointment to lead the UCSF Center for Health and Community
  • Michael Grandner’s “rule of threes” for chronic insomnia
  • Why thirty minutes is a clinical rule of thumb, not a magical threshold
  • A neural network stabilized by a sleep-like slow-wave surrogate
  • Later research on sleep-like replay and catastrophic forgetting
  • Fitbit data from Singapore during COVID lockdown
  • What happened to weekday sleep when commuting disappeared
  • The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine’s pandemic guidance
  • Remembering William Dement, one of the founders of modern sleep medicine
  • The Promise of Sleep
  • The 2020 PTBP1 Parkinson’s mouse study
  • Why later lineage-tracing work challenged its headline mechanism


About Dr. Aric Prather

Aric A. Prather, PhD, is a psychologist and sleep scientist at the University of California, San Francisco. His research examines how sleep and psychological stress affect health, including immune function, cardiovascular risk and health disparities. He also treats insomnia using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

In August 2026, UCSF named Prather director of its Center for Health and Community. He also directs the UCSF Behavioral Sleep Medicine Research Program and is the author of the 2022 book The Sleep Prescription.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. In this recurring segment, he joins Neil to put new sleep research into context rather than simply repeating the headline.

MENTIONED

Dr. Aric Prather — UCSF

Current UCSF profile for Prather and his work in behavioral sleep medicine, stress and health.

Aric Prather at UCSF

Prather appointed director of the UCSF Center for Health and Community

UCSF’s August 20, 2026 announcement of Prather’s new leadership role.

UCSF announcement

Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold

The 2015 rhinovirus challenge study at the center of the interview.

Read the common-cold study

Sleep and Antibody Response to Hepatitis B Vaccination

Prather and colleagues’ study linking objectively measured sleep duration with antibody response and clinical protection following hepatitis B vaccination.

Read the hepatitis B vaccine study

Temporal Links Between Self-Reported Sleep and Antibody Responses to the Influenza Vaccine

The influenza-vaccine study discussed in the episode.

Read the influenza vaccine study

2023 meta-analysis: insufficient sleep and antibody response to vaccination

A later meta-analysis finding a robust reduction in antibody response when short sleep was measured objectively.

Read the 2023 meta-analysis

WIRED: Sleep Expert Explains One Concept in Five Levels of Difficulty

The video Neil and Aric discuss during the interview.

Watch the WIRED video

The Sleep Prescription — Aric A. Prather

Prather’s 2022 practical guide to improving sleep without turning it into another source of pressure.

The Sleep Prescription

Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine COVID-19 Task Force recommendations

The 2020 pandemic sleep guidance Michael discusses in his weekly segment.

Read the SBSM recommendations

COVID-19-related mobility reduction: heterogeneous effects on sleep and physical activity rhythms

The Singapore wearable study that was emerging when the episode was recorded and was later published using data from 1,824 adults.

Read the Singapore study

Using Sinusoidally-Modulated Noise as a Surrogate for Slow-Wave Sleep

The 2020 computer-science paper behind Michael’s discussion of a neural network that benefited from a sleep-like state.

Read the neural-network paper

William C. Dement, 1928–2020

Stanford Medicine’s remembrance of one of the founders of modern sleep medicine.

Remembering William Dement

Reversing a model of Parkinson’s disease with in situ converted nigral neurons

The dramatic 2020 mouse study Neil brings to Michael at the end of the episode.

Read the original Nature paper

Later PTBP1 replication challenge

A 2022 lineage-tracing study that failed to reproduce the reported astrocyte-to-dopamine-neuron conversion.

Read the 2022 challenge

Ptbp1 deletion does not induce astrocyte-to-neuron conversion

A 2023 Nature Matters Arising paper arguing that viral reporter leakage could account for the apparent conversion reported in the original work.

Read the 2023 critique

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why even a professional sleep scientist can have a four-year-old who wakes him at 4 a.m.</li><li> Why children are not simply “little adults” when it comes to sleep</li><li> Aric Prather’s viral-challenge experiment with rhinovirus and 164 healthy adults</li><li> Why the study measured clinically verified colds rather than simply asking who felt sick</li><li> The roughly fourfold increase in odds among the shortest sleepers</li><li> Why shorter sleep did not significantly predict who became infected</li><li> Clinical illness versus viral infection</li><li> Why the common-cold findings should not be casually generalized to COVID-19</li><li> Masking versus an extra hour of sleep in the middle of a pandemic</li><li> Sleep and the immune system</li><li> Hepatitis B vaccination and antibody response</li><li> Influenza vaccination and sleep in the days before the shot</li><li> Why poor sleep is not a reason to avoid vaccines</li><li> The 2023 meta-analysis on objectively measured short sleep and vaccine response</li><li> Why trying harder to sleep can become part of insomnia</li><li> CBT-I and treating chronic insomnia without trying to force unconsciousness</li><li> Aric’s WIRED “five levels” sleep video</li><li> What sleep researchers lose when they build overly clean study samples</li><li> Sleep, discrimination, cardiovascular risk and health equity</li><li> Why Prather calls sleep a social-justice issue</li><li> Aric’s 2026 appointment to lead the UCSF Center for Health and Community</li><li> Michael Grandner’s “rule of threes” for chronic insomnia</li><li> Why thirty minutes is a clinical rule of thumb, not a magical threshold</li><li> A neural network stabilized by a sleep-like slow-wave surrogate</li><li> Later research on sleep-like replay and catastrophic forgetting</li><li> Fitbit data from Singapore during COVID lockdown</li><li> What happened to weekday sleep when commuting disappeared</li><li> The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine’s pandemic guidance</li><li> Remembering William Dement, one of the founders of modern sleep medicine</li><li> <em>The Promise of Sleep</em></li><li> The 2020 PTBP1 Parkinson’s mouse study</li><li> Why later lineage-tracing work challenged its headline mechanism</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Aric Prather</h3><p>Aric A. Prather, PhD, is a psychologist and sleep scientist at the University of California, San Francisco. His research examines how sleep and psychological stress affect health, including immune function, cardiovascular risk and health disparities. He also treats insomnia using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.</p><p>In August 2026, UCSF named Prather director of its Center for Health and Community. He also directs the UCSF Behavioral Sleep Medicine Research Program and is the author of the 2022 book <em>The Sleep Prescription</em>.</p><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. In this recurring segment, he joins Neil to put new sleep research into context rather than simply repeating the headline.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Aric Prather — UCSF</strong></p><p>Current UCSF profile for Prather and his work in behavioral sleep medicine, stress and health.</p><p><a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/aric.prather" rel="nofollow">Aric Prather at UCSF</a></p><p><strong>Prather appointed director of the UCSF Center for Health and Community</strong></p><p>UCSF’s August 20, 2026 announcement of Prather’s new leadership role.</p><p><a href="https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/news/prather-appointed-director-ucsf-center-health-community" rel="nofollow">UCSF announcement</a></p><p><strong>Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold</strong></p><p>The 2015 rhinovirus challenge study at the center of the interview.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4531403/" rel="nofollow">Read the common-cold study</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and Antibody Response to Hepatitis B Vaccination</strong></p><p>Prather and colleagues’ study linking objectively measured sleep duration with antibody response and clinical protection following hepatitis B vaccination.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3397812/" rel="nofollow">Read the hepatitis B vaccine study</a></p><p><strong>Temporal Links Between Self-Reported Sleep and Antibody Responses to the Influenza Vaccine</strong></p><p>The influenza-vaccine study discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32236831/" rel="nofollow">Read the influenza vaccine study</a></p><p><strong>2023 meta-analysis: insufficient sleep and antibody response to vaccination</strong></p><p>A later meta-analysis finding a robust reduction in antibody response when short sleep was measured objectively.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36917932/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2023 meta-analysis</a></p><p><strong>WIRED: Sleep Expert Explains One Concept in Five Levels of Difficulty</strong></p><p>The video Neil and Aric discuss during the interview.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB61yG8WDyU" rel="nofollow">Watch the WIRED video</a></p><p><strong><em>The Sleep Prescription</em> — Aric A. Prather</strong></p><p>Prather’s 2022 practical guide to improving sleep without turning it into another source of pressure.</p><p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671991/the-sleep-prescription-by-aric-a-prather-phd/" rel="nofollow">The Sleep Prescription</a></p><p><strong>Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine COVID-19 Task Force recommendations</strong></p><p>The 2020 pandemic sleep guidance Michael discusses in his weekly segment.</p><p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15402002.2020.1776288" rel="nofollow">Read the SBSM recommendations</a></p><p><strong>COVID-19-related mobility reduction: heterogeneous effects on sleep and physical activity rhythms</strong></p><p>The Singapore wearable study that was emerging when the episode was recorded and was later published using data from 1,824 adults.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7543649/" rel="nofollow">Read the Singapore study</a></p><p><strong>Using Sinusoidally-Modulated Noise as a Surrogate for Slow-Wave Sleep</strong></p><p>The 2020 computer-science paper behind Michael’s discussion of a neural network that benefited from a sleep-like state.</p><p><a href="https://openaccess.thecvf.com/content_CVPRW_2020/html/w22/Watkins_Using_Sinusoidally-Modulated_Noise_as_a_Surrogate_for_Slow-Wave_Sleep_to_CVPRW_2020_paper.html" rel="nofollow">Read the neural-network paper</a></p><p><strong>William C. Dement, 1928–2020</strong></p><p>Stanford Medicine’s remembrance of one of the founders of modern sleep medicine.</p><p><a href="https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/06/william-dement-giant-in-field-of-sleep-medicine-dies-at-91.html" rel="nofollow">Remembering William Dement</a></p><p><strong>Reversing a model of Parkinson’s disease with in situ converted nigral neurons</strong></p><p>The dramatic 2020 mouse study Neil brings to Michael at the end of the episode.</p><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2388-4" rel="nofollow">Read the original Nature paper</a></p><p><strong>Later PTBP1 replication challenge</strong></p><p>A 2022 lineage-tracing study that failed to reproduce the reported astrocyte-to-dopamine-neuron conversion.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9208759/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2022 challenge</a></p><p><strong>Ptbp1 deletion does not induce astrocyte-to-neuron conversion</strong></p><p>A 2023 Nature Matters Arising paper arguing that viral reporter leakage could account for the apparent conversion reported in the original work.</p><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06066-9" rel="nofollow">Read the 2023 critique</a></p> 09cd4efb-2e34-4b7f-85a7-8b35b3f4a0a6 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/22cd789e-dd45-4277-b917-f08428f00358 Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:30:25 +0000 3629 false full How Your Race Impacts Your Sleep with Dr. Dayna Johnson How Your Race Impacts Your Sleep with Dr. Dayna Johnson Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Neil nearly shut down The Snooze Button after the murder of George Floyd
  • Why a sleep podcast still had something relevant to say about racism
  • Dr. Dayna Johnson’s 2019 review of racial and ethnic disparities in sleep
  • Why race should not be treated as a biological explanation for sleep differences
  • Race as a social construct and a proxy for different lived exposures
  • How racism and discrimination can act as chronic physiological stressors
  • Sleep as one pathway connecting social conditions with broader health disparities
  • Redlining, residential segregation and the environments people inherit
  • Noise, pollution, neighborhood safety, walkability and sleep
  • Why ZIP code can be a powerful part of the sleep-health story
  • Dayna’s experience as a Black woman in a predominantly white scientific field
  • Microaggressions, professional titles and assumptions about affirmative action
  • The 2020 #BlackInTheIvory conversation
  • John Henryism and high-effort coping with chronic social stress
  • The Chicago Area Sleep Study
  • Where the 47.9-minute Black–White sleep-duration gap discussed in the episode actually came from
  • Why one sample should not be turned into a universal racial sleep average
  • Objective sleep differences versus self-reported sleep complaints
  • Why Black adults may under-report insomnia symptoms in some studies
  • The historical stereotype connecting sleep and laziness
  • Benjamin Reiss’s Wild Nights
  • Sleep apnea, hypertension and the Jackson Heart Sleep Study
  • The striking level of previously undiagnosed sleep apnea in that sample
  • How access to specialists, transportation, work flexibility and family obligations affect sleep care
  • Sleep disparities and COVID-19
  • Why Dayna resisted claiming that sleep directly explained racial COVID disparities
  • Essential work, shift work and unequal exposure to risk
  • Harvard’s Project Implicit and the limits of interpreting one IAT score
  • Writing down worries to interrupt bedtime rumination
  • David Allen, Getting Things Done and “psychic RAM”
  • Michael Grandner’s first weekly sleep-science update
  • Trying to sleep while a wildfire threatens your neighborhood
  • The practical question: “Is this useful?”
  • Early COVID-era research on sleep timing, duration and mental health
  • The pandemic as a natural experiment in commuting and school start times
  • Repeated online cognitive testing and the promise of longitudinal big data
  • Cannabinoids, insomnia and what the evidence could — and could not — support in 2020
  • Why the accidental phrase “a blunt approach” was never going to survive the edit


About Dr. Dayna Johnson

Dayna Johnson, PhD, MPH, MS, MSW, is an associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, with appointments in Epidemiology and the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health.

Her research focuses on sleep epidemiology and health equity — particularly the social and environmental conditions that contribute to insufficient sleep, sleep disorders and downstream health outcomes such as hypertension and cognitive decline. Her work has placed particular emphasis on African American communities and on identifying modifiable environmental targets for reducing sleep disparities.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. This episode marks the beginning of his recurring weekly appearances on The Snooze Button to help Neil unpack new sleep research.

MENTIONED

Dr. Dayna Johnson — Emory University

Current faculty profile and overview of Johnson’s work on sleep epidemiology, environmental health and health disparities.

Dayna Johnson at Rollins School of Public Health

Are Sleep Patterns Influenced by Race/Ethnicity — a Marker of Relative Advantage or Disadvantage? Evidence to Date

The 2019 review by Dayna Johnson, Chandra Jackson, Natasha Williams and Carmela Alcántara that anchors the main interview.

Read the review

Chicago Area Sleep Study

The population-based actigraphy study behind the 399.5-minute Black and 447.4-minute White average sleep-duration figures discussed in the episode.

Disparities in Sleep Characteristics by Race/Ethnicity

Association Between Sleep Apnea and Blood Pressure Control Among Blacks

Dayna Johnson and colleagues’ Jackson Heart Sleep Study paper on obstructive sleep apnea, blood-pressure control and the very high proportion of previously undiagnosed OSA in the study sample.

Jackson Heart Sleep Study paper

Sleep Disparities in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The 2020 commentary by Chandra Jackson and Dayna Johnson connecting sleep disparities, the pandemic and the social determinants of health.

Read the commentary

Social and Environmental Determinants of Sleep Health Disparities

Johnson’s 2024 overview of the evidence connecting racism, discrimination, socioeconomic conditions, neighborhood environments and access to care with sleep inequities.

Read the 2024 overview

Day-by-Day Changes in the Indoor Environment and Sleep Health Among African American Adults

A small 2026 study from Johnson’s group examining indoor noise, temperature, carbon dioxide, humidity, pressure and objectively measured sleep.

Read the 2026 study

Project Implicit

The Implicit Association Test discussed by Neil. Best treated as a tool for education, reflection and research rather than as an individual diagnostic test of prejudice.

Project Implicit

Wild Nights: How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World — Benjamin Reiss

The 2017 cultural history of sleep Dayna references while discussing historical ideas about work, rest and laziness.

Wild Nights on Google Books

Getting Things Done — David Allen

Neil connects Dayna’s habit of writing down bedtime worries with David Allen’s idea of getting commitments out of your head and into a trusted system.

Getting Things Done

Cannabinoid Therapies in the Management of Sleep Disorders

The 2020 systematic review Michael and Neil discuss at the end of the episode: 14 preclinical and 12 clinical studies, with insufficient evidence at the time for routine cannabinoid treatment of sleep disorders.

Sleep Medicine Reviews: Cannabinoid Therapies and Sleep

2025 Cannabinoid Sleep Meta-Analysis

A later randomized-trial meta-analysis finding improvement in subjective sleep quality, particularly with non-CBD formulations, while also reporting high heterogeneity and no clear CBD-only benefit.

Effectiveness of Cannabinoids on Subjective Sleep Quality

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Neil nearly shut down The Snooze Button after the murder of George Floyd</li><li> Why a sleep podcast still had something relevant to say about racism</li><li> Dr. Dayna Johnson’s 2019 review of racial and ethnic disparities in sleep</li><li> Why race should not be treated as a biological explanation for sleep differences</li><li> Race as a social construct and a proxy for different lived exposures</li><li> How racism and discrimination can act as chronic physiological stressors</li><li> Sleep as one pathway connecting social conditions with broader health disparities</li><li> Redlining, residential segregation and the environments people inherit</li><li> Noise, pollution, neighborhood safety, walkability and sleep</li><li> Why ZIP code can be a powerful part of the sleep-health story</li><li> Dayna’s experience as a Black woman in a predominantly white scientific field</li><li> Microaggressions, professional titles and assumptions about affirmative action</li><li> The 2020 #BlackInTheIvory conversation</li><li> John Henryism and high-effort coping with chronic social stress</li><li> The Chicago Area Sleep Study</li><li> Where the 47.9-minute Black–White sleep-duration gap discussed in the episode actually came from</li><li> Why one sample should not be turned into a universal racial sleep average</li><li> Objective sleep differences versus self-reported sleep complaints</li><li> Why Black adults may under-report insomnia symptoms in some studies</li><li> The historical stereotype connecting sleep and laziness</li><li> Benjamin Reiss’s <em>Wild Nights</em></li><li> Sleep apnea, hypertension and the Jackson Heart Sleep Study</li><li> The striking level of previously undiagnosed sleep apnea in that sample</li><li> How access to specialists, transportation, work flexibility and family obligations affect sleep care</li><li> Sleep disparities and COVID-19</li><li> Why Dayna resisted claiming that sleep directly explained racial COVID disparities</li><li> Essential work, shift work and unequal exposure to risk</li><li> Harvard’s Project Implicit and the limits of interpreting one IAT score</li><li> Writing down worries to interrupt bedtime rumination</li><li> David Allen, <em>Getting Things Done</em> and “psychic RAM”</li><li> Michael Grandner’s first weekly sleep-science update</li><li> Trying to sleep while a wildfire threatens your neighborhood</li><li> The practical question: “Is this useful?”</li><li> Early COVID-era research on sleep timing, duration and mental health</li><li> The pandemic as a natural experiment in commuting and school start times</li><li> Repeated online cognitive testing and the promise of longitudinal big data</li><li> Cannabinoids, insomnia and what the evidence could — and could not — support in 2020</li><li> Why the accidental phrase “a blunt approach” was never going to survive the edit</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Dayna Johnson</h3><p>Dayna Johnson, PhD, MPH, MS, MSW, is an associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, with appointments in Epidemiology and the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health.</p><p>Her research focuses on sleep epidemiology and health equity — particularly the social and environmental conditions that contribute to insufficient sleep, sleep disorders and downstream health outcomes such as hypertension and cognitive decline. Her work has placed particular emphasis on African American communities and on identifying modifiable environmental targets for reducing sleep disparities.</p><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Michael Grandner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. This episode marks the beginning of his recurring weekly appearances on The Snooze Button to help Neil unpack new sleep research.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Dayna Johnson — Emory University</strong></p><p>Current faculty profile and overview of Johnson’s work on sleep epidemiology, environmental health and health disparities.</p><p><a href="https://sph.emory.edu/profile/faculty/dayna-johnson" rel="nofollow">Dayna Johnson at Rollins School of Public Health</a></p><p><strong>Are Sleep Patterns Influenced by Race/Ethnicity — a Marker of Relative Advantage or Disadvantage? Evidence to Date</strong></p><p>The 2019 review by Dayna Johnson, Chandra Jackson, Natasha Williams and Carmela Alcántara that anchors the main interview.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6664254/" rel="nofollow">Read the review</a></p><p><strong>Chicago Area Sleep Study</strong></p><p>The population-based actigraphy study behind the 399.5-minute Black and 447.4-minute White average sleep-duration figures discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26459680/" rel="nofollow">Disparities in Sleep Characteristics by Race/Ethnicity</a></p><p><strong>Association Between Sleep Apnea and Blood Pressure Control Among Blacks</strong></p><p>Dayna Johnson and colleagues’ Jackson Heart Sleep Study paper on obstructive sleep apnea, blood-pressure control and the very high proportion of previously undiagnosed OSA in the study sample.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6428682/" rel="nofollow">Jackson Heart Sleep Study paper</a></p><p><strong>Sleep Disparities in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong></p><p>The 2020 commentary by Chandra Jackson and Dayna Johnson connecting sleep disparities, the pandemic and the social determinants of health.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7446086/" rel="nofollow">Read the commentary</a></p><p><strong>Social and Environmental Determinants of Sleep Health Disparities</strong></p><p>Johnson’s 2024 overview of the evidence connecting racism, discrimination, socioeconomic conditions, neighborhood environments and access to care with sleep inequities.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11516374/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2024 overview</a></p><p><strong>Day-by-Day Changes in the Indoor Environment and Sleep Health Among African American Adults</strong></p><p>A small 2026 study from Johnson’s group examining indoor noise, temperature, carbon dioxide, humidity, pressure and objectively measured sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13178693/" rel="nofollow">Read the 2026 study</a></p><p><strong>Project Implicit</strong></p><p>The Implicit Association Test discussed by Neil. Best treated as a tool for education, reflection and research rather than as an individual diagnostic test of prejudice.</p><p><a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/" rel="nofollow">Project Implicit</a></p><p><strong><em>Wild Nights: How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World</em> — Benjamin Reiss</strong></p><p>The 2017 cultural history of sleep Dayna references while discussing historical ideas about work, rest and laziness.</p><p><a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Wild_Nights.html?id=b0s_DgAAQBAJ" rel="nofollow">Wild Nights on Google Books</a></p><p><strong><em>Getting Things Done</em> — David Allen</strong></p><p>Neil connects Dayna’s habit of writing down bedtime worries with David Allen’s idea of getting commitments out of your head and into a trusted system.</p><p><a href="https://gettingthingsdone.com/" rel="nofollow">Getting Things Done</a></p><p><strong>Cannabinoid Therapies in the Management of Sleep Disorders</strong></p><p>The 2020 systematic review Michael and Neil discuss at the end of the episode: 14 preclinical and 12 clinical studies, with insufficient evidence at the time for routine cannabinoid treatment of sleep disorders.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101339" rel="nofollow">Sleep Medicine Reviews: Cannabinoid Therapies and Sleep</a></p><p><strong>2025 Cannabinoid Sleep Meta-Analysis</strong></p><p>A later randomized-trial meta-analysis finding improvement in subjective sleep quality, particularly with non-CBD formulations, while also reporting high heterogeneity and no clear CBD-only benefit.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40929927/" rel="nofollow">Effectiveness of Cannabinoids on Subjective Sleep Quality</a></p> fc571b8b-4aab-4d8c-8987-213ef122e73d https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/00ae74c3-440b-4517-9214-3030d15f1cb6 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 07:30:41 +0000 3987 false full Talking About "Talking Sleep", with Dr. Seema Khosla Talking About "Talking Sleep", with Dr. Seema Khosla Neil Hedley In this episode
  • How Seema slept the night before the interview — and how her dogs got involved
  • Whether dogs belong in the bedroom or in the bed
  • What the Mayo Clinic dog-and-sleep study actually found
  • Why the “women sleep better with dogs than partners” headline overstates the underlying research
  • Seema’s path from pulmonary and critical care medicine into sleep medicine
  • The severe sleep-apnea patient who changed how she thought about treatment
  • Why “the patient couldn’t tolerate CPAP” should not automatically end the treatment conversation
  • Why sleep-lab testing feels so unnatural
  • Performance anxiety on the first night of polysomnography
  • Normal sleep-study values and the PSG norms project
  • Why Neil’s sleep-study data became part of his own sleep investigation
  • Seema’s three years chairing the AASM Consumer and Clinical Technology Committee
  • How sleep doctors evaluate trackers, apps, sensors and gadgets
  • The difference between an FDA-cleared component and a validated consumer claim
  • Proprietary algorithms and the “black box” problem
  • Why a phone sitting on a mattress cannot prove that sleeping on the floor cured anything
  • Fitbit, sleep scores and the gap between measured sleep and how you actually feel
  • Orthosomnia and the danger of trying to perfect sleep data
  • Why consumer sleep technology can be useful without being diagnostic
  • Why more data is not necessarily more useful data
  • When feeling unrefreshed matters more than a “good” tracker score
  • Why Dr. Reddit and Dr. Google are poor substitutes for a proper sleep evaluation
  • Different ways obstructive sleep apnea can be treated
  • Why getting people to care about sleep may require meeting them where they are
  • Sleep, performance, athletes and hard-charging executives
  • Seema falling asleep at a stop sign during medical training — and initially treating it as a badge of honor
  • How exhaustion became culturally confused with dedication
  • Sleep envy and comparing your sleep-onset time with your partner’s
  • Why falling asleep immediately is not necessarily something to aspire to
  • Different sleep timing preferences and Seema’s tendency toward later sleep
  • Neil’s inability to understand people who can casually take a 30-minute nap
  • How early COVID-era schedule changes gave some people more opportunity to sleep
  • The limits of generic sleep-hygiene advice
  • Why chronic insomnia requires more than “put down your phone and take melatonin”
  • CBT-I as the evidence-based first-line behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia
  • The launch of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s Talking Sleep podcast
  • Why Seema wanted the AASM show to reach beyond sleep physicians
  • Dr. Chris Winter as the first Talking Sleep guest
  • Why more people talking intelligently about sleep is good for everyone


About Dr. Seema Khosla

Seema Khosla, MD, is a sleep physician in Fargo, North Dakota, and medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep. She is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine.

Dr. Khosla has held several leadership roles with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. She previously chaired its Consumer and Clinical Technology Committee, contributed to the AASM position statement on consumer sleep technology and served on its sleep-telemedicine task force. She currently chairs the AASM Public Awareness Advisory Committee.

She is also the longtime host of Talking Sleep, the AASM podcast devoted to developments in clinical sleep medicine. In 2022, the AASM honored her with its Excellence in Education Award.

MENTIONED

Talking Sleep — American Academy of Sleep Medicine

The AASM podcast Seema had just launched when this conversation was recorded. It remains active in 2026 with Seema as host.

Talking Sleep

Consumer Sleep Technology — AASM Position Statement

The 2018 position statement led by Seema on how clinicians should think about consumer sleep apps, wearables and patient-generated sleep data.

Consumer Sleep Technology: AASM Position Statement

Wearable Sleep Tech: Clinical Use and Best Practices

A 2026 Talking Sleep episode revisiting the exact technology questions Seema and Neil were discussing here in 2020.

Talking Sleep: Wearable Sleep Tech

The Effect of Dogs on Human Sleep in the Home Sleep Environment

The 2017 Mayo Clinic Proceedings study discussed in the episode. A dog in the bedroom was compatible with good sleep efficiency, while having the dog on the bed was associated with lower sleep efficiency.

PubMed: Dogs and Human Sleep

Adult Women’s Sleep, Pet Ownership and Bed-Sharing

The 2018 survey behind headlines about women preferring dogs as bed partners. The results were primarily about perceived disruption, comfort and security and did not establish that dogs objectively produce better sleep than human partners.

Anthrozoös: Women, Pets and Bed-Sharing

Normal Polysomnography Parameters in Healthy Adults

The interactive reference tool developed from the systematic review by Mark Boulos and colleagues, discussed when Neil and Seema compare sleep-lab results with normative data.

PSG Norms

AASM Insomnia Toolkit

Current clinical resources and guidelines for insomnia, including the 2021 guideline strongly recommending CBT-I and advising against sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment for chronic insomnia.

AASM Insomnia Toolkit

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>How Seema slept the night before the interview — and how her dogs got involved</li><li> Whether dogs belong in the bedroom or in the bed</li><li> What the Mayo Clinic dog-and-sleep study actually found</li><li> Why the “women sleep better with dogs than partners” headline overstates the underlying research</li><li> Seema’s path from pulmonary and critical care medicine into sleep medicine</li><li> The severe sleep-apnea patient who changed how she thought about treatment</li><li> Why “the patient couldn’t tolerate CPAP” should not automatically end the treatment conversation</li><li> Why sleep-lab testing feels so unnatural</li><li> Performance anxiety on the first night of polysomnography</li><li> Normal sleep-study values and the PSG norms project</li><li> Why Neil’s sleep-study data became part of his own sleep investigation</li><li> Seema’s three years chairing the AASM Consumer and Clinical Technology Committee</li><li> How sleep doctors evaluate trackers, apps, sensors and gadgets</li><li> The difference between an FDA-cleared component and a validated consumer claim</li><li> Proprietary algorithms and the “black box” problem</li><li> Why a phone sitting on a mattress cannot prove that sleeping on the floor cured anything</li><li> Fitbit, sleep scores and the gap between measured sleep and how you actually feel</li><li> Orthosomnia and the danger of trying to perfect sleep data</li><li> Why consumer sleep technology can be useful without being diagnostic</li><li> Why more data is not necessarily more useful data</li><li> When feeling unrefreshed matters more than a “good” tracker score</li><li> Why Dr. Reddit and Dr. Google are poor substitutes for a proper sleep evaluation</li><li> Different ways obstructive sleep apnea can be treated</li><li> Why getting people to care about sleep may require meeting them where they are</li><li> Sleep, performance, athletes and hard-charging executives</li><li> Seema falling asleep at a stop sign during medical training — and initially treating it as a badge of honor</li><li> How exhaustion became culturally confused with dedication</li><li> Sleep envy and comparing your sleep-onset time with your partner’s</li><li> Why falling asleep immediately is not necessarily something to aspire to</li><li> Different sleep timing preferences and Seema’s tendency toward later sleep</li><li> Neil’s inability to understand people who can casually take a 30-minute nap</li><li> How early COVID-era schedule changes gave some people more opportunity to sleep</li><li> The limits of generic sleep-hygiene advice</li><li> Why chronic insomnia requires more than “put down your phone and take melatonin”</li><li> CBT-I as the evidence-based first-line behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia</li><li> The launch of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s <em>Talking Sleep</em> podcast</li><li> Why Seema wanted the AASM show to reach beyond sleep physicians</li><li> Dr. Chris Winter as the first <em>Talking Sleep</em> guest</li><li> Why more people talking intelligently about sleep is good for everyone</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Seema Khosla</h3><p>Seema Khosla, MD, is a sleep physician in Fargo, North Dakota, and medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep. She is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine.</p><p>Dr. Khosla has held several leadership roles with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. She previously chaired its Consumer and Clinical Technology Committee, contributed to the AASM position statement on consumer sleep technology and served on its sleep-telemedicine task force. She currently chairs the AASM Public Awareness Advisory Committee.</p><p>She is also the longtime host of <em>Talking Sleep</em>, the AASM podcast devoted to developments in clinical sleep medicine. In 2022, the AASM honored her with its Excellence in Education Award.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Talking Sleep — American Academy of Sleep Medicine</strong></p><p>The AASM podcast Seema had just launched when this conversation was recorded. It remains active in 2026 with Seema as host.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/professional-development/talking-sleep-podcast/" rel="nofollow">Talking Sleep</a></p><p><strong>Consumer Sleep Technology — AASM Position Statement</strong></p><p>The 2018 position statement led by Seema on how clinicians should think about consumer sleep apps, wearables and patient-generated sleep data.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/consumer-sleep-technology/" rel="nofollow">Consumer Sleep Technology: AASM Position Statement</a></p><p><strong>Wearable Sleep Tech: Clinical Use and Best Practices</strong></p><p>A 2026 <em>Talking Sleep</em> episode revisiting the exact technology questions Seema and Neil were discussing here in 2020.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/talking-sleep-wearable-sleep-tech-clinical-use-and-best-practices/" rel="nofollow">Talking Sleep: Wearable Sleep Tech</a></p><p><strong>The Effect of Dogs on Human Sleep in the Home Sleep Environment</strong></p><p>The 2017 Mayo Clinic Proceedings study discussed in the episode. A dog in the bedroom was compatible with good sleep efficiency, while having the dog on the bed was associated with lower sleep efficiency.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28870354/" rel="nofollow">PubMed: Dogs and Human Sleep</a></p><p><strong>Adult Women’s Sleep, Pet Ownership and Bed-Sharing</strong></p><p>The 2018 survey behind headlines about women preferring dogs as bed partners. The results were primarily about perceived disruption, comfort and security and did not establish that dogs objectively produce better sleep than human partners.</p><p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2018.1529354" rel="nofollow">Anthrozoös: Women, Pets and Bed-Sharing</a></p><p><strong>Normal Polysomnography Parameters in Healthy Adults</strong></p><p>The interactive reference tool developed from the systematic review by Mark Boulos and colleagues, discussed when Neil and Seema compare sleep-lab results with normative data.</p><p><a href="https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">PSG Norms</a></p><p><strong>AASM Insomnia Toolkit</strong></p><p>Current clinical resources and guidelines for insomnia, including the 2021 guideline strongly recommending CBT-I and advising against sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment for chronic insomnia.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/clinical-resources/insomnia-toolkit/" rel="nofollow">AASM Insomnia Toolkit</a></p> bb27c63d-594c-4791-bed3-0d6b5eeae327 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/83a7d3e3-b48b-4a60-9d39-eb4f037a2055 Mon, 25 May 2020 07:30:12 +0000 2793 false full Narcolepsy, or Wide Awake and Dreaming with Julie Flygare Narcolepsy, or Wide Awake and Dreaming with Julie Flygare Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why the familiar movie and sitcom version of narcolepsy is misleading
  • Julie’s first symptoms while she was in law school
  • Thinking difficulty with coursework meant she was not cut out for law school
  • Knees buckling with laughter — and the clue that finally led to the word cataplexy
  • Terrifying burglar hallucinations at the edge of sleep
  • Sleep paralysis and the experience of being conscious but unable to move
  • The classic five major symptoms associated with narcolepsy
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Cataplexy
  • Sleep-related hallucinations
  • Sleep paralysis
  • Disrupted nighttime sleep
  • Why narcolepsy affects both day and night
  • REM-related symptoms and the broken boundaries between sleep and wakefulness
  • Narcolepsy type 1 versus type 2
  • Why cataplexy does not mean the person is asleep
  • How daytime sleepiness can look like brain fog, memory trouble, lost cognition or mood changes rather than visibly falling asleep
  • Why narcolepsy can be simultaneously serious and invisible
  • Julie’s path from a sports therapist’s observation to a proper diagnosis
  • Why people with narcolepsy can spend years without the language to describe what is happening
  • Being told by a doctor that “everyone gets tired sometimes”
  • The continuing problem of long diagnostic delays
  • Why public awareness and medical education both matter
  • Sleep specialists, overnight sleep studies and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test
  • Drowsy driving and the less-visible cognitive dangers of severe sleepiness
  • Julie’s experience adjusting to nighttime medication and daytime stimulants
  • Medication side effects, anxiety, meal timing, alcohol, dating and travel
  • Why treatment response differs so much from person to person
  • How the narcolepsy treatment landscape has expanded since 2020
  • The 2026 FDA approval of the first orexin-signaling treatment for narcolepsy type 1
  • Why Julie founded Project Sleep
  • Bringing sleep disorders into the broader conversation about healthy sleep
  • Project Sleep’s advocacy and public-awareness work
  • Why Project Sleep deliberately avoids relying on stereotypical images of people asleep in strange places
  • Hollywood portrayals including Deuce Bigalow and why inaccurate comedy can reinforce stigma
  • How humor can also be a powerful tool for changing public understanding
  • Wide Awake and Dreaming, Julie’s memoir of developing and learning to live with narcolepsy


About Julie Flygare

Julie Flygare, JD, is President & CEO of Project Sleep, an internationally recognized patient advocate, speaker and the award-winning author of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy.

Julie began experiencing symptoms of narcolepsy with cataplexy while she was a law student and received her diagnosis in 2007. She earned her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School, and went on to become one of the most visible patient-perspective leaders in sleep medicine.

Through Project Sleep, she has helped build awareness, advocacy, education, scholarships and patient-storytelling programs around narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. She received the Sleep Research Society’s 2024 Public Service Award, and in 2026 her memoir was selected for the Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute Book Club.

MENTIONED

Project Sleep

Julie’s nonprofit organization focused on sleep-health awareness, sleep disorders, advocacy, education and patient support.

Project Sleep

Julie Flygare

Julie’s website, speaking work, writing and narcolepsy resources.

JulieFlygare.com

Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy

Julie’s first-person account of developing narcolepsy in law school, reaching a diagnosis and rebuilding her life around the condition.

Wide Awake and Dreaming

Project Sleep Narcolepsy Resources

Toolkits, fact sheets and guides for people living with narcolepsy, families, educators, healthcare professionals and journalists.

Project Sleep Sleep Resources

Narcolepsy — National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Current NIH overview of narcolepsy symptoms, types, biology, diagnosis and treatment.

NHLBI: Narcolepsy

AASM Treatment Guideline for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence

American Academy of Sleep Medicine treatment recommendations covering narcolepsy and other central disorders of hypersomnolence.

AASM Guidelines at a Glance

FDA: Oveporexton / Orzeyful Approval

On August 5, 2026, the FDA approved the first medicine for adults with narcolepsy type 1 designed to directly restore orexin signaling.

FDA Approval Announcement

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why the familiar movie and sitcom version of narcolepsy is misleading</li><li> Julie’s first symptoms while she was in law school</li><li> Thinking difficulty with coursework meant she was not cut out for law school</li><li> Knees buckling with laughter — and the clue that finally led to the word cataplexy</li><li> Terrifying burglar hallucinations at the edge of sleep</li><li> Sleep paralysis and the experience of being conscious but unable to move</li><li> The classic five major symptoms associated with narcolepsy</li><li> Excessive daytime sleepiness</li><li> Cataplexy</li><li> Sleep-related hallucinations</li><li> Sleep paralysis</li><li> Disrupted nighttime sleep</li><li> Why narcolepsy affects both day and night</li><li> REM-related symptoms and the broken boundaries between sleep and wakefulness</li><li> Narcolepsy type 1 versus type 2</li><li> Why cataplexy does not mean the person is asleep</li><li> How daytime sleepiness can look like brain fog, memory trouble, lost cognition or mood changes rather than visibly falling asleep</li><li> Why narcolepsy can be simultaneously serious and invisible</li><li> Julie’s path from a sports therapist’s observation to a proper diagnosis</li><li> Why people with narcolepsy can spend years without the language to describe what is happening</li><li> Being told by a doctor that “everyone gets tired sometimes”</li><li> The continuing problem of long diagnostic delays</li><li> Why public awareness and medical education both matter</li><li> Sleep specialists, overnight sleep studies and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test</li><li> Drowsy driving and the less-visible cognitive dangers of severe sleepiness</li><li> Julie’s experience adjusting to nighttime medication and daytime stimulants</li><li> Medication side effects, anxiety, meal timing, alcohol, dating and travel</li><li> Why treatment response differs so much from person to person</li><li> How the narcolepsy treatment landscape has expanded since 2020</li><li> The 2026 FDA approval of the first orexin-signaling treatment for narcolepsy type 1</li><li> Why Julie founded Project Sleep</li><li> Bringing sleep disorders into the broader conversation about healthy sleep</li><li> Project Sleep’s advocacy and public-awareness work</li><li> Why Project Sleep deliberately avoids relying on stereotypical images of people asleep in strange places</li><li> Hollywood portrayals including <em>Deuce Bigalow</em> and why inaccurate comedy can reinforce stigma</li><li> How humor can also be a powerful tool for changing public understanding</li><li> <em>Wide Awake and Dreaming</em>, Julie’s memoir of developing and learning to live with narcolepsy</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Julie Flygare</h3><p>Julie Flygare, JD, is President &amp; CEO of Project Sleep, an internationally recognized patient advocate, speaker and the award-winning author of <em>Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy</em>.</p><p>Julie began experiencing symptoms of narcolepsy with cataplexy while she was a law student and received her diagnosis in 2007. She earned her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School, and went on to become one of the most visible patient-perspective leaders in sleep medicine.</p><p>Through Project Sleep, she has helped build awareness, advocacy, education, scholarships and patient-storytelling programs around narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. She received the Sleep Research Society’s 2024 Public Service Award, and in 2026 her memoir was selected for the Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute Book Club.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Project Sleep</strong></p><p>Julie’s nonprofit organization focused on sleep-health awareness, sleep disorders, advocacy, education and patient support.</p><p><a href="https://project-sleep.com/" rel="nofollow">Project Sleep</a></p><p><strong>Julie Flygare</strong></p><p>Julie’s website, speaking work, writing and narcolepsy resources.</p><p><a href="https://julieflygare.com/" rel="nofollow">JulieFlygare.com</a></p><p><strong>Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy</strong></p><p>Julie’s first-person account of developing narcolepsy in law school, reaching a diagnosis and rebuilding her life around the condition.</p><p><a href="https://julieflygare.com/wide-awake-and-dreaming-memoir-narcolepsy/" rel="nofollow">Wide Awake and Dreaming</a></p><p><strong>Project Sleep Narcolepsy Resources</strong></p><p>Toolkits, fact sheets and guides for people living with narcolepsy, families, educators, healthcare professionals and journalists.</p><p><a href="https://project-sleep.com/sleep-info/sleep-resources/" rel="nofollow">Project Sleep Sleep Resources</a></p><p><strong>Narcolepsy — National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute</strong></p><p>Current NIH overview of narcolepsy symptoms, types, biology, diagnosis and treatment.</p><p><a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/narcolepsy" rel="nofollow">NHLBI: Narcolepsy</a></p><p><strong>AASM Treatment Guideline for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence</strong></p><p>American Academy of Sleep Medicine treatment recommendations covering narcolepsy and other central disorders of hypersomnolence.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Treatment_Central_Disorders_Hypersomnolence_Guideline_at_a_Glance.pdf" rel="nofollow">AASM Guidelines at a Glance</a></p><p><strong>FDA: Oveporexton / Orzeyful Approval</strong></p><p>On August 5, 2026, the FDA approved the first medicine for adults with narcolepsy type 1 designed to directly restore orexin signaling.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-drug-treat-full-range-narcolepsy-type-1-symptoms" rel="nofollow">FDA Approval Announcement</a></p> 873de4c1-9241-486d-9a98-1b6090a66b87 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/cb1c640d-c6b3-4a67-98eb-2ed3c7bcdf3a Mon, 18 May 2020 07:30:01 +0000 3028 false full Humans vs Sleep with Dr. Michael Grandner Humans vs Sleep with Dr. Michael Grandner Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why warmer mornings and earlier sunlight change Michael’s own sleep schedule
  • Light as one of the fundamental environmental signals shaping circadian biology
  • What “polyphasic sleep” actually means
  • The difference between a normal nap or biphasic schedule and extreme internet polyphasic-sleep protocols
  • Why trying to become more productive by dramatically fragmenting and reducing sleep is a bad bet
  • The laboratory “90-minute day” and what it shows about the body’s resistance to extreme sleep scheduling
  • Why there is no single perfect sleep schedule for every adult
  • Getting enough total sleep while keeping most of it in your biological night
  • Why trying to “optimize” REM or deep sleep can become another way of interfering with sleep
  • Naps: when they can be perfectly reasonable and when excessive daytime sleepiness may deserve a closer look
  • “First sleep,” “second sleep” and Roger Ekirch’s historical work on segmented sleep
  • Why a middle-of-the-night awakening is not automatically a sleep failure
  • Michael’s gas-tank metaphor for sleep pressure and planned nighttime awakenings
  • Why sleep hygiene should be treated as guidance, not the Ten Commandments
  • Dr. Michael Perlis and the “sleep hygiene commandments” joke
  • How to identify the sleep barriers that actually matter for you
  • Screens as a barrier we sometimes knowingly choose
  • The early COVID-19 pandemic as an accidental global experiment in school start times, commuting and sleep schedules
  • Why some people slept more when ordinary schedules disappeared — while others drifted later and became less structured
  • Late-night news consumption and the endless-feed problem
  • Michael’s suggestion to set a bedtime alarm instead of relying only on a morning alarm
  • Joseph Goldstein’s useful question: “Is this useful?”
  • Reframing habits by asking how they are helping — and whether the same need can be met another way
  • Why Michael compares the process to approaches used in addiction treatment
  • Julie Flygare, Project Sleep and the following week’s conversation about narcolepsy
  • The 2009 H1N1/Pandemrix narcolepsy signal and what it taught researchers about immune involvement in narcolepsy type 1
  • Fabian-Xosé Fernandez, Julie Flygare and Michael’s 2020 commentary, Narcolepsy and COVID-19: sleeping on an opportunity?
  • The sudden explosion of vivid “corona dreams” and several possible explanations Michael wanted researchers to test
  • The early-pandemic Pima County suicide alert and why Michael believed social connection mattered more than ever
  • The relationship between disturbed sleep, nighttime wakefulness and suicide risk


About Dr. Michael Grandner

Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep and Circadian Medicine Clinic, and serves as Associate Director for Translational and Behavioral Science at the university’s Center for Sleep, Circadian, and Neuroscience Research.

His research examines how sleep interacts with cardiovascular and metabolic health, cognition, mental health, longevity and the social and environmental conditions that shape sleep. He has published hundreds of scientific articles and chapters, contributed to the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework, and is a past president of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Grandner has been one of The Snooze Button’s recurring scientific voices from the beginning — partly because Neil keeps asking questions, and partly because Michael has repeatedly made the mistake of answering them.

MENTIONED

Dr. Michael Grandner

Michael’s website, research, publications and media work.

MichaelGrandner.com

Sleep and Health Research Program — University of Arizona

The research program Michael directs, focused on sleep health, behavioral sleep medicine and the social and biological factors that shape sleep.

University of Arizona Sleep and Health Research Program

At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past — A. Roger Ekirch

The book Michael references while discussing historical “first sleep” and “second sleep.” Later scholarship has added substantial nuance to the idea that segmented sleep was once universal.

At Day’s Close

Adverse Impact of Polyphasic Sleep Patterns in Humans

A 2021 National Sleep Foundation consensus review published after this episode. It found no scientific evidence supporting the claimed benefits of extreme polyphasic schedules and advises against schedules that substantially restrict or fragment sleep.

PubMed: Polyphasic Sleep Consensus Review

Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine guideline that recommends CBT-I for chronic insomnia and advises against using sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment.

PubMed: AASM Insomnia Treatment Guideline

Narcolepsy and COVID-19: Sleeping on an Opportunity?

The 2020 commentary by Fabian-Xosé Fernandez, Julie Flygare and Michael Grandner discussed in the episode.

PubMed: Narcolepsy and COVID-19

Project Sleep

The nonprofit sleep-health organization founded by Julie Flygare, who appears in the following episode to talk about narcolepsy.

Project Sleep

Mind After Midnight

A 2026 University of Arizona research project led by Grandner and colleagues examining whether nocturnal wakefulness changes decision-making in ways that increase suicide risk — a direct continuation of one of the research threads discussed near the end of this episode.

University of Arizona: Mind After Midnight

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why warmer mornings and earlier sunlight change Michael’s own sleep schedule</li><li> Light as one of the fundamental environmental signals shaping circadian biology</li><li> What “polyphasic sleep” actually means</li><li> The difference between a normal nap or biphasic schedule and extreme internet polyphasic-sleep protocols</li><li> Why trying to become more productive by dramatically fragmenting and reducing sleep is a bad bet</li><li> The laboratory “90-minute day” and what it shows about the body’s resistance to extreme sleep scheduling</li><li> Why there is no single perfect sleep schedule for every adult</li><li> Getting enough total sleep while keeping most of it in your biological night</li><li> Why trying to “optimize” REM or deep sleep can become another way of interfering with sleep</li><li> Naps: when they can be perfectly reasonable and when excessive daytime sleepiness may deserve a closer look</li><li> “First sleep,” “second sleep” and Roger Ekirch’s historical work on segmented sleep</li><li> Why a middle-of-the-night awakening is not automatically a sleep failure</li><li> Michael’s gas-tank metaphor for sleep pressure and planned nighttime awakenings</li><li> Why sleep hygiene should be treated as guidance, not the Ten Commandments</li><li> Dr. Michael Perlis and the “sleep hygiene commandments” joke</li><li> How to identify the sleep barriers that actually matter for you</li><li> Screens as a barrier we sometimes knowingly choose</li><li> The early COVID-19 pandemic as an accidental global experiment in school start times, commuting and sleep schedules</li><li> Why some people slept more when ordinary schedules disappeared — while others drifted later and became less structured</li><li> Late-night news consumption and the endless-feed problem</li><li> Michael’s suggestion to set a bedtime alarm instead of relying only on a morning alarm</li><li> Joseph Goldstein’s useful question: “Is this useful?”</li><li> Reframing habits by asking how they are helping — and whether the same need can be met another way</li><li> Why Michael compares the process to approaches used in addiction treatment</li><li> Julie Flygare, Project Sleep and the following week’s conversation about narcolepsy</li><li> The 2009 H1N1/Pandemrix narcolepsy signal and what it taught researchers about immune involvement in narcolepsy type 1</li><li> Fabian-Xosé Fernandez, Julie Flygare and Michael’s 2020 commentary, <em>Narcolepsy and COVID-19: sleeping on an opportunity?</em></li><li> The sudden explosion of vivid “corona dreams” and several possible explanations Michael wanted researchers to test</li><li> The early-pandemic Pima County suicide alert and why Michael believed social connection mattered more than ever</li><li> The relationship between disturbed sleep, nighttime wakefulness and suicide risk</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep and Circadian Medicine Clinic, and serves as Associate Director for Translational and Behavioral Science at the university’s Center for Sleep, Circadian, and Neuroscience Research.</p><p>His research examines how sleep interacts with cardiovascular and metabolic health, cognition, mental health, longevity and the social and environmental conditions that shape sleep. He has published hundreds of scientific articles and chapters, contributed to the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework, and is a past president of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.</p><p>Grandner has been one of The Snooze Button’s recurring scientific voices from the beginning — partly because Neil keeps asking questions, and partly because Michael has repeatedly made the mistake of answering them.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Michael Grandner</strong></p><p>Michael’s website, research, publications and media work.</p><p><a href="https://michaelgrandner.com/" rel="nofollow">MichaelGrandner.com</a></p><p><strong>Sleep and Health Research Program — University of Arizona</strong></p><p>The research program Michael directs, focused on sleep health, behavioral sleep medicine and the social and biological factors that shape sleep.</p><p><a href="https://psychiatry.arizona.edu/research/sleep-and-health-research-program" rel="nofollow">University of Arizona Sleep and Health Research Program</a></p><p><strong>At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past — A. Roger Ekirch</strong></p><p>The book Michael references while discussing historical “first sleep” and “second sleep.” Later scholarship has added substantial nuance to the idea that segmented sleep was once universal.</p><p><a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/At_day_s_close.html?id=mIaB7l0TYoAC" rel="nofollow">At Day’s Close</a></p><p><strong>Adverse Impact of Polyphasic Sleep Patterns in Humans</strong></p><p>A 2021 National Sleep Foundation consensus review published after this episode. It found no scientific evidence supporting the claimed benefits of extreme polyphasic schedules and advises against schedules that substantially restrict or fragment sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33795195/" rel="nofollow">PubMed: Polyphasic Sleep Consensus Review</a></p><p><strong>Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults</strong></p><p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine guideline that recommends CBT-I for chronic insomnia and advises against using sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33164742/" rel="nofollow">PubMed: AASM Insomnia Treatment Guideline</a></p><p><strong>Narcolepsy and COVID-19: Sleeping on an Opportunity?</strong></p><p>The 2020 commentary by Fabian-Xosé Fernandez, Julie Flygare and Michael Grandner discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32347205/" rel="nofollow">PubMed: Narcolepsy and COVID-19</a></p><p><strong>Project Sleep</strong></p><p>The nonprofit sleep-health organization founded by Julie Flygare, who appears in the following episode to talk about narcolepsy.</p><p><a href="https://project-sleep.com/" rel="nofollow">Project Sleep</a></p><p><strong>Mind After Midnight</strong></p><p>A 2026 University of Arizona research project led by Grandner and colleagues examining whether nocturnal wakefulness changes decision-making in ways that increase suicide risk — a direct continuation of one of the research threads discussed near the end of this episode.</p><p><a href="https://news.arizona.edu/news/new-38m-nih-grant-funds-research-mind-after-midnight-suicide-risk-factor" rel="nofollow">University of Arizona: Mind After Midnight</a></p> b3f20ada-4bb5-4e51-9520-551aa350b35c https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/fbefb36e-5203-47b3-84f4-ca2142a60469 Mon, 11 May 2020 07:30:15 +0000 2889 false full Meditation and Sleep with Jeff Warren Meditation and Sleep with Jeff Warren Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Jeff’s first response to insomnia is to stop fighting the fact that he is awake
  • The feedback loop between worrying about sleep and becoming more wakeful
  • Jeff’s two-part approach: give the body something to do and give the mind something to do
  • “Pretending” to be asleep and letting the breath settle naturally
  • Why deliberately manipulating the breath works for some people and annoys others
  • Hypnagogia and the strange images, sounds and associations that can appear near sleep onset
  • Following bizarre pre-dream imagery instead of tomorrow-morning anxiety
  • Why getting out of bed can be better than turning the bed into a place for frustration
  • Nighttime awakenings and why being awake for a while does not automatically mean the night is ruined
  • How Jeff became interested in consciousness, sleep and meditation
  • The Head Trip and Jeff’s early exploration of sleeping, dreaming and waking consciousness
  • How a New York Times essay led to a friendship with Dan Harris
  • The road trip behind Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
  • Police officers, military cadets, neuroscientists and other unlikely meditation students
  • Why Jeff is interested in adapting meditation to the person instead of forcing everyone into one technique
  • The creativity meditation he designed for Josh Groban
  • “Horizontal” thinking versus the quieter mental space where unexpected ideas can emerge
  • Neil’s Stranger Things-like experience while focusing on the pause between breaths
  • What Jeff means by awareness, spaciousness and “not being your thoughts”
  • What meditation is actually for — from a Buddhist goal of reducing suffering to the everyday value of simply creating a little more space
  • Why even one or five minutes of meditation can be a legitimate practice
  • Why using meditation only as a tool to force sleep may put too much pressure on the practice
  • Relaxing meditation versus practices that can increase alertness
  • Why Jeff recommends experimenting instead of searching for the universally “best” sleep meditation
  • Neil’s ongoing obsession with testing sleep hacks instead of assuming they work
  • Jeff’s own mixed experiences with melatonin and weighted blankets
  • Why a calming pre-sleep routine can matter even when it does not work perfectly every night
  • Jeff’s guided sleep meditation: softening, settling and letting the mind drift


About Jeff Warren

Jeff Warren is a Canadian meditation teacher, writer and former journalist whose work focuses on making contemplative practice practical, flexible and accessible — especially for people who do not think of themselves as “meditation people.”

Before teaching meditation, Jeff worked in journalism, including CBC Radio’s The Current and Ideas, and wrote about neuroscience and consciousness for publications including The New York Times, Discover and New Scientist. He is the author of The Head Trip, a travel guide to sleeping, dreaming and waking consciousness, and co-author with Dan Harris and Carlye Adler of the bestselling Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics.

In 2011, Jeff founded the Consciousness Explorers Club, a nonprofit meditation community built around a pluralistic approach to practice. His guided meditations have since reached millions of people through platforms including Calm and Happier Meditation, formerly Ten Percent Happier.

MENTIONED

Jeff Warren

Jeff’s home base for writing, guided meditations, courses, events and his current work.

JeffWarren.org

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics — Dan Harris, Jeff Warren and Carlye Adler

The bestselling book built around Dan and Jeff’s cross-country meditation road trip. The original conversation casually describes Jeff and Dan as the co-authors; Carlye Adler is the book’s third co-author.

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

The Head Trip — Jeff Warren

Jeff’s book exploring sleeping, dreaming, waking consciousness and other states of mind.

The Head Trip

Happier Meditation

The meditation app discussed throughout the episode as Ten Percent Happier. The company renamed the app Happier Meditation in 2024.

Happier Meditation

Consciousness Explorers Club

The nonprofit meditation community Jeff founded in Toronto, built around experimentation, shared practice and the idea that “being human takes practice.”

Consciousness Explorers Club

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia — Meta-Analysis

Useful research context for the episode’s central question. Randomized-trial evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions can improve insomnia symptoms for some people, while results vary by outcome and intervention.

PubMed: Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Jeff’s first response to insomnia is to stop fighting the fact that he is awake</li><li> The feedback loop between worrying about sleep and becoming more wakeful</li><li> Jeff’s two-part approach: give the body something to do and give the mind something to do</li><li> “Pretending” to be asleep and letting the breath settle naturally</li><li> Why deliberately manipulating the breath works for some people and annoys others</li><li> Hypnagogia and the strange images, sounds and associations that can appear near sleep onset</li><li> Following bizarre pre-dream imagery instead of tomorrow-morning anxiety</li><li> Why getting out of bed can be better than turning the bed into a place for frustration</li><li> Nighttime awakenings and why being awake for a while does not automatically mean the night is ruined</li><li> How Jeff became interested in consciousness, sleep and meditation</li><li> <em>The Head Trip</em> and Jeff’s early exploration of sleeping, dreaming and waking consciousness</li><li> How a New York Times essay led to a friendship with Dan Harris</li><li> The road trip behind <em>Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics</em></li><li> Police officers, military cadets, neuroscientists and other unlikely meditation students</li><li> Why Jeff is interested in adapting meditation to the person instead of forcing everyone into one technique</li><li> The creativity meditation he designed for Josh Groban</li><li> “Horizontal” thinking versus the quieter mental space where unexpected ideas can emerge</li><li> Neil’s Stranger Things-like experience while focusing on the pause between breaths</li><li> What Jeff means by awareness, spaciousness and “not being your thoughts”</li><li> What meditation is actually for — from a Buddhist goal of reducing suffering to the everyday value of simply creating a little more space</li><li> Why even one or five minutes of meditation can be a legitimate practice</li><li> Why using meditation only as a tool to force sleep may put too much pressure on the practice</li><li> Relaxing meditation versus practices that can increase alertness</li><li> Why Jeff recommends experimenting instead of searching for the universally “best” sleep meditation</li><li> Neil’s ongoing obsession with testing sleep hacks instead of assuming they work</li><li> Jeff’s own mixed experiences with melatonin and weighted blankets</li><li> Why a calming pre-sleep routine can matter even when it does not work perfectly every night</li><li> Jeff’s guided sleep meditation: softening, settling and letting the mind drift</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Jeff Warren</h3><p>Jeff Warren is a Canadian meditation teacher, writer and former journalist whose work focuses on making contemplative practice practical, flexible and accessible — especially for people who do not think of themselves as “meditation people.”</p><p>Before teaching meditation, Jeff worked in journalism, including CBC Radio’s <em>The Current</em> and <em>Ideas</em>, and wrote about neuroscience and consciousness for publications including <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>Discover</em> and <em>New Scientist</em>. He is the author of <em>The Head Trip</em>, a travel guide to sleeping, dreaming and waking consciousness, and co-author with Dan Harris and Carlye Adler of the bestselling <em>Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics</em>.</p><p>In 2011, Jeff founded the Consciousness Explorers Club, a nonprofit meditation community built around a pluralistic approach to practice. His guided meditations have since reached millions of people through platforms including Calm and Happier Meditation, formerly Ten Percent Happier.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Jeff Warren</strong></p><p>Jeff’s home base for writing, guided meditations, courses, events and his current work.</p><p><a href="https://jeffwarren.org/" rel="nofollow">JeffWarren.org</a></p><p><strong>Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics — Dan Harris, Jeff Warren and Carlye Adler</strong></p><p>The bestselling book built around Dan and Jeff’s cross-country meditation road trip. The original conversation casually describes Jeff and Dan as the co-authors; Carlye Adler is the book’s third co-author.</p><p><a href="https://jeffwarren.org/fidgety-skeptics/" rel="nofollow">Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics</a></p><p><strong>The Head Trip — Jeff Warren</strong></p><p>Jeff’s book exploring sleeping, dreaming, waking consciousness and other states of mind.</p><p><a href="https://jeffwarren.org/books/the-head-trip/" rel="nofollow">The Head Trip</a></p><p><strong>Happier Meditation</strong></p><p>The meditation app discussed throughout the episode as Ten Percent Happier. The company renamed the app Happier Meditation in 2024.</p><p><a href="https://www.meditatehappier.com/" rel="nofollow">Happier Meditation</a></p><p><strong>Consciousness Explorers Club</strong></p><p>The nonprofit meditation community Jeff founded in Toronto, built around experimentation, shared practice and the idea that “being human takes practice.”</p><p><a href="https://cecmeditate.com/" rel="nofollow">Consciousness Explorers Club</a></p><p><strong>Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia — Meta-Analysis</strong></p><p>Useful research context for the episode’s central question. Randomized-trial evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions can improve insomnia symptoms for some people, while results vary by outcome and intervention.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30380915/" rel="nofollow">PubMed: Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia</a></p> 2232a7a2-f6f3-4dc7-ad6e-5496d9d68be2 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/e6055ffa-2f94-4039-a319-0396636d2691 Mon, 04 May 2020 07:30:10 +0000 3241 false full Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement with Dr. Richard Allen Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement with Dr. Richard Allen Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Richard’s wonderfully unexciting insomnia strategy: get out of bed and read Dostoevsky
  • Why he preferred a classic to a page-turner in the middle of the night
  • Neil’s periodic limb movement index of 82 and what that number actually means
  • Why a high PLM index does not automatically tell you whether sleep is being damaged
  • Micro-arousals, sleep fragmentation and waking up tired despite apparently sleeping all night
  • Why periodic limb movements can be a bigger problem for a bed partner than for the sleeper
  • The difference between periodic limb movements and restless legs syndrome
  • Why RLS is fundamentally a waking sensorimotor condition
  • The evening and nighttime circadian pattern of RLS symptoms
  • Iron deficiency, anemia and the idea of brain iron deficiency
  • Why normal peripheral blood tests do not perfectly measure iron availability in the brain
  • Why Richard says not to self-prescribe iron without testing and medical guidance
  • Hemochromatosis and the danger of unnecessary iron supplementation
  • Oral versus intravenous iron treatment
  • RLS in children and its relationship with sleep, learning and attention problems
  • Why diagnosing iron deficiency in children can be more complicated
  • Neil’s 2020 use of Mirapex (pramipexole) and what dopamine agonists do
  • Gabapentin, pregabalin and the alpha-2-delta class of medications
  • The limited use of opioids for severe, refractory RLS
  • Why Richard considered iron treatment fundamentally different from purely symptomatic treatment
  • His hypothesis about pregnancy-related iron loss and later RLS risk
  • Genetics, epigenetics and the future of RLS research
  • Animal models designed to reproduce low brain iron despite relatively normal peripheral iron
  • MRI, sonography and other attempts to measure brain iron
  • How Richard watched the field evolve from poor recognition and few treatments into a mature research specialty
  • Why he believed sleep research often produces stronger signals than many small epidemiological studies
  • Type I and Type II errors and the importance of replication
  • What the evidence did — and did not — say about cannabis and CBD for RLS in 2020
  • Why “this one thing works for everybody” was exactly the kind of claim Richard distrusted


About Dr. Richard P. Allen

Richard P. Allen, PhD (1938–2020), was a psychologist and sleep researcher in the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and one of the most influential scientists in the modern study of restless legs syndrome.

He founded and co-directed the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center and, with Dr. Christopher Earley, established the Johns Hopkins Center for Restless Legs Syndrome. He also served as chair of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board, chair of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group and president of the World Association of Sleep Medicine, now the World Sleep Society.

Allen played a central role in developing modern RLS diagnostic criteria, standards for scoring periodic limb movements and treatment approaches involving brain iron deficiency, intravenous iron, dopamine and dopaminergic augmentation. He published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers on sleep disorders and received the Sleep Research Society’s 2020 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award.

He died on December 9, 2020. In 2022, Johns Hopkins established the Richard P. Allen Lectureship in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms to support an annual keynote lecture and trainee award in his memory.

MENTIONED

Sleep Research Society — In Memoriam: Richard P. Allen, PhD

A concise account of Allen’s career, scientific contributions and legacy in RLS research.

Sleep Research Society memorial

Richard P. Allen Lectureship in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

Johns Hopkins established the lectureship in 2022 in Allen’s memory.

Johns Hopkins Neurology Lectureships

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation

Science-based education, treatment information, specialist resources and patient support for people living with RLS.

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation

International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group

The international research organization Allen helped lead, focused on RLS and related conditions including periodic limb movements.

IRLSSG

Current AASM Treatment Guideline for RLS and PLMD

Useful 2026 context for a field that has evolved since this conversation, particularly around iron treatment, gabapentinoids and the long-term augmentation risk of dopamine agonists such as pramipexole.

Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

Boring Books for Bedtime

Sharon Handy’s sleep podcast comes up when Richard explains that, on a bad night, he gets out of bed and reads something interesting enough to occupy his mind — but not interesting enough to keep him awake.

Boring Books for Bedtime

The Idiot — Fyodor Dostoevsky

Richard’s middle-of-the-night reading material at the time of the interview.

Read The Idiot at Project Gutenberg

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Richard’s wonderfully unexciting insomnia strategy: get out of bed and read Dostoevsky</li><li> Why he preferred a classic to a page-turner in the middle of the night</li><li> Neil’s periodic limb movement index of 82 and what that number actually means</li><li> Why a high PLM index does not automatically tell you whether sleep is being damaged</li><li> Micro-arousals, sleep fragmentation and waking up tired despite apparently sleeping all night</li><li> Why periodic limb movements can be a bigger problem for a bed partner than for the sleeper</li><li> The difference between periodic limb movements and restless legs syndrome</li><li> Why RLS is fundamentally a waking sensorimotor condition</li><li> The evening and nighttime circadian pattern of RLS symptoms</li><li> Iron deficiency, anemia and the idea of brain iron deficiency</li><li> Why normal peripheral blood tests do not perfectly measure iron availability in the brain</li><li> Why Richard says not to self-prescribe iron without testing and medical guidance</li><li> Hemochromatosis and the danger of unnecessary iron supplementation</li><li> Oral versus intravenous iron treatment</li><li> RLS in children and its relationship with sleep, learning and attention problems</li><li> Why diagnosing iron deficiency in children can be more complicated</li><li> Neil’s 2020 use of Mirapex (pramipexole) and what dopamine agonists do</li><li> Gabapentin, pregabalin and the alpha-2-delta class of medications</li><li> The limited use of opioids for severe, refractory RLS</li><li> Why Richard considered iron treatment fundamentally different from purely symptomatic treatment</li><li> His hypothesis about pregnancy-related iron loss and later RLS risk</li><li> Genetics, epigenetics and the future of RLS research</li><li> Animal models designed to reproduce low brain iron despite relatively normal peripheral iron</li><li> MRI, sonography and other attempts to measure brain iron</li><li> How Richard watched the field evolve from poor recognition and few treatments into a mature research specialty</li><li> Why he believed sleep research often produces stronger signals than many small epidemiological studies</li><li> Type I and Type II errors and the importance of replication</li><li> What the evidence did — and did not — say about cannabis and CBD for RLS in 2020</li><li> Why “this one thing works for everybody” was exactly the kind of claim Richard distrusted</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Richard P. Allen</h3><p>Richard P. Allen, PhD (1938–2020), was a psychologist and sleep researcher in the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and one of the most influential scientists in the modern study of restless legs syndrome.</p><p>He founded and co-directed the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center and, with Dr. Christopher Earley, established the Johns Hopkins Center for Restless Legs Syndrome. He also served as chair of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board, chair of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group and president of the World Association of Sleep Medicine, now the World Sleep Society.</p><p>Allen played a central role in developing modern RLS diagnostic criteria, standards for scoring periodic limb movements and treatment approaches involving brain iron deficiency, intravenous iron, dopamine and dopaminergic augmentation. He published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers on sleep disorders and received the Sleep Research Society’s 2020 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award.</p><p>He died on December 9, 2020. In 2022, Johns Hopkins established the Richard P. Allen Lectureship in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms to support an annual keynote lecture and trainee award in his memory.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Sleep Research Society — In Memoriam: Richard P. Allen, PhD</strong></p><p>A concise account of Allen’s career, scientific contributions and legacy in RLS research.</p><p><a href="https://sleepresearchsociety.org/in-memoriam-richard-p-allen-phd/" rel="nofollow">Sleep Research Society memorial</a></p><p><strong>Richard P. Allen Lectureship in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms</strong></p><p>Johns Hopkins established the lectureship in 2022 in Allen’s memory.</p><p><a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology-neurosurgery/about-us/neurology-giving/lectureships" rel="nofollow">Johns Hopkins Neurology Lectureships</a></p><p><strong>Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation</strong></p><p>Science-based education, treatment information, specialist resources and patient support for people living with RLS.</p><p><a href="https://www.rls.org/" rel="nofollow">Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation</a></p><p><strong>International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group</strong></p><p>The international research organization Allen helped lead, focused on RLS and related conditions including periodic limb movements.</p><p><a href="https://www.irlssg.org/" rel="nofollow">IRLSSG</a></p><p><strong>Current AASM Treatment Guideline for RLS and PLMD</strong></p><p>Useful 2026 context for a field that has evolved since this conversation, particularly around iron treatment, gabapentinoids and the long-term augmentation risk of dopamine agonists such as pramipexole.</p><p><a href="https://aasm.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Treatment-of-RLS-and-PLMD-CPG.pdf" rel="nofollow">Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder</a></p><p><strong>Boring Books for Bedtime</strong></p><p>Sharon Handy’s sleep podcast comes up when Richard explains that, on a bad night, he gets out of bed and reads something interesting enough to occupy his mind — but not interesting enough to keep him awake.</p><p><a href="https://www.boringbookspod.com/" rel="nofollow">Boring Books for Bedtime</a></p><p><strong>The Idiot — Fyodor Dostoevsky</strong></p><p>Richard’s middle-of-the-night reading material at the time of the interview.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2638" rel="nofollow">Read The Idiot at Project Gutenberg</a></p> 19e9c253-2dc1-4cb8-9e69-929d894aa584 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/3e0bcbd9-8a96-4b7e-a939-bcc9556cfdc0 Mon, 27 Apr 2020 07:30:47 +0000 2218 false full Sleep & Hypnosis with Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson Sleep & Hypnosis with Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why hypnosis still makes plenty of smart, skeptical people roll their eyes
  • Stage hypnosis versus clinical hypnosis
  • Dyan’s own history with insomnia, chronic pain and discovering self-hypnosis in graduate school
  • What psychologists mean when they talk about hypnosis
  • Absorption, time distortion and everyday experiences Dyan describes as naturally occurring hypnotic states
  • The fear of losing control or getting “stuck” in hypnosis
  • Why hypnotizability varies from person to person
  • The Harvard and Stanford hypnotizability scales
  • What brain-imaging and EEG research can — and cannot — tell us about hypnosis
  • Why a simple “meditation equals alpha, hypnosis equals theta” explanation is too tidy
  • How hypnosis and meditation overlap, and where Dyan sees them as different
  • Using self-hypnosis to interrupt racing thoughts at bedtime
  • Whether hypnotic suggestion can influence slow-wave sleep
  • Why promising laboratory findings do not yet amount to strong evidence that hypnosis treats chronic insomnia
  • Returning to sleep after nighttime awakenings
  • Dyan’s idea of needing to “rest in order to rest”
  • Using short periods of rest and self-hypnosis during the day
  • Neil’s experience with a Jeff Warren meditation and the strange state between breaths
  • Why one minute of hypnosis is not literally equivalent to an hour of sleep, despite the suggestion used in one of Dyan’s recordings
  • COVID-19 anxiety, disrupted routines and sleep during the first weeks of shelter-in-place
  • A simple body-attention exercise: moving awareness slowly from toe to toe when the mind will not settle
  • When Dyan recommends working with a licensed clinician rather than relying on unguided online self-hypnosis


About Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson

Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson is a licensed psychologist whose work includes clinical hypnosis, sleep and insomnia, chronic pain, mindfulness and mind-body approaches. Her current website lists psychology licenses in California, Colorado and Texas.

She is a co-founder of the Los Angeles Erickson Institute, a Past President and former Vice President of Programs for the Southern California Society for Clinical Hypnosis, and an Approved Consultant for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. She has also contributed extensively to Thrive Global.

At the time of this 2020 conversation, she described herself as licensed in California and Colorado and was already specializing heavily in hypnosis for sleep.

MENTIONED

Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson

Current website, clinical background, sleep resources and self-hypnosis material.

https://www.drdyan.com/

The Truth About Hypnosis

Dyan’s page addressing common fears and misconceptions about hypnosis, including control and what the experience is like.

https://www.drdyan.com/truths-about-hypnosis/

American Society of Clinical Hypnosis

The professional organization Dyan identifies with in the episode; she is currently listed by her own site as an Approved Consultant.

https://asch.net/

APA Division 30 — Society of Psychological Hypnosis

The American Psychological Association division devoted to hypnosis research, education and clinical standards.

https://www.apa.org/about/division/div30

Society for Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis

A professional organization focused on hypnosis research, education and clinical practice.

https://www.sceh.us/

Deepening Sleep by Hypnotic Suggestion

A controlled sleep-laboratory study relevant to the episode’s question about whether hypnotic suggestion can influence slow-wave sleep.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24882909/

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why hypnosis still makes plenty of smart, skeptical people roll their eyes</li><li>Stage hypnosis versus clinical hypnosis</li><li>Dyan’s own history with insomnia, chronic pain and discovering self-hypnosis in graduate school</li><li>What psychologists mean when they talk about hypnosis</li><li>Absorption, time distortion and everyday experiences Dyan describes as naturally occurring hypnotic states</li><li>The fear of losing control or getting “stuck” in hypnosis</li><li>Why hypnotizability varies from person to person</li><li>The Harvard and Stanford hypnotizability scales</li><li>What brain-imaging and EEG research can — and cannot — tell us about hypnosis</li><li>Why a simple “meditation equals alpha, hypnosis equals theta” explanation is too tidy</li><li>How hypnosis and meditation overlap, and where Dyan sees them as different</li><li>Using self-hypnosis to interrupt racing thoughts at bedtime</li><li>Whether hypnotic suggestion can influence slow-wave sleep</li><li>Why promising laboratory findings do not yet amount to strong evidence that hypnosis treats chronic insomnia</li><li>Returning to sleep after nighttime awakenings</li><li>Dyan’s idea of needing to “rest in order to rest”</li><li>Using short periods of rest and self-hypnosis during the day</li><li>Neil’s experience with a Jeff Warren meditation and the strange state between breaths</li><li>Why one minute of hypnosis is not literally equivalent to an hour of sleep, despite the suggestion used in one of Dyan’s recordings</li><li>COVID-19 anxiety, disrupted routines and sleep during the first weeks of shelter-in-place</li><li>A simple body-attention exercise: moving awareness slowly from toe to toe when the mind will not settle</li><li>When Dyan recommends working with a licensed clinician rather than relying on unguided online self-hypnosis</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson</h3><p>Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson is a licensed psychologist whose work includes clinical hypnosis, sleep and insomnia, chronic pain, mindfulness and mind-body approaches. Her current website lists psychology licenses in California, Colorado and Texas.</p><p>She is a co-founder of the Los Angeles Erickson Institute, a Past President and former Vice President of Programs for the Southern California Society for Clinical Hypnosis, and an Approved Consultant for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. She has also contributed extensively to Thrive Global.</p><p>At the time of this 2020 conversation, she described herself as licensed in California and Colorado and was already specializing heavily in hypnosis for sleep.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Dr. Dyan Haspel-Johnson</strong></p><p>Current website, clinical background, sleep resources and self-hypnosis material.</p><p><a href="https://www.drdyan.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.drdyan.com/</a></p><p><strong>The Truth About Hypnosis</strong></p><p>Dyan’s page addressing common fears and misconceptions about hypnosis, including control and what the experience is like.</p><p><a href="https://www.drdyan.com/truths-about-hypnosis/" rel="nofollow">https://www.drdyan.com/truths-about-hypnosis/</a></p><p><strong>American Society of Clinical Hypnosis</strong></p><p>The professional organization Dyan identifies with in the episode; she is currently listed by her own site as an Approved Consultant.</p><p><a href="https://asch.net/" rel="nofollow">https://asch.net/</a></p><p><strong>APA Division 30 — Society of Psychological Hypnosis</strong></p><p>The American Psychological Association division devoted to hypnosis research, education and clinical standards.</p><p><a href="https://www.apa.org/about/division/div30" rel="nofollow">https://www.apa.org/about/division/div30</a></p><p><strong>Society for Clinical &amp; Experimental Hypnosis</strong></p><p>A professional organization focused on hypnosis research, education and clinical practice.</p><p><a href="https://www.sceh.us/" rel="nofollow">https://www.sceh.us/</a></p><p><strong>Deepening Sleep by Hypnotic Suggestion</strong></p><p>A controlled sleep-laboratory study relevant to the episode’s question about whether hypnotic suggestion can influence slow-wave sleep.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24882909/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24882909/</a></p> c24124f3-075b-4cae-a5a3-2662f59c8d3b https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/9a8d81c4-cf8e-4d46-8c88-90d395aea475 Mon, 20 Apr 2020 07:30:48 +0000 3930 false full Sleep and the Science of Dreams with Dr. Célyne Bastien Sleep and the Science of Dreams with Dr. Célyne Bastien Neil Hedley In this episode
  • What scientists mean when they use the word “dream”
  • Why dreaming is not limited to REM sleep
  • Why vivid or emotionally intense dreams may be easier to remember
  • Dream interpretation, Freud and Jung — and why there is no scientific codebook for dream symbols
  • Why a dream can still be personally meaningful without predicting the future
  • What separates a nightmare from an ordinary dream
  • The familiar sensation of falling as you drift into sleep
  • Why waking-life stress can find its way into dreams
  • Dreams and anxiety during the opening weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • What lucid dreaming is
  • Becoming aware that you are dreaming while the dream is still happening
  • Dream diaries and improving dream recall
  • Wake-back-to-bed as a lucid-dream induction technique
  • Stephen LaBerge’s Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams, or MILD
  • Reality checks, autosuggestion and other approaches to recognizing the dream state
  • Why remembering a dream may depend partly on waking briefly enough to encode it
  • A simple trick for recalling a dream by working backward from the ending
  • False awakenings — dreaming that you have already woken up
  • Neil’s childhood bedwetting story and why the dream felt completely real
  • Sleep apnea, choking or suffocation dreams and repeated awakenings
  • Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, and how complex nighttime behavior can become
  • Why REM sleep behavior disorder is different from ordinary sleepwalking
  • Making the environment safer when someone is prone to complex parasomnias


About Dr. Célyne Bastien

Dr. Célyne Bastien is a Full Professor in the School of Psychology at Université Laval and is affiliated with the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Quebec City. Her research includes insomnia, sleep physiology, dreams and nightmares, and the neurophysiology of sleep.

At the time of this conversation, she was President of the Canadian Sleep Society, a position she held from 2019 through 2023.

MENTIONED

Sleep On It! — Canadian Public Health Campaign on Sleep

A Canadian public-health initiative created to make evidence-based sleep information easier to understand and use.

Sleep On It!

Dr. Célyne Bastien — Université Laval

Current faculty profile, research interests and publications.

Célyne Bastien at Université Laval

CERVO Brain Research Centre

The Quebec City neuroscience research centre with which Dr. Bastien is affiliated.

CERVO Brain Research Centre

The Nocturnal Brain — Dr. Guy Leschziner

Neil refers back to Guy Leschziner’s book while discussing people who perform remarkably complex behaviors while asleep.

The Nocturnal Brain

Lucid Dream Induction: Wake-Back-to-Bed + MILD

A 2020 sleep-laboratory study examining the combination of wake-back-to-bed and the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams technique discussed in the episode.

PubMed

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>What scientists mean when they use the word “dream”</li><li>Why dreaming is not limited to REM sleep</li><li>Why vivid or emotionally intense dreams may be easier to remember</li><li>Dream interpretation, Freud and Jung — and why there is no scientific codebook for dream symbols</li><li>Why a dream can still be personally meaningful without predicting the future</li><li>What separates a nightmare from an ordinary dream</li><li>The familiar sensation of falling as you drift into sleep</li><li>Why waking-life stress can find its way into dreams</li><li>Dreams and anxiety during the opening weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic</li><li>What lucid dreaming is</li><li>Becoming aware that you are dreaming while the dream is still happening</li><li>Dream diaries and improving dream recall</li><li>Wake-back-to-bed as a lucid-dream induction technique</li><li>Stephen LaBerge’s Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams, or MILD</li><li>Reality checks, autosuggestion and other approaches to recognizing the dream state</li><li>Why remembering a dream may depend partly on waking briefly enough to encode it</li><li>A simple trick for recalling a dream by working backward from the ending</li><li>False awakenings — dreaming that you have already woken up</li><li>Neil’s childhood bedwetting story and why the dream felt completely real</li><li>Sleep apnea, choking or suffocation dreams and repeated awakenings</li><li>Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, and how complex nighttime behavior can become</li><li>Why REM sleep behavior disorder is different from ordinary sleepwalking</li><li>Making the environment safer when someone is prone to complex parasomnias</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Célyne Bastien</h3><p>Dr. Célyne Bastien is a Full Professor in the School of Psychology at Université Laval and is affiliated with the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Quebec City. Her research includes insomnia, sleep physiology, dreams and nightmares, and the neurophysiology of sleep.</p><p>At the time of this conversation, she was President of the Canadian Sleep Society, a position she held from 2019 through 2023.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Sleep On It! — Canadian Public Health Campaign on Sleep</strong></p><p>A Canadian public-health initiative created to make evidence-based sleep information easier to understand and use.</p><p><a href="https://sleeponitcanada.ca/" rel="nofollow">Sleep On It!</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Célyne Bastien — Université Laval</strong></p><p>Current faculty profile, research interests and publications.</p><p><a href="https://www.ulaval.ca/la-recherche/repertoire-corps-professoral/celyne-h-bastien" rel="nofollow">Célyne Bastien at Université Laval</a></p><p><strong>CERVO Brain Research Centre</strong></p><p>The Quebec City neuroscience research centre with which Dr. Bastien is affiliated.</p><p><a href="https://cervo.ulaval.ca/en/" rel="nofollow">CERVO Brain Research Centre</a></p><p><strong>The Nocturnal Brain — Dr. Guy Leschziner</strong></p><p>Neil refers back to Guy Leschziner’s book while discussing people who perform remarkably complex behaviors while asleep.</p><p><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/" rel="nofollow">The Nocturnal Brain</a></p><p><strong>Lucid Dream Induction: Wake-Back-to-Bed + MILD</strong></p><p>A 2020 sleep-laboratory study examining the combination of wake-back-to-bed and the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams technique discussed in the episode.</p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32670163/" rel="nofollow">PubMed</a></p> 2f2a8d17-284f-4426-9e32-26120551dbe5 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/eabf72df-3bb0-49c6-8cb3-ab9ae89b2ace Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:30:53 +0000 2594 false full Sleep and Your Immune System with Dr. Célyne Bastien Sleep and Your Immune System with Dr. Célyne Bastien Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why sleep should be treated as a pillar of health alongside nutrition and physical activity
  • The relationship between sleep and immune function
  • Why sleep researchers were talking about that relationship long before COVID-19
  • The Canadian Sleep Society’s Sleep On It! public-health campaign
  • Why the message that sleep matters can be surprisingly difficult to communicate
  • Why people assume sleep should simply happen naturally
  • Insomnia and the tendency to become increasingly isolated around sleep problems
  • Why quick fixes are so attractive when sleep stops working
  • Melatonin, timing and the dangers of assuming that more must be better
  • Why a regular schedule helps support the body’s natural sleep timing
  • Giving yourself enough time in bed to actually obtain adequate sleep
  • Smartphones, tablets and the disappearance of the adult bedtime routine
  • Why adults may benefit from the same kind of wind-down period we instinctively create for children
  • What research can tell us about sleep, inflammation and immune regulation
  • Why sleep loss affects much more than how tired you feel
  • Memory, attention and decision-making after poor sleep
  • Keeping a regular sleep and wake schedule while working from home
  • Why daylight and outdoor exposure help keep circadian rhythms aligned
  • Exercise and activity during periods of disrupted routine
  • Anxiety during the early COVID-19 pandemic
  • Creating a scheduled “worry time” during the day instead of bringing those worries to bed
  • Why a basement home office may not be ideal for your body clock
  • Using daylight strategically when working from home

About Dr. Célyne Bastien

Dr. Célyne Bastien is a Full Professor in the School of Psychology at Université Laval and a researcher affiliated with the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Quebec City. Her research includes insomnia, sleep physiology, sleep hygiene, dreams and nightmares, PTSD and the neurophysiology of sleep.

At the time of this conversation, she was President of the Canadian Sleep Society, a position she held from 2019 through 2023. 

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why sleep should be treated as a pillar of health alongside nutrition and physical activity</li><li>The relationship between sleep and immune function</li><li>Why sleep researchers were talking about that relationship long before COVID-19</li><li>The Canadian Sleep Society’s <strong>Sleep On It!</strong> public-health campaign</li><li>Why the message that sleep matters can be surprisingly difficult to communicate</li><li>Why people assume sleep should simply happen naturally</li><li>Insomnia and the tendency to become increasingly isolated around sleep problems</li><li>Why quick fixes are so attractive when sleep stops working</li><li>Melatonin, timing and the dangers of assuming that more must be better</li><li>Why a regular schedule helps support the body’s natural sleep timing</li><li>Giving yourself enough time in bed to actually obtain adequate sleep</li><li>Smartphones, tablets and the disappearance of the adult bedtime routine</li><li>Why adults may benefit from the same kind of wind-down period we instinctively create for children</li><li>What research can tell us about sleep, inflammation and immune regulation</li><li>Why sleep loss affects much more than how tired you feel</li><li>Memory, attention and decision-making after poor sleep</li><li>Keeping a regular sleep and wake schedule while working from home</li><li>Why daylight and outdoor exposure help keep circadian rhythms aligned</li><li>Exercise and activity during periods of disrupted routine</li><li>Anxiety during the early COVID-19 pandemic</li><li>Creating a scheduled “worry time” during the day instead of bringing those worries to bed</li><li>Why a basement home office may not be ideal for your body clock</li><li>Using daylight strategically when working from home</li></ul><h3>About Dr. Célyne Bastien</h3><p>Dr. Célyne Bastien is a Full Professor in the School of Psychology at Université Laval and a researcher affiliated with the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Quebec City. Her research includes insomnia, sleep physiology, sleep hygiene, dreams and nightmares, PTSD and the neurophysiology of sleep.</p><p>At the time of this conversation, she was President of the Canadian Sleep Society, a position she held from 2019 through 2023. </p> 8ce4119c-2aab-410c-aaf0-a5aa5c8f19d9 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/31094d65-420d-4363-b1a8-c9ef2baa8210 Mon, 06 Apr 2020 07:30:35 +0000 2139 false full Odd Bedfellows - Menopause and Sleep with Dr. Sara Nowakowski Odd Bedfellows - Menopause and Sleep with Dr. Sara Nowakowski Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why sleep problems become more common during the menopausal transition
  • Why menopause and insomnia don’t have a simple cause-and-effect relationship
  • Hot flashes, night sweats and disrupted sleep
  • Why not every woman with hot flashes develops sleep problems
  • How aging, health changes and other sleep disorders can complicate the picture
  • Why sleep apnea deserves attention during and after menopause
  • How midlife stress can compound sleep problems
  • Why insomnia can continue after the menopausal transition itself has ended
  • When occasional bad sleep becomes insomnia disorder
  • Trouble falling asleep versus trouble staying asleep versus waking too early
  • The daytime consequences of chronic insomnia
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I
  • How CBT-I uses sleep diaries, scheduling, behavior and changes in thinking about sleep
  • Why getting out of bed can sometimes be more useful than lying there trying harder
  • Building sleep pressure rather than trying to “catch up” after a bad night
  • Why Sara describes CBT-I as a relatively short-term intervention
  • How telehealth was beginning to change insomnia treatment in the opening weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Why sleep medications may help in some situations without necessarily solving the underlying insomnia
  • Melatonin, circadian rhythms and why more is not automatically better
  • Why consumer sleep trackers should not be treated like laboratory sleep studies
  • Orthosomnia and the danger of becoming anxious about your sleep data
  • What deep N3 sleep does — and why one unusual night of tracker data should not send you into a panic


About Dr. Sara Nowakowski

At the time of this conversation, Dr. Sara Nowakowski was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a research health scientist at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Her work focuses heavily on insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and sleep across women’s lives, including the effects of reproductive and hormonal transitions on sleep.

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why sleep problems become more common during the menopausal transition</li><li>Why menopause and insomnia don’t have a simple cause-and-effect relationship</li><li>Hot flashes, night sweats and disrupted sleep</li><li>Why not every woman with hot flashes develops sleep problems</li><li>How aging, health changes and other sleep disorders can complicate the picture</li><li>Why sleep apnea deserves attention during and after menopause</li><li>How midlife stress can compound sleep problems</li><li>Why insomnia can continue after the menopausal transition itself has ended</li><li>When occasional bad sleep becomes insomnia disorder</li><li>Trouble falling asleep versus trouble staying asleep versus waking too early</li><li>The daytime consequences of chronic insomnia</li><li>Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I</li><li>How CBT-I uses sleep diaries, scheduling, behavior and changes in thinking about sleep</li><li>Why getting out of bed can sometimes be more useful than lying there trying harder</li><li>Building sleep pressure rather than trying to “catch up” after a bad night</li><li>Why Sara describes CBT-I as a relatively short-term intervention</li><li>How telehealth was beginning to change insomnia treatment in the opening weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic</li><li>Why sleep medications may help in some situations without necessarily solving the underlying insomnia</li><li>Melatonin, circadian rhythms and why more is not automatically better</li><li>Why consumer sleep trackers should not be treated like laboratory sleep studies</li><li>Orthosomnia and the danger of becoming anxious about your sleep data</li><li>What deep N3 sleep does — and why one unusual night of tracker data should not send you into a panic</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Sara Nowakowski</h3><p>At the time of this conversation, Dr. Sara Nowakowski was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a research health scientist at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center.</p><p>Her work focuses heavily on insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and sleep across women’s lives, including the effects of reproductive and hormonal transitions on sleep.</p> a95ec162-5e8c-4b44-a287-462814ab2bb3 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/9b3f9e6f-06a4-49d5-922c-4c739dbc4a31 Mon, 30 Mar 2020 07:30:34 +0000 2635 false full Sleep, Exericse and Your Immune System with Dr. Jenni Pottebaum Sleep, Exericse and Your Immune System with Dr. Jenni Pottebaum Neil Hedley In this episode
  • How the extraordinary stress of the early COVID-19 pandemic was affecting sleep
  • The relationship between stress, sleep, exercise and immune function
  • Why sleeping better can improve the quality and motivation behind a workout
  • Why exercise can, in turn, support better sleep
  • Starting with something as simple as walking
  • How to begin exercising after a long period of being sedentary
  • Why starting with ten minutes may be perfectly reasonable
  • Gradually increasing activity instead of trying to transform yourself overnight
  • The “talk test” and what it can tell you about exercise intensity
  • Finding the best time of day to exercise for your own schedule and body
  • Exercise close to bedtime
  • Lower-intensity options such as stretching and yoga
  • Why Neil’s handful-of-raisins sleep strategy was a spectacularly bad idea
  • Alcohol, falling asleep and sleep quality later in the night
  • Nutrition, exercise and recovery
  • Using a disrupted routine as an opportunity to build healthier habits
  • Why new habits work better when they can survive the eventual return to a normal schedule
  • A listener question about menopause and sleep
  • The story behind the return of The Snooze Button Express


About Dr. Jenni Pottebaum

Dr. Jenni Pottebaum earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Michigan and spent years working in neuroscience research before moving into fitness, endurance coaching and health coaching.

Her background also includes competitive swimming and running, professional triathlon, personal training and years of coaching athletes across a wide range of experience levels.

Today she is the creator of Total Wellness with Dr. Jenni and remains head coach with Total Intensity Sports, where she works with triathletes and other endurance athletes.

Total Wellness with Dr. Jenni

Total Intensity Sports

MENTIONED

The relationship between sleep and immune function

Research has found meaningful connections between insufficient sleep, inflammation, immune response and susceptibility to infection.

Exercise and immune health

The relationship is more nuanced than simply saying exercise “boosts” immunity. Regular physical activity is associated with beneficial immune effects, while the physiological response depends on factors including intensity, duration, training load and recovery.

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>How the extraordinary stress of the early COVID-19 pandemic was affecting sleep</li><li>The relationship between stress, sleep, exercise and immune function</li><li>Why sleeping better can improve the quality and motivation behind a workout</li><li>Why exercise can, in turn, support better sleep</li><li>Starting with something as simple as walking</li><li>How to begin exercising after a long period of being sedentary</li><li>Why starting with ten minutes may be perfectly reasonable</li><li>Gradually increasing activity instead of trying to transform yourself overnight</li><li>The “talk test” and what it can tell you about exercise intensity</li><li>Finding the best time of day to exercise for your own schedule and body</li><li>Exercise close to bedtime</li><li>Lower-intensity options such as stretching and yoga</li><li>Why Neil’s handful-of-raisins sleep strategy was a spectacularly bad idea</li><li>Alcohol, falling asleep and sleep quality later in the night</li><li>Nutrition, exercise and recovery</li><li>Using a disrupted routine as an opportunity to build healthier habits</li><li>Why new habits work better when they can survive the eventual return to a normal schedule</li><li>A listener question about menopause and sleep</li><li>The story behind the return of <em>The Snooze Button Express</em></li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Jenni Pottebaum</h3><p>Dr. Jenni Pottebaum earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Michigan and spent years working in neuroscience research before moving into fitness, endurance coaching and health coaching.</p><p>Her background also includes competitive swimming and running, professional triathlon, personal training and years of coaching athletes across a wide range of experience levels.</p><p>Today she is the creator of <strong>Total Wellness with Dr. Jenni</strong> and remains head coach with <strong>Total Intensity Sports</strong>, where she works with triathletes and other endurance athletes.</p><p><a href="https://www.totalwellnesswithdrjenni.com/about-dr-jenni?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Total Wellness with Dr. Jenni</a></p><p><a href="https://totalintensitysports.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Total Intensity Sports</a></p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>The relationship between sleep and immune function</strong></p><p>Research has found meaningful connections between insufficient sleep, inflammation, immune response and susceptibility to infection.</p><p><strong>Exercise and immune health</strong></p><p>The relationship is more nuanced than simply saying exercise “boosts” immunity. Regular physical activity is associated with beneficial immune effects, while the physiological response depends on factors including intensity, duration, training load and recovery.</p> 6e556e41-0cdb-4a62-b0a7-b945287407ce https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/f498ca35-fa04-4b07-abbf-c851fbc9985d Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:30:32 +0000 1965 false full Daylight Saving Time vs Sleep with Dr. Michael Grandner Daylight Saving Time vs Sleep with Dr. Michael Grandner Neil Hedley SHOW NOTES

In this episode

  • Why changing the clock is essentially a form of self-imposed jet lag
  • What happens when the external clock changes before the internal clock catches up
  • Sleep loss, driving alertness and the spring Daylight Saving Time transition
  • Why circadian disruption matters to cardiovascular health
  • How gradually shifting sleep by 20–30 minutes can soften the springtime transition
  • Why bright morning light and dimmer evening light can help the body clock adjust
  • When melatonin may be useful for shifting circadian timing
  • Why melatonin and insomnia are not the same conversation
  • A survey claiming Americans average only five and a half hours of sleep
  • Why Michael considers that number an outlier compared with broader population data
  • The difference between self-reported sleep and sleep measured by trackers or in a laboratory
  • How to read sleep research more critically instead of stopping at the headline
  • Why small studies and commercially useful findings deserve extra scrutiny
  • The American Heart Association’s cardiovascular-health checklist — and whether sleep belongs on it
  • Looking beyond sleep duration to satisfaction, regularity and timing
  • What happens when 30 minutes of sedentary time is replaced by exercise, sleep or light activity
  • Why exercise and sleep can reinforce each other rather than compete
  • A listener question from Keith at UNLV about recovering from an all-nighter
  • Why “making up” lost sleep isn’t as simple as repaying a debt hour for hour
  • Getting back to a regular schedule after one very bad night

About Dr. Michael Grandner

Dr. Michael Grandner is a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, with research focused on the connections between sleep, cardiovascular and metabolic health, daytime functioning and the social and behavioral factors that shape how people sleep.

Michael Grandner — University of Arizona

MENTIONED

Society for Research on Biological Rhythms — “Why Should We Abolish Daylight Saving Time?”

The 2019 position paper discussed by Michael argues that permanent Standard Time is preferable to either continuing the twice-yearly clock changes or adopting permanent Daylight Saving Time.

SRBR Daylight Saving Time resources

American Heart Association — Life’s Essential 8

The episode discusses the AHA’s then-current “Life’s Simple 7” cardiovascular-health framework and the growing argument that sleep belonged alongside those seven factors.

Life’s Essential 8 — American Heart Association

]]> <h1>SHOW NOTES</h1><h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why changing the clock is essentially a form of self-imposed jet lag</li><li>What happens when the external clock changes before the internal clock catches up</li><li>Sleep loss, driving alertness and the spring Daylight Saving Time transition</li><li>Why circadian disruption matters to cardiovascular health</li><li>How gradually shifting sleep by 20–30 minutes can soften the springtime transition</li><li>Why bright morning light and dimmer evening light can help the body clock adjust</li><li>When melatonin may be useful for shifting circadian timing</li><li>Why melatonin and insomnia are not the same conversation</li><li>A survey claiming Americans average only five and a half hours of sleep</li><li>Why Michael considers that number an outlier compared with broader population data</li><li>The difference between self-reported sleep and sleep measured by trackers or in a laboratory</li><li>How to read sleep research more critically instead of stopping at the headline</li><li>Why small studies and commercially useful findings deserve extra scrutiny</li><li>The American Heart Association’s cardiovascular-health checklist — and whether sleep belongs on it</li><li>Looking beyond sleep duration to satisfaction, regularity and timing</li><li>What happens when 30 minutes of sedentary time is replaced by exercise, sleep or light activity</li><li>Why exercise and sleep can reinforce each other rather than compete</li><li>A listener question from Keith at UNLV about recovering from an all-nighter</li><li>Why “making up” lost sleep isn’t as simple as repaying a debt hour for hour</li><li>Getting back to a regular schedule after one very bad night</li></ul><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>Dr. Michael Grandner is a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, with research focused on the connections between sleep, cardiovascular and metabolic health, daytime functioning and the social and behavioral factors that shape how people sleep.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Michael Grandner — University of Arizona</a></p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Society for Research on Biological Rhythms — “Why Should We Abolish Daylight Saving Time?”</strong></p><p>The 2019 position paper discussed by Michael argues that permanent Standard Time is preferable to either continuing the twice-yearly clock changes or adopting permanent Daylight Saving Time.</p><p><a href="https://srbr.org/advocacy/daylight-saving-time-presskit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">SRBR Daylight Saving Time resources</a></p><p><strong>American Heart Association — Life’s Essential 8</strong></p><p>The episode discusses the AHA’s then-current “Life’s Simple 7” cardiovascular-health framework and the growing argument that sleep belonged alongside those seven factors.</p><p><a href="https://professional.heart.org/en/science-news/lifes-essential-8?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Life’s Essential 8 — American Heart Association</a></p> 90385b84-0ec1-4844-9bc6-79c63876be22 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/02f52616-9357-4a66-bc45-41aa51697d15 Sat, 07 Mar 2020 08:30:18 +0000 2426 false full Boring Books for Bedtime, with Sharon Handy Boring Books for Bedtime, with Sharon Handy Neil Hedley In this episode
  • How Boring Books for Bedtime began with an eight-year-old, a bad dream and a book that turned out to be much too interesting
  • Why Thomas Paine’s Common Sense succeeded where Black Beauty failed
  • Turning a family bedtime trick into a weekly podcast
  • Why Sharon deliberately reads in a calm, restrained, almost monotone style
  • The difference between a boring book and a boring presentation
  • How Sharon finds material through Project Gutenberg and other public-domain sources
  • Why old manuals and forgotten nonfiction can become fascinating windows into another world
  • The listeners who objected to calling Walden boring — but listened anyway
  • Reading Apple’s media terms and conditions as a sleep aid
  • Why some listeners use exactly the same episode every night
  • Sharon’s unexpected hit: Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Coming of the Fairies
  • Mrs. Beeton and the surprisingly soothing duties of a Victorian butler
  • Charles Darwin as bedtime listening
  • Why Sharon can’t use her own sleep podcast when she can’t sleep
  • The connection between menopause and insomnia
  • Neil considers putting Boring Books for Bedtime through his own two-week sleep experiment
  • How long it takes Sharon to record and edit an hour-long reading
  • Toronto school start times, transportation savings and the conflict with sleep science


About Sharon Handy

Sharon Handy is the creator, host and producer of Boring Books for Bedtime, a sleep podcast built around a wonderfully simple idea: give an active mind something mildly interesting to listen to so it has less room for the thoughts keeping you awake.

Each episode features Sharon calmly reading older, public-domain material ranging from science and history to household manuals, philosophy and wonderfully peculiar documents.

More than six years after this conversation was recorded, Boring Books for Bedtime is still releasing new episodes every week.

MENTIONED

Boring Books for Bedtime

Sharon Handy’s weekly sleep podcast.

Boring Books for Bedtime official website

Project Gutenberg

The free digital library Sharon uses extensively to find older public-domain works for the show.

Project Gutenberg

On the Origin of Species — Charles Darwin

One of Sharon’s suggested starting points for Neil’s experiment.

Read On the Origin of Species at Project Gutenberg

The Coming of the Fairies — Arthur Conan Doyle

A surprisingly popular Boring Books for Bedtime selection in which the creator of Sherlock Holmes examines the famous Cottingley fairy photographs.

Read The Coming of the Fairies at Project Gutenberg

The Book of Household Management — Isabella Beeton

One of Sharon’s personal favorites, including the wonderfully sleep-compatible duties of a Victorian butler.

Read The Book of Household Management at Project Gutenberg

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>How <em>Boring Books for Bedtime</em> began with an eight-year-old, a bad dream and a book that turned out to be much too interesting</li><li>Why Thomas Paine’s <em>Common Sense</em> succeeded where <em>Black Beauty</em> failed</li><li>Turning a family bedtime trick into a weekly podcast</li><li>Why Sharon deliberately reads in a calm, restrained, almost monotone style</li><li>The difference between a boring book and a boring presentation</li><li>How Sharon finds material through Project Gutenberg and other public-domain sources</li><li>Why old manuals and forgotten nonfiction can become fascinating windows into another world</li><li>The listeners who objected to calling <em>Walden</em> boring — but listened anyway</li><li>Reading Apple’s media terms and conditions as a sleep aid</li><li>Why some listeners use exactly the same episode every night</li><li>Sharon’s unexpected hit: Arthur Conan Doyle’s <em>The Coming of the Fairies</em></li><li>Mrs. Beeton and the surprisingly soothing duties of a Victorian butler</li><li>Charles Darwin as bedtime listening</li><li>Why Sharon can’t use her own sleep podcast when she can’t sleep</li><li>The connection between menopause and insomnia</li><li>Neil considers putting <em>Boring Books for Bedtime</em> through his own two-week sleep experiment</li><li>How long it takes Sharon to record and edit an hour-long reading</li><li>Toronto school start times, transportation savings and the conflict with sleep science</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Sharon Handy</h3><p>Sharon Handy is the creator, host and producer of <em>Boring Books for Bedtime</em>, a sleep podcast built around a wonderfully simple idea: give an active mind something mildly interesting to listen to so it has less room for the thoughts keeping you awake.</p><p>Each episode features Sharon calmly reading older, public-domain material ranging from science and history to household manuals, philosophy and wonderfully peculiar documents.</p><p>More than six years after this conversation was recorded, <em>Boring Books for Bedtime</em> is still releasing new episodes every week.</p><h2>MENTIONED</h2><p><strong>Boring Books for Bedtime</strong></p><p>Sharon Handy’s weekly sleep podcast.</p><p><a href="https://www.boringbookspod.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Boring Books for Bedtime official website</a></p><p><strong>Project Gutenberg</strong></p><p>The free digital library Sharon uses extensively to find older public-domain works for the show.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Project Gutenberg</a></p><p><strong>On the Origin of Species — Charles Darwin</strong></p><p>One of Sharon’s suggested starting points for Neil’s experiment.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read On the Origin of Species at Project Gutenberg</a></p><p><strong>The Coming of the Fairies — Arthur Conan Doyle</strong></p><p>A surprisingly popular <em>Boring Books for Bedtime</em> selection in which the creator of Sherlock Holmes examines the famous Cottingley fairy photographs.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47506?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read The Coming of the Fairies at Project Gutenberg</a></p><p><strong>The Book of Household Management — Isabella Beeton</strong></p><p>One of Sharon’s personal favorites, including the wonderfully sleep-compatible duties of a Victorian butler.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10136?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read The Book of Household Management at Project Gutenberg</a></p> 43b879f6-558a-4e6a-a5a4-f9730d125d58 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/5444000b-f400-4042-8332-1d4a42e38856 Mon, 02 Mar 2020 08:30:15 +0000 1836 false full Please Don't Make Us Call It A Sleep Divorce - with Dr. Wendy Troxel Please Don't Make Us Call It A Sleep Divorce - with Dr. Wendy Troxel Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Why Wendy Troxel refuses to embrace the term “sleep divorce”
  • “Sleep alliance,” “solo sleeping” and finding language without judgment
  • Why there is no single correct sleeping arrangement for every couple
  • How sleep quality and relationship quality influence each other
  • The cultural baggage attached to separate beds
  • Why communication matters more than the room you sleep in
  • Sleep disorders, snoring and physical movement as reasons couples may sleep apart
  • Neil’s own experiment with separate bedrooms after his sleep-lab diagnosis
  • Whether separate sleeping has to hurt intimacy or sex
  • How better sleep might actually improve a couple’s relationship
  • Why Troxel says sleep should become a mutual relationship priority
  • The science behind later school start times for adolescents
  • Dr. Guy Leschziner on REM data, Apple Watches, sleep trackers and orthosomnia

About Wendy Troxel

Dr. Wendy Troxel is a sleep researcher, clinical psychologist and Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist at RAND, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses heavily on the intersection between sleep, relationships, social environments and health. Her current TED biography still lists those roles.

The central idea of this interview remains essentially the same one Troxel presents publicly today: there is no one-size-fits-all sleeping arrangement for couples; the priority should be finding a strategy that protects both sleep and the relationship.

Also in this episode

Dr. Guy Leschziner returns to answer a listener who feels well rested but is worried because an Apple Watch reports insufficient REM sleep.

His answer becomes a compact explanation of what consumer sleep trackers can and cannot reliably tell us, and why bad or misunderstood data can sometimes create anxiety about otherwise normal sleep.

Mentioned

Wendy Troxel — “How to sleep like your relationship depends on it”

This is the TEDx talk Troxel refers to during the interview, filmed in November 2019 and published by TED in early 2020.

Watch Wendy Troxel’s TED Talk

Wendy Troxel — “Why school should start later for teens”

Her earlier TEDx talk makes the case that adolescent biology and early school schedules are fundamentally mismatched.

Watch the school start-time talk

California SB 328

Neil and Wendy discuss California’s then-new school start-time legislation. The final law required most non-rural California middle schools to start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m., with implementation beginning by July 1, 2022.

California SB 328

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Why Wendy Troxel refuses to embrace the term <strong>“sleep divorce”</strong></li><li>“Sleep alliance,” “solo sleeping” and finding language without judgment</li><li>Why there is no single correct sleeping arrangement for every couple</li><li>How sleep quality and relationship quality influence each other</li><li>The cultural baggage attached to separate beds</li><li>Why communication matters more than the room you sleep in</li><li>Sleep disorders, snoring and physical movement as reasons couples may sleep apart</li><li>Neil’s own experiment with separate bedrooms after his sleep-lab diagnosis</li><li>Whether separate sleeping has to hurt intimacy or sex</li><li>How better sleep might actually improve a couple’s relationship</li><li>Why Troxel says sleep should become a mutual relationship priority</li><li>The science behind later school start times for adolescents</li><li>Dr. Guy Leschziner on REM data, Apple Watches, sleep trackers and <strong>orthosomnia</strong> </li></ul><h3>About Wendy Troxel</h3><p>Dr. Wendy Troxel is a sleep researcher, clinical psychologist and Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist at RAND, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses heavily on the intersection between sleep, relationships, social environments and health. Her current TED biography still lists those roles. </p><p>The central idea of this interview remains essentially the same one Troxel presents publicly today: <strong>there is no one-size-fits-all sleeping arrangement for couples; the priority should be finding a strategy that protects both sleep and the relationship.</strong> </p><h3>Also in this episode</h3><p>Dr. <strong>Guy Leschziner</strong> returns to answer a listener who feels well rested but is worried because an Apple Watch reports insufficient REM sleep.</p><p>His answer becomes a compact explanation of what consumer sleep trackers can and cannot reliably tell us, and why bad or misunderstood data can sometimes create anxiety about otherwise normal sleep. </p><h2>Mentioned</h2><p><strong>Wendy Troxel — “How to sleep like your relationship depends on it”</strong></p><p> This is the TEDx talk Troxel refers to during the interview, filmed in November 2019 and published by TED in early 2020. </p><p><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_troxel_how_to_sleep_like_your_relationship_depends_on_it?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Watch Wendy Troxel’s TED Talk</a></p><p><strong>Wendy Troxel — “Why school should start later for teens”</strong></p><p> Her earlier TEDx talk makes the case that adolescent biology and early school schedules are fundamentally mismatched. </p><p><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_troxel_why_school_should_start_later_for_teens?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Watch the school start-time talk</a></p><p><strong>California SB 328</strong></p><p> Neil and Wendy discuss California’s then-new school start-time legislation. The final law required most non-rural California middle schools to start no earlier than <strong>8:00 a.m.</strong> and high schools no earlier than <strong>8:30 a.m.</strong>, with implementation beginning by July 1, 2022. </p><p><a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB328&utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">California SB 328</a></p> 536624c3-a543-4549-97ae-65de62de56e1 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/c07d0020-2343-48fe-933b-0f65c309de14 Mon, 17 Feb 2020 08:30:38 +0000 2509 false full Sleep Crutches, or Sleep Onset Associations, with Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg Sleep Crutches, or Sleep Onset Associations, with Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg returns to answer the first listener question in The Snooze Button's new Ask the Experts feature, including:

  • why a child can fall asleep easily at bedtime yet still repeatedly wake during the night;
  • what sleep specialists mean by a sleep onset association;
  • why “sleep crutch” and “sleep prop” are sometimes used as simpler descriptions of the same basic idea;
  • the difference between simply waking during the night and needing help to get back to sleep;
  • parents, rocking, feeding, back rubbing, reading and other things that can become part of the conditions surrounding sleep;
  • why some sleep associations may matter much more to a child than others;
  • what can happen when something present at bedtime disappears later;
  • the difference between a child who wakes briefly and one who needs a parent to recreate bedtime;
  • my own daughter's history with the SNOO;
  • a bedroom rearrangement, a seemingly irrelevant wipe warmer and the tiny nightlight we hadn't realized mattered;
  • a white-noise machine that projected a moon and stars onto the ceiling;
  • Ernie's “I Don't Want to Live on the Moon”;
  • why my daughter could sometimes wake up, happily discuss the moon and stars with a stuffed animal for an astonishing length of time, and eventually put herself back to sleep;
  • the night a Google Home lost its network connection at exactly the wrong moment;
  • whether we'd somehow just gotten extraordinarily lucky with a good sleeper;
  • whether sleep onset associations apply to adults too;
  • and what kind of adult bedtime habit Schneeberg sees particularly often when people complain about waking in the middle of the night.


The episode is deliberately short. Rather than adding a conventional long-form guest interview, the show gives the new listener-question format room to establish itself.

About Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg is a clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric sleep medicine. She remains Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Connecticut Children's Sleep Center and is also affiliated with Yale School of Medicine. Connecticut Children's describes her work as helping families improve sleep from infancy through adolescence.

She is also the author of Become Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10, the book at the center of her earlier full-length Snooze Button appearance. Yale Medicine currently lists her as treating both children and adults.

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Connecticut Children's

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Yale Medicine

DrSchneeberg.com

Mentioned in this episode

  • Sleep onset associations / behavioral insomnia of childhood — the terminology around pediatric insomnia has evolved, but the underlying problem Schneeberg is describing remains familiar in behavioral sleep medicine. Connecticut Children's currently describes behavioral insomnia of childhood as commonly involving difficulty falling asleep without parental assistance or extended bedtime routines.
  • https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/specialties-conditions/sleep-center/sleep-psychology
  • Behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia — the American Academy of Sleep Medicine continues to advise behavioral interventions as the first treatment option for otherwise healthy children struggling with bedtime resistance or nighttime awakenings, with specialist evaluation when problems persist or are medically complex.
  • https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/insomnia-children-sleep-health-advisory/
  • Research on sleep-onset associations — published clinical research has specifically examined problematic sleep associations such as needing parental presence and found improvement following behavioral treatment in children with behavioral insomnia.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21550589/
  • SNOO — I refer back to using the smart bassinet during my daughter's infancy and my belief that it helped establish good sleep habits before she transitioned out of it. That's my personal historical experience in the episode, not a general recommendation.
  • https://www.happiestbaby.com/products/snoo-smart-bassinet


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg returns to answer the first listener question in <em>The Snooze Button&#39;s</em> new <strong>Ask the Experts</strong> feature, including:</p><ul><li>why a child can fall asleep easily at bedtime yet still repeatedly wake during the night;</li><li>what sleep specialists mean by a <strong>sleep onset association</strong>;</li><li>why “sleep crutch” and “sleep prop” are sometimes used as simpler descriptions of the same basic idea;</li><li>the difference between simply waking during the night and needing help to get back to sleep;</li><li>parents, rocking, feeding, back rubbing, reading and other things that can become part of the conditions surrounding sleep;</li><li>why some sleep associations may matter much more to a child than others;</li><li>what can happen when something present at bedtime disappears later;</li><li>the difference between a child who wakes briefly and one who needs a parent to recreate bedtime;</li><li>my own daughter&#39;s history with the <strong>SNOO</strong>;</li><li>a bedroom rearrangement, a seemingly irrelevant wipe warmer and the tiny nightlight we hadn&#39;t realized mattered;</li><li>a white-noise machine that projected a moon and stars onto the ceiling;</li><li>Ernie&#39;s <strong>“I Don&#39;t Want to Live on the Moon”</strong>;</li><li>why my daughter could sometimes wake up, happily discuss the moon and stars with a stuffed animal for an astonishing length of time, and eventually put herself back to sleep;</li><li>the night a Google Home lost its network connection at exactly the wrong moment;</li><li>whether we&#39;d somehow just gotten extraordinarily lucky with a good sleeper;</li><li>whether sleep onset associations apply to adults too;</li><li>and what kind of adult bedtime habit Schneeberg sees particularly often when people complain about waking in the middle of the night. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The episode is deliberately short. Rather than adding a conventional long-form guest interview, the show gives the new listener-question format room to establish itself. </p><h3>About Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg</h3><p><strong>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg is a clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric sleep medicine.</strong> She remains Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Connecticut Children&#39;s Sleep Center and is also affiliated with Yale School of Medicine. Connecticut Children&#39;s describes her work as helping families improve sleep from infancy through adolescence. </p><p>She is also the author of <em>Become Your Child&#39;s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor&#39;s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10</em>, the book at the center of her earlier full-length Snooze Button appearance. Yale Medicine currently lists her as treating both children and adults. </p><p><a href="https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/doctors/lynelle-schneeberg-psyd?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Connecticut Children&#39;s</a></p><p><a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/specialists/lynelle-schneeberg?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Yale Medicine</a></p><p><a href="https://drschneeberg.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">DrSchneeberg.com</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Sleep onset associations / behavioral insomnia of childhood</strong> — the terminology around pediatric insomnia has evolved, but the underlying problem Schneeberg is describing remains familiar in behavioral sleep medicine. Connecticut Children&#39;s currently describes behavioral insomnia of childhood as commonly involving difficulty falling asleep without parental assistance or extended bedtime routines. </li><li> <a href="https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/specialties-conditions/sleep-center/sleep-psychology?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/specialties-conditions/sleep-center/sleep-psychology</a></li><li><strong>Behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia</strong> — the American Academy of Sleep Medicine continues to advise behavioral interventions as the first treatment option for otherwise healthy children struggling with bedtime resistance or nighttime awakenings, with specialist evaluation when problems persist or are medically complex. </li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/insomnia-children-sleep-health-advisory/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/insomnia-children-sleep-health-advisory/</a></li><li><strong>Research on sleep-onset associations</strong> — published clinical research has specifically examined problematic sleep associations such as needing parental presence and found improvement following behavioral treatment in children with behavioral insomnia. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21550589/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21550589/</a></li><li><strong>SNOO</strong> — I refer back to using the smart bassinet during my daughter&#39;s infancy and my belief that it helped establish good sleep habits before she transitioned out of it. That&#39;s my personal historical experience in the episode, not a general recommendation. </li><li> <a href="https://www.happiestbaby.com/products/snoo-smart-bassinet" rel="nofollow">https://www.happiestbaby.com/products/snoo-smart-bassinet</a></li></ul><p><br></p> b2d14a52-f81f-4cfc-95d6-ce3f1d464bf7 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/6c11c4dc-c5c5-4ff6-b1bf-aab67185d7d6 Mon, 10 Feb 2020 08:30:22 +0000 774 false full The Many Challenges of Insomnia with Dr. Jade Wu The Many Challenges of Insomnia with Dr. Jade Wu Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Jade Wu joins me for a conversation about why insomnia — and sleep in general — resists simple one-size-fits-all solutions, including:

  • what happens when a sleep psychologist has a terrible night of insomnia herself;
  • sleep during late pregnancy and why Wu's interest in pregnancy and postpartum sleep began with her patients before it became personal;
  • what new parents might realistically expect from disrupted sleep;
  • the developmental milestone that begins making day and night more meaningful to a baby's biological clock;
  • the sleep-shift strategy Wu and her husband were considering for life with a newborn;
  • why improving sleep isn't always as simple as adding another 45 or 60 minutes;
  • the difference between inadequate sleep, chronic insomnia, sleep apnea, circadian problems and other fundamentally different sleep complaints;
  • Wu's family experience with untreated sleep apnea;
  • my own experiment with sleeping in a separate bedroom from my wife — and why both Wu and I hate the term “sleep divorce”;
  • whether sharing a bed should automatically be treated as a requirement for a healthy relationship;
  • chronotype and people whose bodies genuinely prefer later or earlier schedules;
  • why being a night owl isn't the same thing as being biologically capable of functioning indefinitely on very little sleep;
  • light and melatonin as tools that require considerably more individualized thinking than internet advice often suggests;
  • why sleep is particularly vulnerable to misinformation, self-diagnosis and self-medication;
  • what happens when good scientific information is applied to the wrong person;
  • the pressure created by frightening headlines about sleep and long-term health;
  • melatonin — or “Vitamin M” — and the dangers of treating it as the automatic answer to every sleep complaint;
  • consumer sleep trackers and the phenomenon of orthosomnia;
  • why apparently precise wearable numbers can create anxiety when people don't understand their limitations;
  • whether we should occasionally put the numbers down and return to the extraordinarily sophisticated diagnostic instrument known as “How do I actually feel?”;
  • and why meditation may support sleep very differently from using meditation as a nightly hammer with which to force yourself unconscious.


The conversation ends with something that feels particularly appropriate for The Snooze Button: Wu argues that sleep researchers have become extraordinarily good at talking to each other, but still have work to do translating all that science into information ordinary people can actually use.

About Dr. Jade Wu

At the time of this interview, Dr. Jade Wu was a sleep psychologist and clinical scientist at Duke University School of Medicine and host of the Savvy Psychologist podcast. She also describes research and clinical work involving sleep, chronic illness, pregnancy and postpartum mental health.

Wu hosted Savvy Psychologist from 2019 through 2021.

Today she is board-certified in behavioral sleep medicine, founder of the Thrive Sleep Clinic, and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. Her current work continues the same basic theme that runs through this 2020 conversation: moving away from rigid sleep optimization and toward a more resilient relationship with sleep.

Dr. Jade Wu

Hello Sleep

Mentioned in this episode

  • Savvy Psychologist — Wu was hosting the Quick and Dirty Tips psychology podcast when we recorded this conversation. Its archive still preserves her episodes from that period.
  • Jade Wu’s Savvy Psychologist archive
  • Orthosomnia — Wu uses the term for sleep-related anxiety that can develop around excessive reliance on tracker data. The term originated in a 2017 Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine paper describing patients whose pursuit of ideal wearable-generated sleep numbers was contributing to their sleep problems.
  • Orthosomnia: Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far?
  • Consumer sleep trackers — the caution in this episode has held up well. More recent international guidance continues to emphasize matching wearable data to the intended use and understanding the limitations of consumer-generated sleep measurements.
  • World Sleep Society recommendations on consumer sleep trackers
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia — CBT-I — although we don't turn this episode into a CBT-I tutorial, the discussion repeatedly touches the core insomnia problem of trying harder to sleep and making sleep more effortful. Current AASM guidance continues to strongly recommend CBT-I for chronic insomnia.
  • AASM guidance on behavioral treatment for insomnia
  • Melatonin — Wu and I are notably skeptical of internet advice that treats melatonin as a universal insomnia remedy. Current AASM material likewise emphasizes that CBT-I is the recommended treatment for chronic insomnia and advises talking with a medical provider rather than simply self-treating with melatonin.
  • AASM: Finding the best treatment for insomnia
  • Pregnancy and sleep position — pregnancy provides the immediate context for the interview. Current ACOG guidance says side sleeping is generally preferable later in pregnancy; either the left or right side can be used.
  • ACOG pregnancy sleep-position guidance


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Jade Wu joins me for a conversation about why insomnia — and sleep in general — resists simple one-size-fits-all solutions, including:</p><ul><li>what happens when a sleep psychologist has a terrible night of insomnia herself;</li><li>sleep during late pregnancy and why Wu&#39;s interest in pregnancy and postpartum sleep began with her patients before it became personal;</li><li>what new parents might realistically expect from disrupted sleep;</li><li>the developmental milestone that begins making day and night more meaningful to a baby&#39;s biological clock;</li><li>the <strong>sleep-shift</strong> strategy Wu and her husband were considering for life with a newborn;</li><li>why improving sleep isn&#39;t always as simple as adding another 45 or 60 minutes;</li><li>the difference between inadequate sleep, chronic insomnia, sleep apnea, circadian problems and other fundamentally different sleep complaints;</li><li>Wu&#39;s family experience with untreated sleep apnea;</li><li>my own experiment with sleeping in a separate bedroom from my wife — and why both Wu and I hate the term <strong>“sleep divorce”</strong>;</li><li>whether sharing a bed should automatically be treated as a requirement for a healthy relationship;</li><li><strong>chronotype</strong> and people whose bodies genuinely prefer later or earlier schedules;</li><li>why being a night owl isn&#39;t the same thing as being biologically capable of functioning indefinitely on very little sleep;</li><li>light and melatonin as tools that require considerably more individualized thinking than internet advice often suggests;</li><li>why sleep is particularly vulnerable to misinformation, self-diagnosis and self-medication;</li><li>what happens when good scientific information is applied to the wrong person;</li><li>the pressure created by frightening headlines about sleep and long-term health;</li><li>melatonin — or <strong>“Vitamin M”</strong> — and the dangers of treating it as the automatic answer to every sleep complaint;</li><li>consumer sleep trackers and the phenomenon of <strong>orthosomnia</strong>;</li><li>why apparently precise wearable numbers can create anxiety when people don&#39;t understand their limitations;</li><li>whether we should occasionally put the numbers down and return to the extraordinarily sophisticated diagnostic instrument known as <strong>“How do I actually feel?”</strong>;</li><li>and why meditation may support sleep very differently from using meditation as a nightly hammer with which to force yourself unconscious. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The conversation ends with something that feels particularly appropriate for <em>The Snooze Button</em>: Wu argues that sleep researchers have become extraordinarily good at talking to <strong>each other</strong>, but still have work to do translating all that science into information ordinary people can actually use. </p><h3>About Dr. Jade Wu</h3><p>At the time of this interview, <strong>Dr. Jade Wu was a sleep psychologist and clinical scientist at Duke University School of Medicine</strong> and host of the <em>Savvy Psychologist</em> podcast. She also describes research and clinical work involving sleep, chronic illness, pregnancy and postpartum mental health. </p><p>Wu hosted <em>Savvy Psychologist</em> from 2019 through 2021. </p><p>Today she is board-certified in behavioral sleep medicine, founder of the <strong>Thrive Sleep Clinic</strong>, and author of <em>Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications</em>. Her current work continues the same basic theme that runs through this 2020 conversation: moving away from rigid sleep optimization and toward a more resilient relationship with sleep. </p><p><a href="https://www.drjadewu.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dr. Jade Wu</a></p><p><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250828415/hellosleep/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Hello Sleep</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Savvy Psychologist</strong> — Wu was hosting the Quick and Dirty Tips psychology podcast when we recorded this conversation. Its archive still preserves her episodes from that period. </li><li> <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/qdtarchive/complete-archive-of-posts-by-dr-jade-wu/" rel="nofollow">Jade Wu’s Savvy Psychologist archive</a></li><li><strong>Orthosomnia</strong> — Wu uses the term for sleep-related anxiety that can develop around excessive reliance on tracker data. The term originated in a 2017 <em>Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine</em> paper describing patients whose pursuit of ideal wearable-generated sleep numbers was contributing to their sleep problems. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27855740/" rel="nofollow">Orthosomnia: Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far?</a></li><li><strong>Consumer sleep trackers</strong> — the caution in this episode has held up well. More recent international guidance continues to emphasize matching wearable data to the intended use and understanding the limitations of consumer-generated sleep measurements. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300398/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">World Sleep Society recommendations on consumer sleep trackers</a></li><li><strong>Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia — CBT-I</strong> — although we don&#39;t turn this episode into a CBT-I tutorial, the discussion repeatedly touches the core insomnia problem of trying harder to sleep and making sleep more effortful. Current AASM guidance continues to strongly recommend CBT-I for chronic insomnia. </li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/new-guideline-supports-behavioral-psychological-treatments-for-insomnia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">AASM guidance on behavioral treatment for insomnia</a></li><li><strong>Melatonin</strong> — Wu and I are notably skeptical of internet advice that treats melatonin as a universal insomnia remedy. Current AASM material likewise emphasizes that CBT-I is the recommended treatment for chronic insomnia and advises talking with a medical provider rather than simply self-treating with melatonin. </li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/missing-the-mark-melatonin-finding-best-treatment-insomnia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">AASM: Finding the best treatment for insomnia</a></li><li><strong>Pregnancy and sleep position</strong> — pregnancy provides the immediate context for the interview. Current ACOG guidance says side sleeping is generally preferable later in pregnancy; either the left or right side can be used. </li><li> <a href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/can-i-sleep-on-my-back-when-im-pregnant?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">ACOG pregnancy sleep-position guidance</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 88fa6d5c-e8cf-4c9d-8030-ebd32db80249 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/76541f6f-57e0-418d-8a83-1e41fcbdd878 Mon, 03 Feb 2020 08:30:23 +0000 2946 false full Sleep and Athletic Performance with Dr. Michael Grandner Sleep and Athletic Performance with Dr. Michael Grandner Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Michael Grandner returns for a fast-moving conversation about sleep and athletic performance, including:

  • why athletes are particularly interesting subjects for sleep researchers;
  • travel, unfamiliar hotel rooms and disrupted sleep schedules;
  • how the earlier conversation with Dr. Ravi Allada and Dan Shulman about Major League Baseball fits into the larger athletic-performance picture;
  • the difference between conducting a new experiment and reviewing what an entire body of research already tells us;
  • Grandner's work with sleep-and-performance researcher Jonathan Charest;
  • physical performance;
  • cognitive and mental performance;
  • injury risk and recovery;
  • athlete mental health;
  • the complicated relationship between sleep and concussion;
  • why concussion can disrupt sleep — and the possibility that sleep problems may also identify athletes at greater future concussion risk;
  • a University of Arizona study following Division I athletes over the course of a year;
  • why daytime sleepiness and insomnia weren't simply measuring the same thing in that research;
  • what sleep extension studies have found when athletes are given more opportunity to sleep;
  • basketball shooting, sprinting, tennis accuracy and other sport-specific performance measures;
  • why the advantages of better sleep aren't accompanied by the sort of side effects associated with conventional performance enhancement;
  • why young athletes may be chronically underslept thanks to early practices, academics, travel and overloaded schedules;
  • the NCAA's growing recognition of sleep as part of athlete health and performance;
  • the International Olympic Committee's recognition of sleep as part of athlete mental health;
  • the old sports mentality that sleeping means your opponent is somewhere getting better;
  • whether convincing athletes to prioritize sleep is partly a cultural problem;
  • why Grandner finds athletes easier to persuade than some people in corporate environments;
  • athletes as potential role models for making sleep look like performance behaviour rather than weakness;
  • what might be going through the minds of two starting quarterbacks the night before the Super Bowl;
  • and why preparing with good sleep beforehand may matter more than achieving one perfect night immediately before a huge event.


About Dr. Michael Grandner

Dr. Michael Grandner is a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona.

He is currently Professor of Psychiatry and Director of both the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center.

https://medicine.arizona.edu/psychiatry/leadership

Mentioned in this episode

  • Sleep and Athletic Performance: Impacts on Physical Performance, Mental Performance, Injury Risk and Recovery, and Mental Health — the review by Jonathan Charest and Michael Grandner at the centre of this episode. It was published in Sleep Medicine Clinics in 2020.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32005349/
  • Insomnia and daytime sleepiness: risk factors for sports-related concussion — the University of Arizona study Grandner discusses. Researchers followed 190 NCAA Division I athletes and found that insomnia symptoms and daytime sleepiness were independently associated with subsequent concussion risk. Importantly, this was an observational association, not proof that poor sleep directly causes concussions.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31132574/
  • The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players — the Stanford study Grandner references when discussing shooting accuracy, sprint performance, reaction time and mood after players increased their sleep opportunity.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21731144/
  • Wake up call for collegiate athlete sleep — the NCAA Interassociation Task Force on Sleep and Wellness consensus recommendations discussed by Grandner. The paper addressed athlete sleep, performance, screening and institutional strategies for improving sleep. Grandner was one of its authors.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31097460/
  • International Olympic Committee consensus statement on mental health in elite athletes — the 2019 IOC statement Grandner mentions. It includes a substantial section on sleep disorders and sleep concerns in elite athletes and identifies sleep as part of athlete health, performance and mental well-being.
  • https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/11/667


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Michael Grandner returns for a fast-moving conversation about sleep and athletic performance, including:</p><ul><li>why athletes are particularly interesting subjects for sleep researchers;</li><li>travel, unfamiliar hotel rooms and disrupted sleep schedules;</li><li>how the earlier conversation with Dr. Ravi Allada and Dan Shulman about Major League Baseball fits into the larger athletic-performance picture;</li><li>the difference between conducting a new experiment and reviewing what an entire body of research already tells us;</li><li>Grandner&#39;s work with sleep-and-performance researcher <strong>Jonathan Charest</strong>;</li><li>physical performance;</li><li>cognitive and mental performance;</li><li>injury risk and recovery;</li><li>athlete mental health;</li><li>the complicated relationship between <strong>sleep and concussion</strong>;</li><li>why concussion can disrupt sleep — and the possibility that sleep problems may also identify athletes at greater future concussion risk;</li><li>a University of Arizona study following Division I athletes over the course of a year;</li><li>why daytime sleepiness and insomnia weren&#39;t simply measuring the same thing in that research;</li><li>what sleep extension studies have found when athletes are given more opportunity to sleep;</li><li>basketball shooting, sprinting, tennis accuracy and other sport-specific performance measures;</li><li>why the advantages of better sleep aren&#39;t accompanied by the sort of side effects associated with conventional performance enhancement;</li><li>why young athletes may be chronically underslept thanks to early practices, academics, travel and overloaded schedules;</li><li>the NCAA&#39;s growing recognition of sleep as part of athlete health and performance;</li><li>the International Olympic Committee&#39;s recognition of sleep as part of athlete mental health;</li><li>the old sports mentality that sleeping means your opponent is somewhere getting better;</li><li>whether convincing athletes to prioritize sleep is partly a cultural problem;</li><li>why Grandner finds athletes easier to persuade than some people in corporate environments;</li><li>athletes as potential role models for making sleep look like <strong>performance behaviour rather than weakness</strong>;</li><li>what might be going through the minds of two starting quarterbacks the night before the Super Bowl;</li><li>and why <strong>preparing with good sleep beforehand</strong> may matter more than achieving one perfect night immediately before a huge event. </li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p><strong>Dr. Michael Grandner is a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona.</strong></p><p>He is currently Professor of Psychiatry and Director of both the Sleep and Health Research Program and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center. </p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/psychiatry/leadership?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://medicine.arizona.edu/psychiatry/leadership</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Sleep and Athletic Performance: Impacts on Physical Performance, Mental Performance, Injury Risk and Recovery, and Mental Health</strong> — the review by <strong>Jonathan Charest and Michael Grandner</strong> at the centre of this episode. It was published in <em>Sleep Medicine Clinics</em> in 2020. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32005349/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32005349/</a></li><li><strong>Insomnia and daytime sleepiness: risk factors for sports-related concussion</strong> — the University of Arizona study Grandner discusses. Researchers followed <strong>190 NCAA Division I athletes</strong> and found that insomnia symptoms and daytime sleepiness were independently associated with subsequent concussion risk. Importantly, this was an observational association, not proof that poor sleep directly causes concussions. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31132574/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31132574/</a></li><li><strong>The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players</strong> — the Stanford study Grandner references when discussing shooting accuracy, sprint performance, reaction time and mood after players increased their sleep opportunity. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21731144/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21731144/</a></li><li><strong>Wake up call for collegiate athlete sleep</strong> — the NCAA Interassociation Task Force on Sleep and Wellness consensus recommendations discussed by Grandner. The paper addressed athlete sleep, performance, screening and institutional strategies for improving sleep. Grandner was one of its authors. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31097460/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31097460/</a></li><li><strong>International Olympic Committee consensus statement on mental health in elite athletes</strong> — the 2019 IOC statement Grandner mentions. It includes a substantial section on sleep disorders and sleep concerns in elite athletes and identifies sleep as part of athlete health, performance and mental well-being. </li><li> <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/11/667" rel="nofollow">https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/11/667</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 5a40f6ad-06fa-4e42-b720-dbebbc0ff918 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/a756ce19-7f54-476a-8a89-2de703dee3ca Fri, 31 Jan 2020 08:30:41 +0000 1139 false full Falling Asleep in a Foxhole, with Major General Melvin Spiese USMC (Ret) Falling Asleep in a Foxhole, with Major General Melvin Spiese USMC (Ret) Neil Hedley In this episode

Major General Melvin Spiese joins me for a conversation about sleep, fatigue, military training and high performance, including:

  • his unusual 37-year career path as he describes it in the interview, much of it eventually focused on Marine Corps training and education;
  • how modern warfare pushed increasingly complex decision-making farther down the chain of command;
  • why Marines needed to become not merely tougher, but better thinkers;
  • his connection with Dr. Elizabeth Stanley and how her work first brought him to my attention;
  • why Spiese was initially skeptical about Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training;
  • what persuaded him that mindfulness deserved serious investigation rather than immediate dismissal;
  • the experiment involving Marine units with very different levels of enthusiasm for the training;
  • what happened when one commander wasn't especially interested in cooperating;
  • why Spiese himself participated rather than simply ordering Marines to do it;
  • his own longstanding difficulty with interrupted sleep;
  • the retired Marine general who had already been pushing commanders to think more seriously about sleep;
  • the difference between being forced to stay awake because the mission demands it and being chronically exhausted when it doesn't;
  • why aviation had already developed stricter thinking around fatigue and operational safety;
  • fatigue behind the wheel of military vehicles;
  • Spiese's extremely low-tech personal sleep aid in the field: earplugs;
  • why managing fatigue can't begin only after somebody develops a serious problem;
  • teaching sleep, recovery and self-management alongside physical readiness from the beginning of a Marine's career;
  • why people who need to perform instantly under extreme stress also need to know how to come down from that state;
  • how repetitive training can become lifesaving when there's suddenly no time to think;
  • Spiese's own terrifying experience with a parachute malfunction;
  • the moment Dr. Stanley noticed his body reacting while he merely retold that story years later;
  • why he once chose a training program because he wanted “smarter divers, not harder divers”;
  • what happens when poor sleep becomes something you start beating yourself up about;
  • and why the military was still trying to work out how to make sleep and recovery part of the culture rather than something addressed only after trouble appears.


About Major General Melvin G. Spiese

Major General Melvin G. Spiese is a retired United States Marine Corps officer.

His senior assignments included command of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and service as deputy commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force. The Marine Corps' official retirement coverage records his retirement in March 2013 after more than three decades of service.

https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/535141/maj-gen-spiese-retires/

Mentioned in this episode

  • Dr. Elizabeth Stanley / Widen the Window — Stanley introduced me to Spiese. Her work on resilience, stress and Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training provides much of the bridge between Episode 15 and this conversation.
  • https://elizabeth-stanley.com/
  • Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT) — Spiese discusses the Marine Corps' experimentation with Stanley's program and his progression from skeptic to supporter. Research involving Marines preparing for deployment subsequently reported measurable differences in physiological stress-response and recovery mechanisms following MMFT.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24832476/
  • “Minds at attention” — another study involving military cohorts, co-authored by Stanley, examined mindfulness training and attentional lapses under demanding conditions.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25671579/
  • Mental skills training in Marine reconnaissance training — later research compared MMFT, general mental-skills training and training-as-usual among Marines in the Basic Reconnaissance Course.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31993011/
  • Marine Corps fatigue and warfighting readiness — the Marine Corps now explicitly maintains resources addressing fatigue as a readiness and safety issue, including operational fatigue management and sleep leadership.
  • https://www.safety.marines.mil/Resources/Fatigue-and-Warfighting-Readiness/


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Major General Melvin Spiese joins me for a conversation about sleep, fatigue, military training and high performance, including:</p><ul><li>his unusual <strong>37-year career path as he describes it in the interview</strong>, much of it eventually focused on Marine Corps training and education;</li><li>how modern warfare pushed increasingly complex decision-making farther down the chain of command;</li><li>why Marines needed to become not merely tougher, but better thinkers;</li><li>his connection with Dr. Elizabeth Stanley and how her work first brought him to my attention;</li><li>why Spiese was initially skeptical about <strong>Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training</strong>;</li><li>what persuaded him that mindfulness deserved serious investigation rather than immediate dismissal;</li><li>the experiment involving Marine units with very different levels of enthusiasm for the training;</li><li>what happened when one commander wasn&#39;t especially interested in cooperating;</li><li>why Spiese himself participated rather than simply ordering Marines to do it;</li><li>his own longstanding difficulty with interrupted sleep;</li><li>the retired Marine general who had already been pushing commanders to think more seriously about sleep;</li><li>the difference between being forced to stay awake because the mission demands it and being chronically exhausted when it doesn&#39;t;</li><li>why aviation had already developed stricter thinking around fatigue and operational safety;</li><li>fatigue behind the wheel of military vehicles;</li><li>Spiese&#39;s extremely low-tech personal sleep aid in the field: <strong>earplugs</strong>;</li><li>why managing fatigue can&#39;t begin only after somebody develops a serious problem;</li><li>teaching sleep, recovery and self-management alongside physical readiness from the beginning of a Marine&#39;s career;</li><li>why people who need to perform instantly under extreme stress also need to know how to come <strong>down</strong> from that state;</li><li>how repetitive training can become lifesaving when there&#39;s suddenly no time to think;</li><li>Spiese&#39;s own terrifying experience with a parachute malfunction;</li><li>the moment Dr. Stanley noticed his body reacting while he merely <strong>retold</strong> that story years later;</li><li>why he once chose a training program because he wanted “smarter divers, not harder divers”;</li><li>what happens when poor sleep becomes something you start beating yourself up about;</li><li>and why the military was still trying to work out how to make sleep and recovery part of the culture rather than something addressed only after trouble appears. </li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Major General Melvin G. Spiese</h3><p><strong>Major General Melvin G. Spiese is a retired United States Marine Corps officer.</strong></p><p>His senior assignments included command of the <strong>1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade</strong> and service as deputy commanding general of <strong>I Marine Expeditionary Force</strong>. The Marine Corps&#39; official retirement coverage records his retirement in March 2013 after more than three decades of service. </p><p><a href="https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/535141/maj-gen-spiese-retires/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/535141/maj-gen-spiese-retires/</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Dr. Elizabeth Stanley / <em>Widen the Window</em></strong> — Stanley introduced me to Spiese. Her work on resilience, stress and Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training provides much of the bridge between Episode 15 and this conversation.</li><li> <a href="https://elizabeth-stanley.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://elizabeth-stanley.com/</a></li><li><strong>Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT)</strong> — Spiese discusses the Marine Corps&#39; experimentation with Stanley&#39;s program and his progression from skeptic to supporter. Research involving Marines preparing for deployment subsequently reported measurable differences in physiological stress-response and recovery mechanisms following MMFT. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24832476/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24832476/</a></li><li><strong>“Minds at attention”</strong> — another study involving military cohorts, co-authored by Stanley, examined mindfulness training and attentional lapses under demanding conditions. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25671579/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25671579/</a></li><li><strong>Mental skills training in Marine reconnaissance training</strong> — later research compared MMFT, general mental-skills training and training-as-usual among Marines in the Basic Reconnaissance Course. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31993011/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31993011/</a></li><li><strong>Marine Corps fatigue and warfighting readiness</strong> — the Marine Corps now explicitly maintains resources addressing fatigue as a readiness and safety issue, including operational fatigue management and sleep leadership. </li><li> <a href="https://www.safety.marines.mil/Resources/Fatigue-and-Warfighting-Readiness/" rel="nofollow">https://www.safety.marines.mil/Resources/Fatigue-and-Warfighting-Readiness/</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 0ce39098-ef08-4a2c-914d-7d28ffd28db1 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/b822c288-219d-4ac2-92ea-fb7ff4a4629d Mon, 20 Jan 2020 08:30:26 +0000 3085 false full Waking Up with the Country's #1 Morning Show, with Erin Davis and Mike Cooper Waking Up with the Country's #1 Morning Show, with Erin Davis and Mike Cooper Neil Hedley In this episode

Erin Davis and Mike Cooper reunite for a conversation about morning radio, sleep and life on the other side of the alarm clock, including:

  • why Erin and Mike's chemistry worked — and why both of them think trust was the thing underneath it;
  • the difference between making your co-host laugh and remembering there's an audience listening;
  • why some of their best radio happened when the planned bit fell apart;
  • the almost wordless communication that developed between them after years of working together;
  • how Erin wound up doing morning radio almost continuously from the age of 18;
  • Mike's much different path from afternoon-drive “rock jock” to morning-show host;
  • the radio rivalry that existed before Erin and Mike ever became partners;
  • how they were eventually put together — and what happened when the chemistry was immediately obvious;
  • Erin's insistence that Cooper come with her when CHFI invited her back;
  • the reality behind that cheerful voice you hear coming out of the radio at 6 a.m.;
  • getting up at three, three-thirty or four in the morning;
  • why Erin's working-day sleep was essentially divided into two substantial blocks;
  • why a short nap wasn't enough for her and could actually leave her feeling worse;
  • the importance of having spouses who were willing to live on roughly the same unusual schedule;
  • getting dressed, prepared and increasingly camera-ready before most people had even considered waking up;
  • how show preparation began almost as soon as Erin opened her eyes;
  • Mike waking early even in semi-retirement because his brain still thought there was a radio show to prepare;
  • Erin's profoundly different post-retirement reaction to seeing four o'clock on the clock;
  • what happened when she repeatedly changed her weekend schedule while still working mornings;
  • the especially brutal stretch when she was performing in an 11-piece rock tribute band and could be tearing down equipment at 3 a.m. Sunday before facing another 3 a.m. wake-up Monday;
  • Mike's sleep being disrupted while caring for his wife Debbie during her long illness — and the way he continued listening for her after her death;
  • how laughter became part of the way Erin and Mike handled grief together;
  • menopause and the sleep disruption Erin experienced around it;
  • the various remedies and supplements she had experimented with;
  • why my own sleep problems were turning out to be considerably more complicated than simply “I worked mornings for 30 years”;
  • the danger of hearing someone's personal sleep trick and immediately treating it as medical advice;
  • alcohol and why even Mike concedes the “wine will put you to sleep” idea comes with a rather important catch;
  • meditation and conscious breathing;
  • Calm and its Sleep Stories;
  • Dan Harris and what was then the 10% Happier meditation app;
  • Mike's remarkably practical way of occupying his mind when he couldn't sleep: mentally working through a construction project;
  • Erin's rather stranger solution: reciting the alphabet backwards;
  • body scanning and deliberately relaxing tense muscles;
  • daytime napping and the value Erin found in good earplugs;
  • why Mike hated the idea of blocking out the noises of his house;
  • and what happens when three veteran morning broadcasters get together and spend half an hour comparing the damage.


About Erin Davis

Erin Davis spent nearly three decades at 98.1 CHFI in Toronto, including more than a decade partnered with Mike Cooper. She retired from daily morning radio in December 2016. Her official biography says the Davis-Cooper partnership began after they worked together in 2004 and continued at CHFI until Cooper retired from mornings in January 2016.

Since this interview, there's a particularly appropriate sequel to her Snooze Button appearance: Erin now hosts a sleep-story podcast called Drift with Erin Davis. She also co-hosts Gracefully and Frankly with Lisa Brandt.

https://www.erindavis.com/

https://drift-with-erin-davis.simplecast.com/

About Mike Cooper

Mike Cooper is a veteran Canadian broadcaster whose career included CHUM, CFTR, EZ Rock and CHFI. Canadian broadcasting-history records describe his retirement from the CHFI morning show in January 2016 after a 45-year broadcasting career, while continuing his Saturday-night Coop's Classics program.

The interview itself traces the much more interesting part of that résumé: Cooper had spent years in afternoon radio before deliberately pursuing mornings, eventually meeting Davis and forming the partnership that took them to the top of the Toronto market.

Mentioned in this episode

  • 98.1 CHFI — the Toronto station where Erin Davis and Mike Cooper spent more than a decade together on the morning show. The Canadian Communications Foundation maintains a detailed station history, including both of their 2016 retirements from mornings.
  • https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-city-of-toronto/chfi-fm/
  • Calm Sleep Stories — Erin eventually admits this is the app she uses for bedtime stories. Calm still maintains a large Sleep Stories library.
  • https://www.calm.com/sleep
  • Dan Harris / 10% Happier — I mention the meditation platform then known as 10% Happier and Harris's famous on-air panic attack. Harris's meditation offering has since evolved into 10% with Dan Harris.
  • https://www.danharris.com/meditation-app
  • Mad About You — the conversation begins by referring back to the earlier Snooze Button interview with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, whose chemistry prompted me to think about Erin and Mike's radio partnership. 


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Erin Davis and Mike Cooper reunite for a conversation about morning radio, sleep and life on the other side of the alarm clock, including:</p><ul><li>why Erin and Mike&#39;s chemistry worked — and why both of them think <strong>trust</strong> was the thing underneath it;</li><li>the difference between making your co-host laugh and remembering there&#39;s an audience listening;</li><li>why some of their best radio happened when the planned bit fell apart;</li><li>the almost wordless communication that developed between them after years of working together;</li><li>how Erin wound up doing morning radio almost continuously from the age of 18;</li><li>Mike&#39;s much different path from afternoon-drive “rock jock” to morning-show host;</li><li>the radio rivalry that existed before Erin and Mike ever became partners;</li><li>how they were eventually put together — and what happened when the chemistry was immediately obvious;</li><li>Erin&#39;s insistence that Cooper come with her when CHFI invited her back;</li><li>the reality behind that cheerful voice you hear coming out of the radio at 6 a.m.;</li><li>getting up at three, three-thirty or four in the morning;</li><li>why Erin&#39;s working-day sleep was essentially divided into <strong>two substantial blocks</strong>;</li><li>why a short nap wasn&#39;t enough for her and could actually leave her feeling worse;</li><li>the importance of having spouses who were willing to live on roughly the same unusual schedule;</li><li>getting dressed, prepared and increasingly camera-ready before most people had even considered waking up;</li><li>how show preparation began almost as soon as Erin opened her eyes;</li><li>Mike waking early even in semi-retirement because his brain still thought there was a radio show to prepare;</li><li>Erin&#39;s profoundly different post-retirement reaction to seeing four o&#39;clock on the clock;</li><li>what happened when she repeatedly changed her weekend schedule while still working mornings;</li><li>the especially brutal stretch when she was performing in an 11-piece rock tribute band and could be tearing down equipment at 3 a.m. Sunday before facing another 3 a.m. wake-up Monday;</li><li>Mike&#39;s sleep being disrupted while caring for his wife Debbie during her long illness — and the way he continued listening for her after her death;</li><li>how laughter became part of the way Erin and Mike handled grief together;</li><li>menopause and the sleep disruption Erin experienced around it;</li><li>the various remedies and supplements she had experimented with;</li><li>why my own sleep problems were turning out to be considerably more complicated than simply <strong>“I worked mornings for 30 years”</strong>;</li><li>the danger of hearing someone&#39;s personal sleep trick and immediately treating it as medical advice;</li><li>alcohol and why even Mike concedes the “wine will put you to sleep” idea comes with a rather important catch;</li><li>meditation and conscious breathing;</li><li><strong>Calm</strong> and its Sleep Stories;</li><li>Dan Harris and what was then the <strong>10% Happier</strong> meditation app;</li><li>Mike&#39;s remarkably practical way of occupying his mind when he couldn&#39;t sleep: mentally working through a construction project;</li><li>Erin&#39;s rather stranger solution: reciting <strong>the alphabet backwards</strong>;</li><li>body scanning and deliberately relaxing tense muscles;</li><li>daytime napping and the value Erin found in good earplugs;</li><li>why Mike hated the idea of blocking out the noises of his house;</li><li>and what happens when three veteran morning broadcasters get together and spend half an hour comparing the damage. </li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Erin Davis</h3><p><strong>Erin Davis spent nearly three decades at 98.1 CHFI in Toronto</strong>, including more than a decade partnered with Mike Cooper. She retired from daily morning radio in December 2016. Her official biography says the Davis-Cooper partnership began after they worked together in 2004 and continued at CHFI until Cooper retired from mornings in January 2016. </p><p>Since this interview, there&#39;s a particularly appropriate sequel to her Snooze Button appearance: <strong>Erin now hosts a sleep-story podcast called <em>Drift with Erin Davis</em>.</strong> She also co-hosts <em>Gracefully and Frankly</em> with Lisa Brandt. </p><p><a href="https://www.erindavis.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.erindavis.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://drift-with-erin-davis.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow">https://drift-with-erin-davis.simplecast.com/</a></p><h3>About Mike Cooper</h3><p><strong>Mike Cooper is a veteran Canadian broadcaster whose career included CHUM, CFTR, EZ Rock and CHFI.</strong> Canadian broadcasting-history records describe his retirement from the CHFI morning show in January 2016 after a 45-year broadcasting career, while continuing his Saturday-night <em>Coop&#39;s Classics</em> program. </p><p>The interview itself traces the much more interesting part of that résumé: Cooper had spent years in afternoon radio before deliberately pursuing mornings, eventually meeting Davis and forming the partnership that took them to the top of the Toronto market. </p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>98.1 CHFI</strong> — the Toronto station where Erin Davis and Mike Cooper spent more than a decade together on the morning show. The Canadian Communications Foundation maintains a detailed station history, including both of their 2016 retirements from mornings. </li><li> <a href="https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-city-of-toronto/chfi-fm/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-city-of-toronto/chfi-fm/</a></li><li><strong>Calm Sleep Stories</strong> — Erin eventually admits this is the app she uses for bedtime stories. Calm still maintains a large Sleep Stories library. </li><li> <a href="https://www.calm.com/sleep" rel="nofollow">https://www.calm.com/sleep</a></li><li><strong>Dan Harris / 10% Happier</strong> — I mention the meditation platform then known as 10% Happier and Harris&#39;s famous on-air panic attack. Harris&#39;s meditation offering has since evolved into <strong>10% with Dan Harris</strong>. </li><li> <a href="https://www.danharris.com/meditation-app?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.danharris.com/meditation-app</a></li><li><strong>Mad About You</strong> — the conversation begins by referring back to the earlier Snooze Button interview with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, whose chemistry prompted me to think about Erin and Mike&#39;s radio partnership. </li></ul><p><br></p> a4653e66-eb72-451c-8705-0203081c9ca6 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/90cb2721-014a-4882-a88b-14400938b8b7 Mon, 13 Jan 2020 08:30:25 +0000 2151 false full Stress, Trauma, PTSD and Sleep with Dr. Elizabeth Stanley Stress, Trauma, PTSD and Sleep with Dr. Elizabeth Stanley Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Elizabeth Stanley joins me for a conversation about stress, trauma and sleep, including:

  • how her own experiences with chronic stress and trauma eventually led to Widen the Window;
  • her service as a U.S. Army intelligence officer and how work with military populations influenced her thinking;
  • the origins of Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training, or MMFT;
  • what Stanley means by the “thinking brain” and “survival brain”;
  • why chronic sleep deprivation can affect attention, memory, executive function, decision-making and social connection;
  • the unsettling problem that people don't always recognize how impaired they've become;
  • why sleep deprivation can itself become another source of chronic stress;
  • PTSD outside the military and first-responder world;
  • how experiences from much earlier in life can continue influencing reactions years later;
  • the idea of implicit associations operating outside conscious awareness;
  • why someone can consciously know they're safe while their body continues behaving as though danger is present;
  • my own history with PTSD and why I began wondering whether trauma might be involved in my longstanding difficulty sleeping;
  • EMDR and my experience discovering that something which initially seemed completely ridiculous to me was anything but;
  • where Stanley believes body-based approaches may complement cognitive understanding;
  • how she describes unresolved trauma memories and triggers;
  • why sleep problems can become part of a vicious cycle of stress, hyperarousal and inadequate recovery;
  • whether improving sleep can make it easier to interrupt that cycle;
  • the difference between sleep advice and actually addressing what may be keeping a nervous system activated;
  • exercise, daylight, evening routines and other basic behavioural factors surrounding sleep;
  • why Stanley's own recovery involved more than simply adopting better “sleep hygiene”;
  • the MMFT exercise she says some of her students use before sleep;
  • the Contact Points exercise and directing attention toward the physical sensation of the body being supported;
  • and why teaching the nervous system to recognize the present moment may matter just as much as trying to reason with it.


About Dr. Elizabeth A. Stanley

Dr. Elizabeth A. Stanley is Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University, with appointments in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. Earlier in her career she served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in South Korea, Germany and the Balkans, leaving active service as a captain. She created Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training, which has been studied in military populations, and is the author of Widen the Window.

https://elizabeth-stanley.com/

https://globalhealth.georgetown.edu/profiles/elizabeth-stanley/

Mentioned in this episode


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Elizabeth Stanley joins me for a conversation about stress, trauma and sleep, including:</p><ul><li>how her own experiences with chronic stress and trauma eventually led to <em>Widen the Window</em>;</li><li>her service as a U.S. Army intelligence officer and how work with military populations influenced her thinking;</li><li>the origins of Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training, or <strong>MMFT</strong>;</li><li>what Stanley means by the <strong>“thinking brain”</strong> and <strong>“survival brain”</strong>;</li><li>why chronic sleep deprivation can affect attention, memory, executive function, decision-making and social connection;</li><li>the unsettling problem that people don&#39;t always recognize how impaired they&#39;ve become;</li><li>why sleep deprivation can itself become another source of chronic stress;</li><li>PTSD outside the military and first-responder world;</li><li>how experiences from much earlier in life can continue influencing reactions years later;</li><li>the idea of implicit associations operating outside conscious awareness;</li><li>why someone can consciously know they&#39;re safe while their body continues behaving as though danger is present;</li><li>my own history with PTSD and why I began wondering whether trauma might be involved in my longstanding difficulty sleeping;</li><li><strong>EMDR</strong> and my experience discovering that something which initially seemed completely ridiculous to me was anything but;</li><li>where Stanley believes body-based approaches may complement cognitive understanding;</li><li>how she describes unresolved trauma memories and triggers;</li><li>why sleep problems can become part of a vicious cycle of stress, hyperarousal and inadequate recovery;</li><li>whether improving sleep can make it easier to interrupt that cycle;</li><li>the difference between sleep advice and actually addressing what may be keeping a nervous system activated;</li><li>exercise, daylight, evening routines and other basic behavioural factors surrounding sleep;</li><li>why Stanley&#39;s own recovery involved more than simply adopting better “sleep hygiene”;</li><li>the MMFT exercise she says some of her students use before sleep;</li><li>the <strong>Contact Points</strong> exercise and directing attention toward the physical sensation of the body being supported;</li><li>and why teaching the nervous system to recognize the present moment may matter just as much as trying to reason with it. </li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Elizabeth A. Stanley</h3><p><strong>Dr. Elizabeth A. Stanley is Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University</strong>, with appointments in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. Earlier in her career she served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in South Korea, Germany and the Balkans, leaving active service as a captain. She created Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training, which has been studied in military populations, and is the author of <em>Widen the Window</em>. </p><p><a href="https://elizabeth-stanley.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://elizabeth-stanley.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://globalhealth.georgetown.edu/profiles/elizabeth-stanley/" rel="nofollow">https://globalhealth.georgetown.edu/profiles/elizabeth-stanley/</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Widen the Window: Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma</strong> — Stanley&#39;s 2019 book and the framework underlying much of this conversation. </li><li> <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/553620/widen-the-window-by-elizabeth-a-stanley-phd-foreword-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/" rel="nofollow">https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/553620/widen-the-window-by-elizabeth-a-stanley-phd-foreword-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/</a></li><li><strong>Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training — MMFT</strong> — the resilience program Stanley created and discusses throughout the episode. A current online version remains available through her official site. </li><li> <a href="https://elizabeth-stanley.com/courses/mmft-online/" rel="nofollow">https://elizabeth-stanley.com/courses/mmft-online/</a></li><li><strong>Research on MMFT in active-duty Marines</strong> — a controlled study of Marines preparing for deployment examined physiological and neural measures associated with stress response and recovery following MMFT. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24832476/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24832476/</a></li><li><strong>MMFT and attention under high demand</strong> — another military-cohort study examined whether mindfulness training could reduce attentional lapses during demanding predeployment training. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25671579/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25671579/</a></li><li><strong>The Contact Points Exercise</strong> — Stanley mentions this as the first MMFT exercise and directs listeners to her website. Her current site continues to offer an audio version through her mailing-list signup. </li><li> <a href="https://elizabeth-stanley.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://elizabeth-stanley.com/</a></li><li><strong>EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing</strong> — I describe my own experience with EMDR during the episode. It remains one of the major evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapies recommended for PTSD. </li><li> <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/emdr.asp?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/emdr.asp</a></li><li><strong>Sleep problems and PTSD</strong> — insomnia, nightmares and feeling persistently “on alert” are well-recognized problems associated with PTSD. </li><li> <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/related/sleep_problems.asp?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/related/sleep_problems.asp</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 0ac8e885-78dd-44fa-8a42-391f3e31c0ef https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/def17ca9-2d45-4e2c-8e82-63ce386271a0 Mon, 16 Dec 2019 08:30:39 +0000 2441 false full Meditation and Sleep with Dr. Tucker Peck Meditation and Sleep with Dr. Tucker Peck Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Tucker Peck joins me for an unusually wide-ranging conversation about insomnia, meditation and the strange things our brains do when we're desperately trying to make them sleep, including:

  • why his own night's sleep was disrupted by the rather unusual problem of his house temporarily having no foundation;
  • what he does when he realizes sleep simply isn't happening;
  • how anxiety about a bad night can turn one difficult night into a much longer insomnia problem;
  • how Peck accidentally became a sleep researcher while really wanting to study meditation;
  • his years working in sleep psychology and treating insomnia;
  • his professional connection with Dr. Michael Grandner — prompting my realization that they were essentially Hall & Oates of the Tucson sleep world;
  • why insomnia treatment is different from hunting for the next pillow, weighted blanket, supplement or other sleep hack;
  • cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I;
  • why behavioral treatment can temporarily make sleep more difficult before it improves;
  • the counterintuitive role that going about your normal life may play when you're worried about a poor night's sleep;
  • sleep medications, melatonin and some strong opinions from Peck about both;
  • why the subjective feeling of being exhausted doesn't necessarily tell us exactly what sleep deprivation has done to performance;
  • the difficulty of separating cause from correlation when researchers study people who habitually sleep very long or very short amounts;
  • Peck's PhD work connecting sleep and meditation;
  • whether one particular style of meditation seems better for sleep than another;
  • what brain-wave measurements may tell us about short versus longer meditation sessions;
  • why meditation shouldn't be confused with actually getting a night's sleep;
  • why people in sleep laboratories sometimes fall asleep much more easily than they insist they possibly could;
  • whether meditation itself can become another performance test that we're convinced we're failing;
  • why trying to force your brain to stop thinking is a losing proposition;
  • whether guided meditation immediately before bed is always a good idea;
  • Headspace, Andy Puddicombe and the occupational hazard of a broadcaster becoming fascinated by the meditation teacher's accent instead of the meditation;
  • Dan Harris and 10% Happier;
  • Sharon Salzberg;
  • why some meditation practices are intended to increase alertness rather than decrease it;
  • researcher Willoughby Britton's argument that, in Buddhist meditation, “awakening” may be more literal than the modern relaxation framing suggests;
  • why intensive meditation can occasionally produce difficult or destabilizing experiences;
  • what Peck calls his more circadian-friendly approach to residential retreats;
  • and where to find his meditation teaching and his online sleep program.


About Dr. Tucker Peck

At the time of this conversation, Dr. Tucker Peck was a clinical psychologist, sleep specialist and meditation teacher whose professional life had ended up straddling the two subjects at the centre of this episode. He describes having treated insomnia with CBT-I, conducted sleep research and taught residential meditation retreats around the world.

Peck remains a clinical psychologist and meditation teacher. His current biography says he trained at Brown University and the University of Arizona, studied meditation with Sharon Salzberg and Upasaka Culadasa, and previously served on the faculty of the University of Arizona. In 2025 he published Sanity and Sainthood.

https://meditatewithtucker.com/

https://meditatewithtucker.com/about/

Mentioned in this episode

  • Drug-Free Sleep — Peck's online sleep program remains active. The current program describes itself as a five-week course based around behavioral approaches to sleep.
  • https://drugfreesleep.com/
  • Meditate With Tucker — Peck's meditation site, including information about teaching, retreats and recordings.
  • https://meditatewithtucker.com/
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia — CBT-I — this is the major evidence-based treatment Peck discusses. Current AASM guidance continues to give CBT-I a strong recommendation as treatment for chronic insomnia in adults, generally over four to eight sessions.
  • https://aasm.org/new-guideline-supports-behavioral-psychological-treatments-for-insomnia/
  • “Awakening is not a metaphor” — Willoughby Britton, Jared Lindahl and B. Rael Cahn — the paper Peck references when explaining why meditation shouldn't automatically be equated with sedation. It reviews evidence that some Buddhist meditation practices may promote alertness and wakefulness rather than simply relaxation.
  • https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4054695/
  • The Varieties of Contemplative Experience — the research we discuss concerning difficult or adverse experiences associated with meditation, particularly more intensive practice. The study documented a broad range of experiences and emphasized that their impact varied substantially between practitioners.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28542181/
  • Sharon Salzberg — Peck describes Salzberg as one of his meditation teachers and discusses her approach to meditation and retreats. His current biography continues to identify her as one of his teachers.
  • https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/
  • Meditation and behavioral sleep treatment research involving Tucker Peck — Peck was a co-author on a 2010 study examining mindfulness practice as part of a multicomponent behavioral sleep intervention.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20408060/


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Tucker Peck joins me for an unusually wide-ranging conversation about insomnia, meditation and the strange things our brains do when we&#39;re desperately trying to make them sleep, including:</p><ul><li>why his own night&#39;s sleep was disrupted by the rather unusual problem of his house temporarily having <strong>no foundation</strong>;</li><li>what he does when he realizes sleep simply isn&#39;t happening;</li><li>how anxiety about a bad night can turn one difficult night into a much longer insomnia problem;</li><li>how Peck accidentally became a sleep researcher while really wanting to study meditation;</li><li>his years working in sleep psychology and treating insomnia;</li><li>his professional connection with Dr. Michael Grandner — prompting my realization that they were essentially <strong>Hall &amp; Oates of the Tucson sleep world</strong>;</li><li>why insomnia treatment is different from hunting for the next pillow, weighted blanket, supplement or other sleep hack;</li><li><strong>cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I</strong>;</li><li>why behavioral treatment can temporarily make sleep more difficult before it improves;</li><li>the counterintuitive role that going about your normal life may play when you&#39;re worried about a poor night&#39;s sleep;</li><li>sleep medications, melatonin and some strong opinions from Peck about both;</li><li>why the subjective feeling of being exhausted doesn&#39;t necessarily tell us exactly what sleep deprivation has done to performance;</li><li>the difficulty of separating cause from correlation when researchers study people who habitually sleep very long or very short amounts;</li><li>Peck&#39;s PhD work connecting sleep and meditation;</li><li>whether one particular style of meditation seems better for sleep than another;</li><li>what brain-wave measurements may tell us about short versus longer meditation sessions;</li><li>why meditation shouldn&#39;t be confused with actually getting a night&#39;s sleep;</li><li>why people in sleep laboratories sometimes fall asleep much more easily than they insist they possibly could;</li><li>whether meditation itself can become another performance test that we&#39;re convinced we&#39;re failing;</li><li>why trying to force your brain to stop thinking is a losing proposition;</li><li>whether guided meditation immediately before bed is always a good idea;</li><li>Headspace, Andy Puddicombe and the occupational hazard of a broadcaster becoming fascinated by the meditation teacher&#39;s <strong>accent instead of the meditation</strong>;</li><li>Dan Harris and <em>10% Happier</em>;</li><li>Sharon Salzberg;</li><li>why some meditation practices are intended to increase alertness rather than decrease it;</li><li>researcher Willoughby Britton&#39;s argument that, in Buddhist meditation, <strong>“awakening” may be more literal than the modern relaxation framing suggests</strong>;</li><li>why intensive meditation can occasionally produce difficult or destabilizing experiences;</li><li>what Peck calls his more <strong>circadian-friendly</strong> approach to residential retreats;</li><li>and where to find his meditation teaching and his online sleep program.</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Tucker Peck</h3><p>At the time of this conversation, <strong>Dr. Tucker Peck was a clinical psychologist, sleep specialist and meditation teacher</strong> whose professional life had ended up straddling the two subjects at the centre of this episode. He describes having treated insomnia with CBT-I, conducted sleep research and taught residential meditation retreats around the world. </p><p>Peck remains a clinical psychologist and meditation teacher. His current biography says he trained at Brown University and the University of Arizona, studied meditation with Sharon Salzberg and Upasaka Culadasa, and previously served on the faculty of the University of Arizona. In 2025 he published <em>Sanity and Sainthood</em>. </p><p><a href="https://meditatewithtucker.com/" rel="nofollow">https://meditatewithtucker.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://meditatewithtucker.com/about/" rel="nofollow">https://meditatewithtucker.com/about/</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Drug-Free Sleep</strong> — Peck&#39;s online sleep program remains active. The current program describes itself as a five-week course based around behavioral approaches to sleep. </li><li> <a href="https://drugfreesleep.com/" rel="nofollow">https://drugfreesleep.com/</a></li><li><strong>Meditate With Tucker</strong> — Peck&#39;s meditation site, including information about teaching, retreats and recordings. </li><li> <a href="https://meditatewithtucker.com/" rel="nofollow">https://meditatewithtucker.com/</a></li><li><strong>Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia — CBT-I</strong> — this is the major evidence-based treatment Peck discusses. Current AASM guidance continues to give CBT-I a <strong>strong recommendation</strong> as treatment for chronic insomnia in adults, generally over four to eight sessions. </li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/new-guideline-supports-behavioral-psychological-treatments-for-insomnia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://aasm.org/new-guideline-supports-behavioral-psychological-treatments-for-insomnia/</a></li><li><strong>“Awakening is not a metaphor” — Willoughby Britton, Jared Lindahl and B. Rael Cahn</strong> — the paper Peck references when explaining why meditation shouldn&#39;t automatically be equated with sedation. It reviews evidence that some Buddhist meditation practices may promote alertness and wakefulness rather than simply relaxation. </li><li> <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4054695/" rel="nofollow">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4054695/</a></li><li><strong>The Varieties of Contemplative Experience</strong> — the research we discuss concerning difficult or adverse experiences associated with meditation, particularly more intensive practice. The study documented a broad range of experiences and emphasized that their impact varied substantially between practitioners. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28542181/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28542181/</a></li><li><strong>Sharon Salzberg</strong> — Peck describes Salzberg as one of his meditation teachers and discusses her approach to meditation and retreats. His current biography continues to identify her as one of his teachers. </li><li> <a href="https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/</a></li><li><strong>Meditation and behavioral sleep treatment research involving Tucker Peck</strong> — Peck was a co-author on a 2010 study examining mindfulness practice as part of a multicomponent behavioral sleep intervention. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20408060/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20408060/</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 0a68f34e-53f8-4baf-a21d-82ceaeda6e1a https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/1ebfa76f-fc35-47a4-8f3b-28cab885ff97 Mon, 09 Dec 2019 08:30:51 +0000 3224 false full Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt - The "Cry It Out" Sleep Training Episode Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt - The "Cry It Out" Sleep Training Episode Neil Hedley In this episode
  • Paul Reiser on returning to stand-up after roughly two decades away
  • Why stand-up feels simpler after years of television production
  • Reiser on audiences who already know him — and why performing is more fun now
  • Returning to Paul and Jamie Buchman twenty years later
  • Why the revival was designed as a continuation rather than a recreation of 1990s Mad About You
  • The relationship rule at the heart of Paul and Jamie: they can fight, but the audience wants them together
  • Helen Hunt on the original script that convinced her to play Jamie
  • Why Jamie was conceived as an equal character rather than the conventional sitcom wife
  • The unusual creative chemistry between Hunt and Reiser
  • The making of “The Conversation”
  • How a real parenting argument became the basis for one of the series’ most memorable episodes
  • Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg on independent sleep, parental presence and alternatives to simply leaving a baby to cry

About the guests

Paul Reiser is a comedian, actor, writer and co-creator of Mad About You. In this conversation he talks not only about returning to Paul Buchman, but about rediscovering stand-up and the direct relationship between a comedian and an audience.

Helen Hunt starred opposite Reiser as Jamie Buchman and served as an executive producer on the 2019 continuation. She also directed the first episode of the revival. Hunt talks here about why the original material caught her attention, the equality built into Paul and Jamie’s relationship, and the creative partnership that made the show work.

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD is a clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric sleep medicine. She is currently Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Connecticut Children’s Sleep Center and is affiliated with Yale School of Medicine.

Mentioned

Mad About You — Sony Pictures

The 2019 continuation brought Reiser and Hunt back as newly empty-nested Paul and Jamie Buchman. Sony confirms the limited event consisted of 12 episodes, released in two six-episode batches in November and December 2019. Mad About You — Sony Pictures

“The Conversation” — Mad About You, Season 6, Episode 9

Originally aired December 16, 1997. Apple’s episode listing describes Paul and Jamie discovering that letting Mabel cry herself to sleep may be harder on them than on her. Watch or view “The Conversation” on Apple TV

Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg

Connecticut Children’s profile

Yale Medicine profile

Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor’s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10

Schneeberg’s 2019 book on helping children develop healthier, more independent sleep habits. Book information from Hachette

]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><ul><li>Paul Reiser on returning to stand-up after roughly two decades away</li><li>Why stand-up feels simpler after years of television production</li><li>Reiser on audiences who already know him — and why performing is more fun now</li><li>Returning to Paul and Jamie Buchman twenty years later</li><li>Why the revival was designed as a continuation rather than a recreation of 1990s <em>Mad About You</em></li><li>The relationship rule at the heart of Paul and Jamie: they can fight, but the audience wants them together</li><li>Helen Hunt on the original script that convinced her to play Jamie</li><li>Why Jamie was conceived as an equal character rather than the conventional sitcom wife</li><li>The unusual creative chemistry between Hunt and Reiser</li><li>The making of <strong>“The Conversation”</strong></li><li>How a real parenting argument became the basis for one of the series’ most memorable episodes</li><li>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg on independent sleep, parental presence and alternatives to simply leaving a baby to cry</li></ul><h3>About the guests</h3><p><strong>Paul Reiser</strong> is a comedian, actor, writer and co-creator of <em>Mad About You</em>. In this conversation he talks not only about returning to Paul Buchman, but about rediscovering stand-up and the direct relationship between a comedian and an audience.</p><p><strong>Helen Hunt</strong> starred opposite Reiser as Jamie Buchman and served as an executive producer on the 2019 continuation. She also directed the first episode of the revival. Hunt talks here about why the original material caught her attention, the equality built into Paul and Jamie’s relationship, and the creative partnership that made the show work.</p><p><strong>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD</strong> is a clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric sleep medicine. She is currently Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Connecticut Children’s Sleep Center and is affiliated with Yale School of Medicine.</p><h3>Mentioned</h3><p><strong>Mad About You — Sony Pictures</strong></p><p>The 2019 continuation brought Reiser and Hunt back as newly empty-nested Paul and Jamie Buchman. Sony confirms the limited event consisted of 12 episodes, released in two six-episode batches in November and December 2019. <a href="https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/madaboutyou?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Mad About You — Sony Pictures</a></p><p><strong>“The Conversation” — Mad About You, Season 6, Episode 9</strong></p><p>Originally aired December 16, 1997. Apple’s episode listing describes Paul and Jamie discovering that letting Mabel cry herself to sleep may be harder on them than on her. <a href="https://tv.apple.com/ca/episode/the-conversation/umc.cmc.2qsgz4lim89opq0maibqngdl2?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Watch or view “The Conversation” on Apple TV</a></p><p><strong>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/doctors/lynelle-schneeberg-psyd?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Connecticut Children’s profile</a></p><p><a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/specialists/lynelle-schneeberg?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Yale Medicine profile</a></p><p><strong>Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor’s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10</strong></p><p>Schneeberg’s 2019 book on helping children develop healthier, more independent sleep habits. <a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dr-lynelle-schneeberg/become-your-childs-sleep-coach-the-bedtime-doctors-5-step-guide-ages-3-10?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Book information from Hachette</a></p> 898a8d8b-cb9d-47fe-9d01-765720ee2d80 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/130052d5-2357-4eda-896b-9dfe401c251d Mon, 02 Dec 2019 08:30:47 +0000 2319 false full Sleep Lab Results with Dr. Mark Boulos - Part Two Sleep Lab Results with Dr. Mark Boulos - Part Two Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Mark Boulos and I sit down after my second night in the Sunnybrook sleep lab to find out what changed, including:

  • what happened after treatment for the periodic limb movements found during my first sleep study;
  • why my wife's description of my sleep changed almost immediately;
  • what the second sleep study showed;
  • how different the second night felt to me compared with what the laboratory actually recorded;
  • CPAP and the decidedly strange experience of trying to sleep — and talk — while wearing the mask;
  • why getting used to CPAP may take some experimentation;
  • what changed in my deep sleep and REM sleep;
  • why I had become slightly obsessed with increasing N3 sleep;
  • whether continuing the same treatment could produce further changes over time;
  • the danger of chasing unproven sleep remedies without knowing what problem you're actually trying to solve;
  • melatonin and the limits of treating it like a universal sleep aid;
  • what consumer sleep trackers are useful for — and why trends may matter more than precise-looking percentages;
  • why even a laboratory sleep study varies from night to night;
  • home sleep-apnea testing and a 2019 discussion about how Ontario was using — or not using — the technology;
  • why some people still need a full laboratory polysomnogram rather than a simpler home test;
  • medication side effects, including sleepiness and impulse-control problems;
  • the strange gap between objective improvement and still not waking up refreshed;
  • Adrian Owen's computerized cognitive tests as another possible way to look for long-term change;
  • sleep debt;
  • whether naps simply add to nighttime sleep;
  • my slightly ridiculous collection of alarms;
  • and whether the actual snooze button was helping or hurting.


The episode ends in a very different place from the first Boulos conversation. The first study was about finding problems. This one is about discovering that several of those problems may be moving in the right direction — and realizing that there is still more work to do.

About Dr. Mark Boulos

Dr. Mark Boulos is a neurologist and sleep researcher at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto.

He is currently an Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist in Neurology at the University of Toronto, Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the university's Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His research includes sleep disorders, stroke, home sleep monitoring and new approaches to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.

https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos

Mentioned in this episode


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Mark Boulos and I sit down after my second night in the Sunnybrook sleep lab to find out what changed, including:</p><ul><li>what happened after treatment for the periodic limb movements found during my first sleep study;</li><li>why my wife&#39;s description of my sleep changed almost immediately;</li><li>what the second sleep study showed;</li><li>how different the second night felt <strong>to me</strong> compared with what the laboratory actually recorded;</li><li>CPAP and the decidedly strange experience of trying to sleep — and talk — while wearing the mask;</li><li>why getting used to CPAP may take some experimentation;</li><li>what changed in my deep sleep and REM sleep;</li><li>why I had become slightly obsessed with increasing N3 sleep;</li><li>whether continuing the same treatment could produce further changes over time;</li><li>the danger of chasing unproven sleep remedies without knowing what problem you&#39;re actually trying to solve;</li><li>melatonin and the limits of treating it like a universal sleep aid;</li><li>what consumer sleep trackers are useful for — and why <strong>trends</strong> may matter more than precise-looking percentages;</li><li>why even a laboratory sleep study varies from night to night;</li><li>home sleep-apnea testing and a 2019 discussion about how Ontario was using — or not using — the technology;</li><li>why some people still need a full laboratory polysomnogram rather than a simpler home test;</li><li>medication side effects, including sleepiness and impulse-control problems;</li><li>the strange gap between objective improvement and still not waking up refreshed;</li><li>Adrian Owen&#39;s computerized cognitive tests as another possible way to look for long-term change;</li><li>sleep debt;</li><li>whether naps simply add to nighttime sleep;</li><li>my slightly ridiculous collection of alarms;</li><li>and whether the actual <strong>snooze button</strong> was helping or hurting. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The episode ends in a very different place from the first Boulos conversation. The first study was about <strong>finding problems</strong>. This one is about discovering that several of those problems may be moving in the right direction — and realizing that there is still more work to do. </p><h3>About Dr. Mark Boulos</h3><p><strong>Dr. Mark Boulos is a neurologist and sleep researcher at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto.</strong></p><p>He is currently an Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist in Neurology at the University of Toronto, Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the university&#39;s Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His research includes sleep disorders, stroke, home sleep monitoring and new approaches to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. </p><p><a href="https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos" rel="nofollow">https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>PSG Norms</strong> — Boulos and his colleagues&#39; tool for comparing polysomnography measurements with normative values based on factors including age, sex and whether the study occurred on the first or a subsequent night. The calculator remains online. </li><li> <a href="https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/</a></li><li><strong>Sunnybrook / Dr. Mark Boulos</strong> — current University of Toronto profile and information about his work in sleep neurology. </li><li> <a href="https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos" rel="nofollow">https://deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/faculty/mark-boulos</a></li><li><strong>Home Sleep Apnea Testing</strong> — a major section of the conversation concerns the potential for home testing to reduce dependence on laboratory polysomnography. Current sleep-medicine guidance recognizes properly ordered and interpreted home sleep-apnea testing as an option for certain uncomplicated adults suspected of having obstructive sleep apnea. </li><li> <a href="https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/clinical-use-of-a-home-sleep-apnea-test-an-updated-american-academy-of-sleep-medicine-position-statement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/clinical-use-of-a-home-sleep-apnea-test-an-updated-american-academy-of-sleep-medicine-position-statement/</a></li><li><strong>Pramipexole / Mirapex</strong> — the medication discussed in connection with restless legs and periodic limb movements. Current prescribing information continues to warn about sleepiness and possible impulse-control or compulsive behaviours. </li><li> <a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=44c336d2-01d1-4f13-bad9-549cdc3505ec&utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=44c336d2-01d1-4f13-bad9-549cdc3505ec</a></li><li><strong>Adrian Owen&#39;s computerized cognitive testing</strong> — I refer back to the computerized cognitive assessments developed through Adrian Owen&#39;s work at Western University. The platform formerly known as Cambridge Brain Sciences is now called <strong>Creyos</strong>. </li><li> <a href="https://owenlab.org/Research" rel="nofollow">https://owenlab.org/Research</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 4d0cce86-bc05-4acd-a4af-4e9b99459351 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/1082f893-edda-40bb-861e-dab777aa9008 Mon, 25 Nov 2019 08:30:55 +0000 2820 false full The Nocturnal Brain with Dr. Guy Leschziner The Nocturnal Brain with Dr. Guy Leschziner Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Guy Leschziner joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about the strange territory between sleep and wakefulness, including:

  • why even sleep specialists don't necessarily sleep perfectly themselves;
  • the first-night effect and why sleeping somewhere unfamiliar can change what happens in the brain;
  • why one night in a sleep laboratory may not perfectly represent somebody's usual sleep;
  • how Oliver Sacks influenced Leschziner's approach to telling patients' stories;
  • why sleep remained something of a neglected corner of neuroscience for so long;
  • what unusual sleep disorders can teach us about normal sleep;
  • whether sleep really behaves like a simple on/off switch;
  • how apparently complex behaviour can occur while parts of the brain remain deeply asleep;
  • sleepwalking and other parasomnias;
  • paradoxical insomnia and the gap between feeling awake and actually being awake;
  • lucid dreaming and what it may reveal about awareness during REM sleep;
  • narcolepsy and unusually continuous dream experiences;
  • why some patients featured in The Nocturnal Brain actively wanted their stories told;
  • the damage that can come from years of delayed or incorrect diagnoses;
  • how much sleep medicine the average physician actually learns;
  • whether insomnia is truly becoming more common or we're simply paying more attention to it;
  • orthosomnia — when the pursuit of perfect sleep data starts making sleep worse;
  • why consumer sleep trackers can be useful for some people and deeply misleading for others;
  • where Fitbit-style measurements stop being useful and proper sleep evaluation becomes more important;
  • sleep disorders and some extraordinary legal cases involving behaviour during sleep;
  • and the important difference between fascinating extreme cases and the far more common sleep disorders millions of people deal with every night.

About Dr. Guy Leschziner

Professor Guy Leschziner is a neurologist and sleep physician in London. He is currently a consultant neurologist and clinical lead for the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, where his specialist interests include parasomnias, narcolepsy, nocturnal seizures, restless legs syndrome and other neurological sleep disorders.

His work also includes research, teaching and extensive public communication about neuroscience and sleep. Since The Nocturnal Brain, he has gone on to publish The Man Who Tasted Words and Seven Deadly Sins.

https://www.guyleschziner.com/

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/our-consultants/guy-leschziner

Mentioned in this episode

  • The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience and the Secret World of Sleep — the book at the heart of this conversation, using real patient stories to explore insomnia, narcolepsy, parasomnias, restless legs, sleep apnea and some much stranger neurological territory.
  • https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/
  • Mysteries of Sleep — Leschziner explains that the book grew partly out of a BBC radio series he had made about sleep disorders. His official site still lists the series among his broadcast work.
  • https://www.guyleschziner.com/media
  • Oliver Sacks — Leschziner credits Sacks' neurological case histories with helping inspire both his career and his approach to using unusual patients to illuminate how the human brain works.
  • https://www.oliversacks.com/books-by-oliver-sacks/
  • PSG Norms — the polysomnography reference tool that comes up again during the discussion of the first-night effect and differences between the first and subsequent nights in a sleep laboratory.
  • https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/
  • R. v. Parks — Leschziner discusses the famous Canadian case involving Kenneth Parks and sleepwalking as a legal defence. The Supreme Court of Canada heard the case in 1992.
  • https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/907/index.do


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Guy Leschziner joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about the strange territory between sleep and wakefulness, including:</p><ul><li>why even sleep specialists don&#39;t necessarily sleep perfectly themselves;</li><li>the <strong>first-night effect</strong> and why sleeping somewhere unfamiliar can change what happens in the brain;</li><li>why one night in a sleep laboratory may not perfectly represent somebody&#39;s usual sleep;</li><li>how Oliver Sacks influenced Leschziner&#39;s approach to telling patients&#39; stories;</li><li>why sleep remained something of a neglected corner of neuroscience for so long;</li><li>what unusual sleep disorders can teach us about normal sleep;</li><li>whether sleep really behaves like a simple on/off switch;</li><li>how apparently complex behaviour can occur while parts of the brain remain deeply asleep;</li><li>sleepwalking and other <strong>parasomnias</strong>;</li><li>paradoxical insomnia and the gap between feeling awake and actually being awake;</li><li>lucid dreaming and what it may reveal about awareness during REM sleep;</li><li>narcolepsy and unusually continuous dream experiences;</li><li>why some patients featured in <em>The Nocturnal Brain</em> actively wanted their stories told;</li><li>the damage that can come from years of delayed or incorrect diagnoses;</li><li>how much sleep medicine the average physician actually learns;</li><li>whether insomnia is truly becoming more common or we&#39;re simply paying more attention to it;</li><li><strong>orthosomnia</strong> — when the pursuit of perfect sleep data starts making sleep worse;</li><li>why consumer sleep trackers can be useful for some people and deeply misleading for others;</li><li>where Fitbit-style measurements stop being useful and proper sleep evaluation becomes more important;</li><li>sleep disorders and some extraordinary legal cases involving behaviour during sleep;</li><li>and the important difference between fascinating extreme cases and the far more common sleep disorders millions of people deal with every night. </li></ul><h3>About Dr. Guy Leschziner</h3><p><strong>Professor Guy Leschziner is a neurologist and sleep physician in London.</strong> He is currently a consultant neurologist and clinical lead for the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy&#39;s and St Thomas&#39; NHS Foundation Trust, where his specialist interests include parasomnias, narcolepsy, nocturnal seizures, restless legs syndrome and other neurological sleep disorders. </p><p>His work also includes research, teaching and extensive public communication about neuroscience and sleep. Since <em>The Nocturnal Brain</em>, he has gone on to publish <em>The Man Who Tasted Words</em> and <em>Seven Deadly Sins</em>. </p><p><a href="https://www.guyleschziner.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.guyleschziner.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/our-consultants/guy-leschziner?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/our-consultants/guy-leschziner</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience and the Secret World of Sleep</strong> — the book at the heart of this conversation, using real patient stories to explore insomnia, narcolepsy, parasomnias, restless legs, sleep apnea and some much stranger neurological territory. </li><li> <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/</a></li><li><strong>Mysteries of Sleep</strong> — Leschziner explains that the book grew partly out of a BBC radio series he had made about sleep disorders. His official site still lists the series among his broadcast work. </li><li> <a href="https://www.guyleschziner.com/media?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.guyleschziner.com/media</a></li><li><strong>Oliver Sacks</strong> — Leschziner credits Sacks&#39; neurological case histories with helping inspire both his career and his approach to using unusual patients to illuminate how the human brain works. </li><li> <a href="https://www.oliversacks.com/books-by-oliver-sacks/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.oliversacks.com/books-by-oliver-sacks/</a></li><li><strong>PSG Norms</strong> — the polysomnography reference tool that comes up again during the discussion of the first-night effect and differences between the first and subsequent nights in a sleep laboratory. </li><li> <a href="https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/</a></li><li><strong>R. v. Parks</strong> — Leschziner discusses the famous Canadian case involving Kenneth Parks and sleepwalking as a legal defence. The Supreme Court of Canada heard the case in 1992. </li><li> <a href="https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/907/index.do" rel="nofollow">https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/907/index.do</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 3699da50-0cf2-4ba1-80eb-e2e3d9621f30 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/fce99556-c07c-437d-93e3-34c7dd21994e Mon, 18 Nov 2019 08:30:59 +0000 2476 false full Going to Bed with Sleep Radio Going to Bed with Sleep Radio Neil Hedley In this episode

John Watson joins me from New Zealand to talk about the very personal origins of Sleep Radio, including:

  • how depression and insomnia eventually led him toward relaxation music;
  • why a handful of CDs quickly became inadequate;
  • discovering internet relaxation stations — and discovering why commercials and DJs weren't particularly helpful at 3 a.m.;
  • how an idea for a simple one-hour audio file grew into a 24-hour internet radio station;
  • beginning with just a handful of listeners and watching the audience grow internationally;
  • the surprisingly difficult job of deciding which music is actually appropriate for sleep;
  • why Watson avoids vocals, obvious beats, drums and other potentially disruptive elements;
  • the listener feedback that taught him that even birdsong and running water don't necessarily belong on a sleep station;
  • why every submitted track has to be listened to all the way through;
  • the unfortunate discovery that a perfectly relaxing piece of music can suddenly go thumpa-thumpa-thumpa several minutes in;
  • why Sleep Radio works for Watson but doesn't work for his wife;
  • what independent ambient and new-age musicians can submit to the station;
  • how artist, track and sales information can be embedded so listeners can find music they like;
  • running the station from a small home studio;
  • why Watson has no particular ambition to turn it into conventional FM radio;
  • the costs involved in keeping a worldwide stream running;
  • and why he sees the whole operation less as a business than as a way of helping people who are dealing with the same problem he had.


Then Dr. Guy Leschziner joins us briefly to consider the science.

Rather than arguing that relaxation music contains some magical sleep-inducing property, Leschziner points toward something more interesting: concentrating on breathing, music or another neutral stimulus may help by taking attention away from the act of trying to fall asleep. He uses the light-guided breathing device Dodow as another example of the same basic idea.

About John Watson

John Watson is the founder of Sleep Radio, an internet radio station he created in New Zealand after his own experience with depression, anxiety and insomnia.

In the 2019 conversation, Watson describes running the station with his wife from their home studio, personally reviewing music and largely paying its operating costs themselves.

And this is one of those restoration stories with a particularly satisfying present-day footnote:

Sleep Radio is still there.

Watson's current site still identifies him as founder and manager, broadcasting from Te Aroha on New Zealand's North Island. The station continues to describe its core purpose as uninterrupted music for relaxation and sleep.

Listen to Sleep Radio

About John Watson and Sleep Radio

About Dr. Guy Leschziner

Professor Guy Leschziner is a neurologist and sleep physician. At the time this episode was recorded, he was preparing to appear on the following week's Snooze Button to discuss his 2019 book The Nocturnal Brain.

He is currently Professor of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at King's College London and works as a consultant neurologist in the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals. His work encompasses insomnia, parasomnias, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea and other neurological sleep disorders.

Guy Leschziner — official website

Mentioned in this episode

  • Sleep Radio — Watson's 24/7 internet station remains active. Its current site still emphasizes uninterrupted music without conventional radio chatter or advertising.
  • https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/
  • Sleep Radio — Artists and Promoters — Watson discusses musicians submitting suitable ambient and new-age tracks. The station still accepts submissions and publishes its requirements.
  • https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/artists-and-promoters
  • Supporting Sleep Radio — in the episode, Watson explains that he and his wife fund much of the project themselves. The current station continues to operate as a volunteer, not-for-profit project supported partly through listener donations.
  • https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/helpus
  • Dodow — the light-guided breathing device Dr. Leschziner uses as an example when discussing attention, breathing and falling asleep. The product is still available from its manufacturer.
  • https://livlab.care/en-ca/products/dodow-us
  • The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience and the Secret World of Sleep — Guy Leschziner's 2019 book, which becomes the subject of the next chronological episode.
  • https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/
  • Audacity — Watson mentions using the free, open-source audio editor in the Sleep Radio production setup.
  • https://www.audacityteam.org/


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>John Watson joins me from New Zealand to talk about the very personal origins of Sleep Radio, including:</p><ul><li>how depression and insomnia eventually led him toward relaxation music;</li><li>why a handful of CDs quickly became inadequate;</li><li>discovering internet relaxation stations — and discovering why commercials and DJs weren&#39;t particularly helpful at 3 a.m.;</li><li>how an idea for a simple one-hour audio file grew into a 24-hour internet radio station;</li><li>beginning with just a handful of listeners and watching the audience grow internationally;</li><li>the surprisingly difficult job of deciding which music is actually appropriate for sleep;</li><li>why Watson avoids vocals, obvious beats, drums and other potentially disruptive elements;</li><li>the listener feedback that taught him that even birdsong and running water don&#39;t necessarily belong on a sleep station;</li><li>why every submitted track has to be listened to all the way through;</li><li>the unfortunate discovery that a perfectly relaxing piece of music can suddenly go <strong>thumpa-thumpa-thumpa</strong> several minutes in;</li><li>why Sleep Radio works for Watson but doesn&#39;t work for his wife;</li><li>what independent ambient and new-age musicians can submit to the station;</li><li>how artist, track and sales information can be embedded so listeners can find music they like;</li><li>running the station from a small home studio;</li><li>why Watson has no particular ambition to turn it into conventional FM radio;</li><li>the costs involved in keeping a worldwide stream running;</li><li>and why he sees the whole operation less as a business than as a way of helping people who are dealing with the same problem he had. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>Then <strong>Dr. Guy Leschziner</strong> joins us briefly to consider the science.</p><p>Rather than arguing that relaxation music contains some magical sleep-inducing property, Leschziner points toward something more interesting: concentrating on breathing, music or another neutral stimulus may help by taking attention <strong>away from the act of trying to fall asleep</strong>. He uses the light-guided breathing device Dodow as another example of the same basic idea. </p><h3>About John Watson</h3><p><strong>John Watson is the founder of Sleep Radio</strong>, an internet radio station he created in New Zealand after his own experience with depression, anxiety and insomnia.</p><p>In the 2019 conversation, Watson describes running the station with his wife from their home studio, personally reviewing music and largely paying its operating costs themselves. </p><p>And this is one of those restoration stories with a particularly satisfying present-day footnote:</p><p><strong>Sleep Radio is still there.</strong></p><p>Watson&#39;s current site still identifies him as founder and manager, broadcasting from Te Aroha on New Zealand&#39;s North Island. The station continues to describe its core purpose as uninterrupted music for relaxation and sleep. </p><p><a href="https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Listen to Sleep Radio</a></p><p><a href="https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/about?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">About John Watson and Sleep Radio</a></p><h3>About Dr. Guy Leschziner</h3><p><strong>Professor Guy Leschziner</strong> is a neurologist and sleep physician. At the time this episode was recorded, he was preparing to appear on the following week&#39;s Snooze Button to discuss his 2019 book <em>The Nocturnal Brain</em>. </p><p>He is currently Professor of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at King&#39;s College London and works as a consultant neurologist in the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy&#39;s and St Thomas&#39; Hospitals. His work encompasses insomnia, parasomnias, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea and other neurological sleep disorders. </p><p><a href="https://www.guyleschziner.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Guy Leschziner — official website</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Sleep Radio</strong> — Watson&#39;s 24/7 internet station remains active. Its current site still emphasizes uninterrupted music without conventional radio chatter or advertising. </li><li> <a href="https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/</a></li><li><strong>Sleep Radio — Artists and Promoters</strong> — Watson discusses musicians submitting suitable ambient and new-age tracks. The station still accepts submissions and publishes its requirements. </li><li> <a href="https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/artists-and-promoters" rel="nofollow">https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/artists-and-promoters</a></li><li><strong>Supporting Sleep Radio</strong> — in the episode, Watson explains that he and his wife fund much of the project themselves. The current station continues to operate as a volunteer, not-for-profit project supported partly through listener donations. </li><li> <a href="https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/helpus?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/helpus</a></li><li><strong>Dodow</strong> — the light-guided breathing device Dr. Leschziner uses as an example when discussing attention, breathing and falling asleep. The product is still available from its manufacturer. </li><li> <a href="https://livlab.care/en-ca/products/dodow-us?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://livlab.care/en-ca/products/dodow-us</a></li><li><strong>The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience and the Secret World of Sleep</strong> — Guy Leschziner&#39;s 2019 book, which becomes the subject of the next chronological episode. </li><li> <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250202710/thenocturnalbrain/</a></li><li><strong>Audacity</strong> — Watson mentions using the free, open-source audio editor in the Sleep Radio production setup. </li><li> <a href="https://www.audacityteam.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.audacityteam.org/</a></li></ul><p><br></p> c97d7408-8d80-48a9-ad95-5413506bbabe https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/8cc9f85e-3577-4b20-94c0-ae9b67ccb3f7 Mon, 11 Nov 2019 08:30:12 +0000 1735 false full What's the Best Sleep Position? With Dr Jon Saunders, Chiropractor What's the Best Sleep Position? With Dr Jon Saunders, Chiropractor Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Jon Saunders joins me for a conversation about what happens to the neck, back and rest of the body while we sleep, including:

  • why this episode generated objections before it was even released;
  • where a chiropractor’s perspective on sleep begins — and where it ends;
  • why sleep position and posture are closely related;
  • the competing considerations involved in choosing a sleep position;
  • what happens when advice intended to help one problem conflicts with advice intended to help another;
  • the structural differences between sleeping on your back, side and stomach;
  • why one of my basic assumptions about pillows gets challenged;
  • what a pillow is actually trying to accomplish from Saunders’ perspective;
  • why pillow size may matter more than whether it’s soft, firm, expensive or cheap;
  • the extra complication for people who change positions during the night;
  • body pillows and what putting something between your knees is intended to accomplish;
  • why Saunders is reluctant to recommend one particular pillow to everybody;
  • allergies and pillow materials;
  • what to look for when shopping for a mattress;
  • memory foam — including why Saunders thinks it can be perfectly reasonable even though he personally hates it;
  • why the price of a mattress doesn’t necessarily tell you whether it’s appropriate for you;
  • how often Saunders thinks pillows and mattresses should be reconsidered;
  • whether sleep-position needs change as we get older;
  • and the larger tradeoff between ideal body mechanics and actually being comfortable enough to sleep.


There’s also an important limitation running throughout the conversation: Saunders is speaking specifically from his perspective as someone who works with necks, backs and musculoskeletal problems. The episode explicitly warns listeners more than once against treating the discussion as individualized medical advice.

About Dr. Jon Saunders

Dr. Jon Saunders is a chiropractor in Newmarket, Ontario. At the time of this conversation, he had also been my chiropractor for roughly a year and a half, which is how a conversation in his office about sleep eventually became this episode.

Saunders continues to practice at Chiropractic on Eagle in Newmarket and produces educational material about posture, neck and back problems and spinal health.

Dr. Jon Saunders — current profile

Chiropractic on Eagle

Mentioned in this episode

  • Dr. Jon Saunders’ sleeping-posture video — Saunders specifically mentions an existing video demonstrating sleep positions and pillow use. The original 2019 Snooze Button Express listing preserved the exact video link.
  • Watch the original sleeping-posture video
  • Best Sleeping Position — Chiropractic on Eagle — Saunders’ practice also maintains a current resource page collecting his material on sleep posture, pillows and related spinal issues.
  • View the current resource
  • Chiropractic on Eagle — the practice website listeners were directed to for Saunders’ information and contact details. The original Express listing specifically included his practice site among its resources.
  • Visit Chiropractic on Eagle


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Jon Saunders joins me for a conversation about what happens to the neck, back and rest of the body while we sleep, including:</p><ul><li>why this episode generated objections before it was even released;</li><li>where a chiropractor’s perspective on sleep begins — and where it ends;</li><li>why sleep position and posture are closely related;</li><li>the competing considerations involved in choosing a sleep position;</li><li>what happens when advice intended to help one problem conflicts with advice intended to help another;</li><li>the structural differences between sleeping on your back, side and stomach;</li><li>why one of my basic assumptions about pillows gets challenged;</li><li>what a pillow is actually trying to accomplish from Saunders’ perspective;</li><li>why pillow <strong>size</strong> may matter more than whether it’s soft, firm, expensive or cheap;</li><li>the extra complication for people who change positions during the night;</li><li>body pillows and what putting something between your knees is intended to accomplish;</li><li>why Saunders is reluctant to recommend one particular pillow to everybody;</li><li>allergies and pillow materials;</li><li>what to look for when shopping for a mattress;</li><li>memory foam — including why Saunders thinks it can be perfectly reasonable even though he personally hates it;</li><li>why the price of a mattress doesn’t necessarily tell you whether it’s appropriate for you;</li><li>how often Saunders thinks pillows and mattresses should be reconsidered;</li><li>whether sleep-position needs change as we get older;</li><li>and the larger tradeoff between <strong>ideal body mechanics and actually being comfortable enough to sleep</strong>. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>There’s also an important limitation running throughout the conversation: Saunders is speaking specifically from his perspective as someone who works with necks, backs and musculoskeletal problems. The episode explicitly warns listeners more than once against treating the discussion as individualized medical advice. </p><h3>About Dr. Jon Saunders</h3><p>Dr. Jon Saunders is a chiropractor in Newmarket, Ontario. At the time of this conversation, he had also been <strong>my chiropractor for roughly a year and a half</strong>, which is how a conversation in his office about sleep eventually became this episode. </p><p>Saunders continues to practice at Chiropractic on Eagle in Newmarket and produces educational material about posture, neck and back problems and spinal health. </p><p><a href="https://www.chirofirst.ca/dr-jon-saunders/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dr. Jon Saunders — current profile</a></p><p><a href="https://www.chirofirst.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Chiropractic on Eagle</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Dr. Jon Saunders’ sleeping-posture video</strong> — Saunders specifically mentions an existing video demonstrating sleep positions and pillow use. The original 2019 Snooze Button Express listing preserved the exact video link. </li><li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15DBe9XrgF4" rel="nofollow">Watch the original sleeping-posture video</a></li><li><strong>Best Sleeping Position — Chiropractic on Eagle</strong> — Saunders’ practice also maintains a current resource page collecting his material on sleep posture, pillows and related spinal issues. </li><li> <a href="https://www.chirofirst.ca/best-sleeping-position-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">View the current resource</a></li><li><strong>Chiropractic on Eagle</strong> — the practice website listeners were directed to for Saunders’ information and contact details. The original Express listing specifically included his practice site among its resources. </li><li> <a href="https://www.chirofirst.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Chiropractic on Eagle</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 4f143f66-7616-4fc3-b092-dac697e7e080 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/10bfe90c-dbb6-4377-8e6d-1e92925bb7a6 Mon, 04 Nov 2019 08:30:38 +0000 2682 false full Fitbit's New "Sleep Score", and What it Means Fitbit's New "Sleep Score", and What it Means Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Conor Heneghan joins me to talk about sleep tracking from inside Fitbit, including:

  • why Fitbit created a single-number Sleep Score in the first place;
  • what sleep duration, sleep stages and “restoration” contribute to the picture;
  • why a good night's sleep isn't an exam you're supposed to score 100% on;
  • experimenting with your own habits instead of obsessing over somebody else's “perfect” number;
  • the difference between how you slept and how you think you slept;
  • whether seeing disappointing tracker data can actually change how you feel the next morning;
  • why subjective and objective sleep can sometimes disagree;
  • the limits of what a wrist-worn tracker can know compared with a sleep laboratory;
  • wearing a Fitbit on your dominant versus non-dominant wrist — and the people experimenting with wearing one on an ankle;
  • what additional sensors could theoretically tell us, including Heneghan's decidedly unenthusiastic response to my idea of wearing electrodes to bed;
  • where a consumer wearable should stop and a medical professional should take over;
  • what long-term tracking can reveal that a single night in a sleep lab cannot;
  • and what Heneghan found when Fitbit analyzed several months of my own sleep data.


This episode also marked the launch of the original Snooze Button Express — a roughly nine-minute highlights version of the show.

About Dr. Conor Heneghan

At the time of this conversation, Dr. Conor Heneghan was Fitbit's lead sleep researcher, working on the technology and algorithms used to turn signals from a wrist-worn device into information about sleep duration, stages and quality.

His sleep and wearable research continued after Fitbit became part of Google. Google has described Heneghan as a senior staff research scientist on its consumer health research team, and he remains an author on Google sleep-tracking research published through 2026.

Read a more recent Google article featuring Conor Heneghan

Mentioned in this episode

  • Fitbit Sleep Score — the feature at the center of this conversation. Important: the algorithm Heneghan describes is the 2019 version; Google has since redesigned how Sleep Score is calculated.
  • Current Google/Fitbit Sleep Score documentation
  • Fitbit Versa 2 — the device Fitbit provided for the project and the product whose 2019 launch coincided with the wider rollout of Sleep Score.
  • Fitbit's original Versa 2 launch announcement
  • Fitbit Premium and the original Sleep Score breakdown — Fitbit's contemporary 2019 explanation of time asleep, deep/REM sleep and restoration.
  • Read the original Fitbit announcement
  • PSG Norms — the age- and sex-based polysomnography reference tool mentioned while discussing sleep-stage results. The calculator remains online through the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
  • PSG Norms Calculator
  • Poor sleep in middle age and Alzheimer's-related brain changes — this appears to be the National Institute on Aging item referenced in the closing minutes of the episode. Published September 12, 2019, it reported an association between changes in middle-age sleep and later Alzheimer's-related biomarkers; it did not establish that poor sleep causes dementia.
  • Read the National Institute on Aging summary


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Conor Heneghan joins me to talk about sleep tracking from inside Fitbit, including:</p><ul><li>why Fitbit created a single-number Sleep Score in the first place;</li><li>what sleep duration, sleep stages and “restoration” contribute to the picture;</li><li>why a good night&#39;s sleep isn&#39;t an exam you&#39;re supposed to score 100% on;</li><li>experimenting with your own habits instead of obsessing over somebody else&#39;s “perfect” number;</li><li>the difference between <strong>how you slept</strong> and <strong>how you think you slept</strong>;</li><li>whether seeing disappointing tracker data can actually change how you feel the next morning;</li><li>why subjective and objective sleep can sometimes disagree;</li><li>the limits of what a wrist-worn tracker can know compared with a sleep laboratory;</li><li>wearing a Fitbit on your dominant versus non-dominant wrist — and the people experimenting with wearing one on an ankle;</li><li>what additional sensors could theoretically tell us, including Heneghan&#39;s decidedly unenthusiastic response to my idea of wearing electrodes to bed;</li><li>where a consumer wearable should stop and a medical professional should take over;</li><li>what long-term tracking can reveal that a single night in a sleep lab cannot;</li><li>and what Heneghan found when Fitbit analyzed several months of <strong>my own sleep data</strong>. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>This episode also marked the launch of the original <strong>Snooze Button Express</strong> — a roughly nine-minute highlights version of the show. </p><h3>About Dr. Conor Heneghan</h3><p>At the time of this conversation, <strong>Dr. Conor Heneghan was Fitbit&#39;s lead sleep researcher</strong>, working on the technology and algorithms used to turn signals from a wrist-worn device into information about sleep duration, stages and quality. </p><p>His sleep and wearable research continued after Fitbit became part of Google. Google has described Heneghan as a senior staff research scientist on its consumer health research team, and he remains an author on Google sleep-tracking research published through 2026. </p><p><a href="https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/fitbit/heart-rate-tracking-sleep-benefits-fitbit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read a more recent Google article featuring Conor Heneghan</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Fitbit Sleep Score</strong> — the feature at the center of this conversation. <strong>Important:</strong> the algorithm Heneghan describes is the <strong>2019 version</strong>; Google has since redesigned how Sleep Score is calculated. </li><li> <a href="https://support.google.com/googlehealth/answer/14236513" rel="nofollow">Current Google/Fitbit Sleep Score documentation</a></li><li><strong>Fitbit Versa 2</strong> — the device Fitbit provided for the project and the product whose 2019 launch coincided with the wider rollout of Sleep Score. </li><li> <a href="https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/fitbit/fitbit-launches-versa-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Fitbit&#39;s original Versa 2 launch announcement</a></li><li><strong>Fitbit Premium and the original Sleep Score breakdown</strong> — Fitbit&#39;s contemporary 2019 explanation of time asleep, deep/REM sleep and restoration. </li><li> <a href="https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/fitbit/fitbit-launches-fitbit-premium/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read the original Fitbit announcement</a></li><li><strong>PSG Norms</strong> — the age- and sex-based polysomnography reference tool mentioned while discussing sleep-stage results. The calculator remains online through the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. </li><li> <a href="https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">PSG Norms Calculator</a></li><li><strong>Poor sleep in middle age and Alzheimer&#39;s-related brain changes</strong> — this appears to be the National Institute on Aging item referenced in the closing minutes of the episode. Published September 12, 2019, it reported an association between changes in middle-age sleep and later Alzheimer&#39;s-related biomarkers; it did <strong>not</strong> establish that poor sleep causes dementia. </li><li> <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/poor-sleep-middle-age-linked-late-life-alzheimers-related-brain-changes?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read the National Institute on Aging summary</a></li></ul><p><br></p> 5ad2e09d-e2d3-404a-ae08-294b9fd3ffb5 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/1fdb5ae5-bb0c-4e61-acdb-f3bfc65b5e13 Mon, 28 Oct 2019 07:30:01 +0000 1814 false full Sleep Trackers - Do They Do Anything? Sleep Trackers - Do They Do Anything? Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Michael Grandner joins me to talk about consumer sleep trackers and what we should — and shouldn’t — expect from them, including:

  • why “Are sleep trackers accurate?” may be the wrong question;
  • the two extreme ways people tend to interpret wearable data;
  • why some consumer devices have been rigorously tested and others haven’t;
  • movement, heart rate and the signals a wrist-worn device uses to make educated guesses about sleep;
  • what happens when a tracker encounters insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs or other sleep that doesn’t fit its assumptions;
  • the important difference between restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements;
  • why your tracker may report awakenings you have absolutely no memory of;
  • subjective sleep versus device-measured sleep;
  • why those two measurements don’t necessarily have to agree;
  • what “light,” “deep” and REM sleep on a commercial tracker actually represent;
  • why Grandner is much less interested in obsessing over exact sleep-stage percentages than many consumers are;
  • the “first-night effect” in a sleep laboratory;
  • whether consumer sleep technology is deliberately gamifying sleep;
  • why a tracker that measures sleep isn't necessarily a device that helps you sleep;
  • the difference between precision and accuracy;
  • why patterns and trends can matter much more than individual minutes;
  • whether a Fitbit is useful for testing changes in sleep over several weeks;
  • and why Grandner thinks a simple morning sleep diary belongs beside the wearable data.

We also talk about Grandner's own strategy when sleep doesn't come easily, why simply lying in bed trying harder can become counterproductive, and the difference between relaxation and distraction.

About Dr. Michael Grandner

At the time of this conversation, Dr. Michael Grandner was Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona and a specialist in behavioral sleep medicine.

He remains at the University of Arizona, where he is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center. His research focuses on sleep health, behavioral sleep medicine and translating sleep science into real-world health interventions.

Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona

Mentioned in this episode

  • PSG Norms — the reference tool I mention while discussing the “first-night effect” and how sleep-study results vary by age, sex and whether someone is spending their first or second night in the lab.
  • PSG Norms Calculator
  • The Consensus Sleep Diary — Grandner recommends pairing wearable measurements with a simple morning sleep diary. The standardized Consensus Sleep Diary was developed specifically for prospective self-monitoring of sleep.
  • Consensus Sleep Diary — PubMed
  • Fitbit Versa — the tracker I was using as the measurement tool for the Snooze Button experiment. Fitbit's original Versa included automatic sleep-stage tracking.
  • Original Fitbit Versa announcement
  • Consumer Sleep Technology — American Academy of Sleep Medicine — this 2018 position statement provides useful contemporary context for the conversation: consumer devices could contribute useful information, but were not substitutes for validated clinical diagnosis or treatment.
  • AASM position statement — PubMed


]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Michael Grandner joins me to talk about consumer sleep trackers and what we should — and shouldn’t — expect from them, including:</p><ul><li>why “Are sleep trackers accurate?” may be the wrong question;</li><li>the two extreme ways people tend to interpret wearable data;</li><li>why some consumer devices have been rigorously tested and others haven’t;</li><li>movement, heart rate and the signals a wrist-worn device uses to make educated guesses about sleep;</li><li>what happens when a tracker encounters insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs or other sleep that doesn’t fit its assumptions;</li><li>the important difference between <strong>restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements</strong>;</li><li>why your tracker may report awakenings you have absolutely no memory of;</li><li>subjective sleep versus device-measured sleep;</li><li>why those two measurements don’t necessarily have to agree;</li><li>what “light,” “deep” and REM sleep on a commercial tracker actually represent;</li><li>why Grandner is much less interested in obsessing over exact sleep-stage percentages than many consumers are;</li><li>the “first-night effect” in a sleep laboratory;</li><li>whether consumer sleep technology is deliberately gamifying sleep;</li><li>why a tracker that measures sleep isn&#39;t necessarily a device that <strong>helps</strong> you sleep;</li><li>the difference between precision and accuracy;</li><li>why patterns and trends can matter much more than individual minutes;</li><li>whether a Fitbit is useful for testing changes in sleep over several weeks;</li><li>and why Grandner thinks a simple morning sleep diary belongs beside the wearable data. </li></ul><p>We also talk about Grandner&#39;s own strategy when sleep doesn&#39;t come easily, why simply lying in bed trying harder can become counterproductive, and the difference between relaxation and distraction. </p><h3>About Dr. Michael Grandner</h3><p>At the time of this conversation, <strong>Dr. Michael Grandner was Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona</strong> and a specialist in behavioral sleep medicine. </p><p>He remains at the University of Arizona, where he is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center. His research focuses on sleep health, behavioral sleep medicine and translating sleep science into real-world health interventions. </p><p><a href="https://medicine.arizona.edu/person/michael-grandner-phd-mtr-cbsm-faasm?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>PSG Norms</strong> — the reference tool I mention while discussing the “first-night effect” and how sleep-study results vary by age, sex and whether someone is spending their first or second night in the lab.</li><li> <a href="https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">PSG Norms Calculator</a></li><li><strong>The Consensus Sleep Diary</strong> — Grandner recommends pairing wearable measurements with a simple morning sleep diary. The standardized Consensus Sleep Diary was developed specifically for prospective self-monitoring of sleep. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22294820/" rel="nofollow">Consensus Sleep Diary — PubMed</a></li><li><strong>Fitbit Versa</strong> — the tracker I was using as the measurement tool for the Snooze Button experiment. Fitbit&#39;s original Versa included automatic sleep-stage tracking. </li><li> <a href="https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/fitbit/fitbit-introduces-fitbit-versa/" rel="nofollow">Original Fitbit Versa announcement</a></li><li><strong>Consumer Sleep Technology — American Academy of Sleep Medicine</strong> — this 2018 position statement provides useful contemporary context for the conversation: consumer devices could contribute useful information, but were not substitutes for validated clinical diagnosis or treatment. </li><li> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29734997/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">AASM position statement — PubMed</a></li></ul><p><br></p> ad86e0b2-04b1-413e-8fdb-51d6d51b645f https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/989de4d7-0d30-4101-b87a-e7a732229444 Sun, 27 Oct 2019 07:30:03 +0000 3261 false full Let's Play Ball! Sleep and The National Pastime with Dr Ravi Allada and ESPN's Dan Shulman Let's Play Ball! Sleep and The National Pastime with Dr Ravi Allada and ESPN's Dan Shulman Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Ravi Allada and Dan Shulman join me for a baseball-themed look at sleep, travel and performance, including:

  • why your biological clock can't change time zones as quickly as your watch can;
  • why traveling east and traveling west aren't necessarily the same thing;
  • how baseball's enormous statistical record creates an unusual opportunity for sleep researchers;
  • the surprisingly specific piece of on-field performance that showed one of the clearest effects of jet lag;
  • why even the home team can suffer from jet lag;
  • how Major League schedules can help — or hurt — players trying to adjust;
  • what the postseason does to some of those carefully designed travel patterns;
  • whether sending a starting pitcher ahead of the rest of the team might actually make sense;
  • Dan Shulman's transition from actuarial science and campus radio to calling some of the biggest games in sports;
  • what it's like to work an itinerary that can put you in four cities in four nights;
  • why Shulman says sleep has moved higher on his priority list as he's gotten older;
  • the difference between being tired and sounding tired when you're performing for an audience;
  • why teams increasingly cancel batting practice after brutal schedules;
  • and what baseball calls “show and go.”

About Dr. Ravi Allada

At the time of this conversation, Dr. Ravi Allada was a professor and circadian-rhythm researcher at Northwestern University. His work examines the biological clocks governing sleep and wakefulness, and his love of baseball gave him a particularly interesting real-world dataset for studying what happens when those clocks are disrupted.

Allada is now Executive Director of the Michigan Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan.

Current University of Michigan profile

About Dan Shulman

Dan Shulman is one of Canada's most recognizable sports broadcasters. When we recorded this episode, he was the radio voice of Major League Baseball's postseason and World Series for ESPN Radio.

His route there was unusual: Shulman studied actuarial science at Western University before abandoning the actuarial world for radio and eventually becoming a play-by-play broadcaster.

Dan Shulman at ESPN

Dan Shulman with the Toronto Blue Jays

Mentioned in this episode

  • How jet lag impairs Major League Baseball performance — the study at the center of my conversation with Dr. Allada. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers analyzed Major League Baseball performance across roughly two decades of games to examine what happens after teams cross time zones.
  • Read the study
  • Northwestern: Jet lag impairs performance of Major League Baseball players — Northwestern's accessible overview of Allada's research.
  • Read the Northwestern summary
  • Dr. Ravi Allada — University of Michigan
  • Current profile
  • Dan Shulman — ESPN
  • ESPN biography
  • Dan Shulman — Toronto Blue Jays
  • Blue Jays broadcaster biography
]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Ravi Allada and Dan Shulman join me for a baseball-themed look at sleep, travel and performance, including:</p><ul><li>why your biological clock can&#39;t change time zones as quickly as your watch can;</li><li>why traveling east and traveling west aren&#39;t necessarily the same thing;</li><li>how baseball&#39;s enormous statistical record creates an unusual opportunity for sleep researchers;</li><li>the surprisingly specific piece of on-field performance that showed one of the clearest effects of jet lag;</li><li>why even the <strong>home team</strong> can suffer from jet lag;</li><li>how Major League schedules can help — or hurt — players trying to adjust;</li><li>what the postseason does to some of those carefully designed travel patterns;</li><li>whether sending a starting pitcher ahead of the rest of the team might actually make sense;</li><li>Dan Shulman&#39;s transition from actuarial science and campus radio to calling some of the biggest games in sports;</li><li>what it&#39;s like to work an itinerary that can put you in four cities in four nights;</li><li>why Shulman says sleep has moved higher on his priority list as he&#39;s gotten older;</li><li>the difference between <strong>being tired</strong> and <strong>sounding tired</strong> when you&#39;re performing for an audience;</li><li>why teams increasingly cancel batting practice after brutal schedules;</li><li>and what baseball calls <strong>“show and go.”</strong></li></ul><h3>About Dr. Ravi Allada</h3><p>At the time of this conversation, Dr. Ravi Allada was a professor and circadian-rhythm researcher at Northwestern University. His work examines the biological clocks governing sleep and wakefulness, and his love of baseball gave him a particularly interesting real-world dataset for studying what happens when those clocks are disrupted.</p><p>Allada is now Executive Director of the Michigan Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan.</p><p><a href="https://medschool.umich.edu/profile/11743/ravi-allada" rel="nofollow">Current University of Michigan profile</a></p><h3>About Dan Shulman</h3><p>Dan Shulman is one of Canada&#39;s most recognizable sports broadcasters. When we recorded this episode, he was the radio voice of Major League Baseball&#39;s postseason and World Series for ESPN Radio.</p><p>His route there was unusual: Shulman studied actuarial science at Western University before abandoning the actuarial world for radio and eventually becoming a play-by-play broadcaster.</p><p><a href="https://espnpressroom.com/bio/dan-shulman/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dan Shulman at ESPN</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/team/broadcasters?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Dan Shulman with the Toronto Blue Jays</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>How jet lag impairs Major League Baseball performance</strong> — the study at the center of my conversation with Dr. Allada. Published in <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em>, the researchers analyzed Major League Baseball performance across roughly two decades of games to examine what happens after teams cross time zones.</li><li><a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1608847114?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></li><li><strong>Northwestern: Jet lag impairs performance of Major League Baseball players</strong> — Northwestern&#39;s accessible overview of Allada&#39;s research.</li><li><a href="https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/01/jet-lag-impairs-performance-major-league-baseball-players?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Read the Northwestern summary</a></li><li><strong>Dr. Ravi Allada — University of Michigan</strong></li><li><a href="https://medschool.umich.edu/profile/11743/ravi-allada" rel="nofollow">Current profile</a></li><li><strong>Dan Shulman — ESPN</strong></li><li><a href="https://espnpressroom.com/bio/dan-shulman/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">ESPN biography</a></li><li><strong>Dan Shulman — Toronto Blue Jays</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/team/broadcasters?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="nofollow">Blue Jays broadcaster biography</a></li></ul> 2f787c1a-f833-4cf7-a6c1-43fbf297f35c https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/c961b940-1b1e-4720-899f-36ef50003332 Sat, 26 Oct 2019 07:30:28 +0000 2902 false full Become Your Child's Sleep Coach with Dr Lynelle Schneeberg Become Your Child's Sleep Coach with Dr Lynelle Schneeberg Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Schneeberg and I get into:

  • what a “sleep onset association” is — and why parents usually know it by another name;
  • helping children learn to fall asleep independently;
  • why sleep problems aren't necessarily baked in forever just because a child is no longer a baby;
  • figuring out what's actually “normal” when it comes to sleep at different ages;
  • phones, screens and the teenager who falls asleep with every light in the room turned on;
  • what chronic insufficient sleep can look like in kids and teenagers;
  • signs that a child's sleep problem may deserve the attention of a sleep specialist;
  • why adolescence naturally pushes sleep later;
  • the case for starting middle and high school later in the morning;
  • why doctors and pediatricians may reach for melatonin before addressing sleep behavior;
  • “callbacks and curtain calls” after bedtime;
  • whether letting a child cry it out is the only way to teach independent sleep;
  • and what parents can do to model healthier sleep habits themselves.


About Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg

At the time of this conversation, Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg was an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine and director of the Behavioral Sleep Program at Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

She specializes in behavioral sleep medicine and wrote Become Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10 for parents dealing with sleep problems after the baby stage.

Visit Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg's website

Mentioned in this episode

  • Become Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10 — Lynelle Schneeberg
  • Book information from the publisher
  • National Sleep Foundation — Sleep Duration Recommendations
  • Schneeberg recommends the Foundation's age-based sleep-duration information for parents wondering what's “normal.” The original 2019 resource has evolved, but the Foundation's current recommendations are here.
  • Sleep Duration Recommendations
  • SNOO Smart Sleeper
  • The responsive bassinet we discuss when talking about my younger daughter's early sleep habits.
  • SNOO at Happiest Baby
  • Start School Later
  • The advocacy organization Schneeberg mentions during our discussion of adolescent biology and school start times.
  • Start School Later
  • “The Conversation” — Mad About You, Season 6, Episode 9
  • The episode in which Paul and Jamie sit outside baby Mabel's room while trying to let her fall asleep without them.
  • View the episode on Apple TV
  • How to Raise a Reader — Pamela Paul and Maria Russo
  • Schneeberg recommends this near the end of our conversation while discussing one of the simplest sleep behaviors parents can model for their children: reading.
  • Book information from the publisher
  • Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Yale Medicine
  • Current Yale Medicine profile
  • Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Connecticut Children's
  • Current Connecticut Children's profile
]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Schneeberg and I get into:</p><ul><li>what a “sleep onset association” is — and why parents usually know it by another name;</li><li>helping children learn to fall asleep independently;</li><li>why sleep problems aren&#39;t necessarily baked in forever just because a child is no longer a baby;</li><li>figuring out what&#39;s actually “normal” when it comes to sleep at different ages;</li><li>phones, screens and the teenager who falls asleep with every light in the room turned on;</li><li>what chronic insufficient sleep can look like in kids and teenagers;</li><li>signs that a child&#39;s sleep problem may deserve the attention of a sleep specialist;</li><li>why adolescence naturally pushes sleep later;</li><li>the case for starting middle and high school later in the morning;</li><li>why doctors and pediatricians may reach for melatonin before addressing sleep behavior;</li><li>“callbacks and curtain calls” after bedtime;</li><li>whether letting a child cry it out is the only way to teach independent sleep;</li><li>and what parents can do to model healthier sleep habits themselves.</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>About Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg</h3><p>At the time of this conversation, Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg was an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine and director of the Behavioral Sleep Program at Connecticut Children&#39;s Medical Center.</p><p>She specializes in behavioral sleep medicine and wrote <em>Become Your Child&#39;s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor&#39;s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10</em> for parents dealing with sleep problems after the baby stage.</p><p><a href="https://drschneeberg.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg&#39;s website</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Become Your Child&#39;s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor&#39;s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10 — Lynelle Schneeberg</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.gcp-balance.com/titles/lynelle-schneeberg/become-your-childs-sleep-coach/9780738285566/" rel="nofollow">Book information from the publisher</a></li><li><strong>National Sleep Foundation — Sleep Duration Recommendations</strong></li><li>Schneeberg recommends the Foundation&#39;s age-based sleep-duration information for parents wondering what&#39;s “normal.” The original 2019 resource has evolved, but the Foundation&#39;s current recommendations are here.</li><li><a href="https://www.thensf.org/sleep-duration-recommendations/" rel="nofollow">Sleep Duration Recommendations</a></li><li><strong>SNOO Smart Sleeper</strong></li><li>The responsive bassinet we discuss when talking about my younger daughter&#39;s early sleep habits.</li><li><a href="https://www.happiestbaby.com/products/snoo-smart-bassinet" rel="nofollow">SNOO at Happiest Baby</a></li><li><strong>Start School Later</strong></li><li>The advocacy organization Schneeberg mentions during our discussion of adolescent biology and school start times.</li><li><a href="https://www.startschoollater.net/" rel="nofollow">Start School Later</a></li><li><strong>“The Conversation” — <em>Mad About You</em>, Season 6, Episode 9</strong></li><li>The episode in which Paul and Jamie sit outside baby Mabel&#39;s room while trying to let her fall asleep without them.</li><li><a href="https://tv.apple.com/ca/episode/the-conversation/umc.cmc.2qsgz4lim89opq0maibqngdl2" rel="nofollow">View the episode on Apple TV</a></li><li><strong>How to Raise a Reader — Pamela Paul and Maria Russo</strong></li><li>Schneeberg recommends this near the end of our conversation while discussing one of the simplest sleep behaviors parents can model for their children: reading.</li><li><a href="https://workman.com/titles/pamela-paul/how-to-raise-a-reader/9781523505302/" rel="nofollow">Book information from the publisher</a></li><li><strong>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Yale Medicine</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/specialists/lynelle-schneeberg" rel="nofollow">Current Yale Medicine profile</a></li><li><strong>Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg — Connecticut Children&#39;s</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/doctors/lynelle-schneeberg-psyd" rel="nofollow">Current Connecticut Children&#39;s profile</a></li></ul> 4152e9a6-95e0-45e0-b670-5e2de7e129c4 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/02483006-ee02-4bd5-8814-e9e0b1a9bc07 Fri, 25 Oct 2019 07:30:01 +0000 2121 false full Sleep Lab Results with Dr. Mark Boulos - Part One Sleep Lab Results with Dr. Mark Boulos - Part One Neil Hedley In this episode

Dr. Boulos and I talk about:

  • what a sleep lab can tell you that consumer sleep trackers can't;
  • why sleeping from 3 a.m. until noon isn't necessarily “bad sleep” simply because the clock looks strange;
  • morning larks, night owls and the biology behind our preferred sleep schedules;
  • what happens during the different stages of sleep;
  • slow-wave sleep and the brain's glymphatic system;
  • why a night in a sleep laboratory may not be as abnormal, statistically, as it feels;
  • the difference between time spent in bed and time actually asleep;
  • how researchers establish normal sleep-lab values;
  • what wearables such as Fitbit and Apple Watch can — and can't — reliably tell us;
  • apnea, hypopnea, arousals and other pieces of the vocabulary that starts appearing when you look closely at a sleep study;
  • and, finally, what my own overnight study actually found.


The last part is best heard rather than summarized.

About Dr. Mark Boulos

Dr. Mark Boulos is a stroke and sleep neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto whose research includes sleep disorders, neurological disease, home sleep monitoring and the development of normative sleep data.

Dr. Mark Boulos at Sunnybrook

Mentioned in this episode

  • Normal Polysomnography Parameters in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — the 2019 Lancet Respiratory Medicine paper Dr. Boulos discusses, which combined data from thousands of healthy adults to establish reference values for sleep studies.
  • Read the study
  • PSG Norms — the interactive calculator based on that research. Enter age and sex to see reference ranges for a variety of polysomnography measurements.
  • PSG Norms calculator
  • Sunnybrook Sleep Medicine Clinic
  • Sunnybrook Sleep Medicine Clinic
]]> <h3>In this episode</h3><p>Dr. Boulos and I talk about:</p><ul><li>what a sleep lab can tell you that consumer sleep trackers can&#39;t;</li><li>why sleeping from 3 a.m. until noon isn&#39;t necessarily “bad sleep” simply because the clock looks strange;</li><li>morning larks, night owls and the biology behind our preferred sleep schedules;</li><li>what happens during the different stages of sleep;</li><li>slow-wave sleep and the brain&#39;s glymphatic system;</li><li>why a night in a sleep laboratory may not be as abnormal, statistically, as it feels;</li><li>the difference between time spent <strong>in bed</strong> and time actually <strong>asleep</strong>;</li><li>how researchers establish normal sleep-lab values;</li><li>what wearables such as Fitbit and Apple Watch can — and can&#39;t — reliably tell us;</li><li>apnea, hypopnea, arousals and other pieces of the vocabulary that starts appearing when you look closely at a sleep study;</li><li>and, finally, what my own overnight study actually found.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The last part is best heard rather than summarized.</p><h3>About Dr. Mark Boulos</h3><p>Dr. Mark Boulos is a stroke and sleep neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto whose research includes sleep disorders, neurological disease, home sleep monitoring and the development of normative sleep data.</p><p><a href="https://sunnybrook.ca/find-a-doctor/mark-boulos/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Mark Boulos at Sunnybrook</a></p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><strong>Normal Polysomnography Parameters in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis</strong> — the 2019 <em>Lancet Respiratory Medicine</em> paper Dr. Boulos discusses, which combined data from thousands of healthy adults to establish reference values for sleep studies.</li><li><a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600%2819%2930057-8/abstract" rel="nofollow">Read the study</a></li><li><strong>PSG Norms</strong> — the interactive calculator based on that research. Enter age and sex to see reference ranges for a variety of polysomnography measurements.</li><li><a href="https://omc.ohri.ca/psgnorms/" rel="nofollow">PSG Norms calculator</a></li><li><strong>Sunnybrook Sleep Medicine Clinic</strong></li><li><a href="https://sunnybrook.ca/clinics/sleep-medicine-clinic/" rel="nofollow">Sunnybrook Sleep Medicine Clinic</a></li></ul> c9215025-70e2-42a6-8310-39f89aa941a8 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/9e2739b1-39ca-4a89-aaa6-32d1ec7fb85e Thu, 24 Oct 2019 07:30:24 +0000 2896 false full My Year Of Sleeping Dangerously - with Roy Parvin My Year Of Sleeping Dangerously - with Roy Parvin Neil Hedley In this episode

Roy and I get into:

  • how an apparently innocent sleepless night became something much bigger;
  • why sleep trouble can become incredibly isolating;
  • the temptation to diagnose and treat yourself when you don't know what's actually happening;
  • what happens when the treatments become part of the problem;
  • the surprising parallels between Roy's sleep story and my own;
  • the difference between being unconscious for part of the night and actually getting good sleep;
  • why people with sleep problems may spend far too long looking in the wrong place for answers;
  • the unexpected role yoga played in Roy's story;
  • and why one horrible year ultimately gave him material for two books.


This isn't a conversation with somebody who read a few studies about bad sleep.

Roy lived it.

And if you've ever spent a night staring at the ceiling wondering why something your body has done automatically your entire life has suddenly become impossible, parts of his story may feel uncomfortably familiar.

About Roy Parvin

Roy Parvin is an award-winning author whose work includes My Year of Sleeping Dangerously.

During the experience we discuss in this episode, he also discovered yoga — eventually developing material that became Yoga for the Inflexible Male.

Mentioned in this episode

]]> <h2>In this episode</h2><p>Roy and I get into:</p><ul><li>how an apparently innocent sleepless night became something much bigger;</li><li>why sleep trouble can become incredibly isolating;</li><li>the temptation to diagnose and treat yourself when you don&#39;t know what&#39;s actually happening;</li><li>what happens when the treatments become part of the problem;</li><li>the surprising parallels between Roy&#39;s sleep story and my own;</li><li>the difference between <em>being unconscious for part of the night</em> and actually getting good sleep;</li><li>why people with sleep problems may spend far too long looking in the wrong place for answers;</li><li>the unexpected role yoga played in Roy&#39;s story;</li><li>and why one horrible year ultimately gave him material for two books.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>This isn&#39;t a conversation with somebody who read a few studies about bad sleep.</p><p>Roy lived it.</p><p>And if you&#39;ve ever spent a night staring at the ceiling wondering why something your body has done automatically your entire life has suddenly become impossible, parts of his story may feel uncomfortably familiar.</p><h2>About Roy Parvin</h2><p>Roy Parvin is an award-winning author whose work includes <em>My Year of Sleeping Dangerously</em>.</p><p>During the experience we discuss in this episode, he also discovered yoga — eventually developing material that became <em>Yoga for the Inflexible Male</em>.</p><h2>Mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li><em>My Year of Sleeping Dangerously</em> — Roy Parvin</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1984856944" rel="nofollow"><em>Yoga for the Inflexible Male</em></a> — Roy Parvin (as Yoga Matt)</li></ul> bd1110c3-9c55-4b7f-ac5c-51bea61d2d57 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/7b0da54f-4d5c-41a3-8be7-b74bad30bb4a Wed, 23 Oct 2019 07:30:00 +0000 2437 false full Sleep, Decision-Making, and the Strange Science of Consciousness with Dr. Adrian Owen Sleep, Decision-Making, and the Strange Science of Consciousness with Dr. Adrian Owen Neil Hedley What if poor sleep is affecting your judgment long before you actually feel sleepy?

In this episode of The Snooze Button, Neil welcomes neuroscientist Dr. Adrian Owen for the show’s first official guest interview. Dr. Owen is best known for his groundbreaking work using brain imaging to detect signs of awareness in some patients who had been diagnosed as vegetative. But in this conversation, sleep becomes the doorway into a bigger question: what does consciousness look like when the brain is working differently?

Neil and Dr. Owen talk about insomnia, consciousness, sleep trackers, sleep labs, coma research, Terri Schiavo, and the surprising results of a large sleep-and-cognition study. One of the biggest takeaways: too little sleep — and possibly too much — may impair reasoning and decision-making even when memory seems mostly unaffected.

That matters because real life is made of decisions. Some are huge. Some are ordinary. And some, like whether to change lanes in traffic, only seem ordinary until they are not.

In this episode

  • Why Dr. Owen says he is not strictly a sleep expert — and why sleep is so useful for studying consciousness
  • What brain imaging has revealed about some patients diagnosed as vegetative
  • Why the Terri Schiavo case became such a public flashpoint
  • Why sleep is harder to study than people might assume
  • What Dr. Owen’s large sleep-and-cognition study found about 7–8 hours of sleep
  • Why too little and too much sleep may both be linked with poorer cognitive performance
  • Why reasoning and decision-making may be affected more than memory
  • Why “I don’t feel sleepy” is not the same as “I’m thinking clearly”
  • What sleep trackers can and cannot tell us
  • Why Neil’s own sleep numbers made Dr. Owen recommend a proper sleep study

Key takeaway

The scariest kind of sleep impairment may not be the kind you feel. It may be the kind that quietly affects your reasoning, planning, and decision-making while you still think you are fine.

Resources mentioned

Note from the archive

This is one of the early foundation episodes of The Snooze Button, so it is a little more science-heavy than later episodes. That was deliberate. Before Neil could start testing fixes for his own sleep, he needed a clearer understanding of what was actually happening — and how much trust to place in consumer sleep trackers, lab sleep studies, and cognitive testing.

In the original episode, Cambridge Brain Sciences was mentioned by name. That platform is now Creyos. Some older support and rating links mentioned in the episode are no longer included here because they could not be reliably verified.

Follow The Snooze Button in your podcast app, and visit TheSnoozeButton.com for updates as the show returns.

]]> <p>What if poor sleep is affecting your judgment long before you actually feel sleepy?</p><p>In this episode of <em>The Snooze Button</em>, Neil welcomes neuroscientist Dr. Adrian Owen for the show’s first official guest interview. Dr. Owen is best known for his groundbreaking work using brain imaging to detect signs of awareness in some patients who had been diagnosed as vegetative. But in this conversation, sleep becomes the doorway into a bigger question: what does consciousness look like when the brain is working differently?</p><p>Neil and Dr. Owen talk about insomnia, consciousness, sleep trackers, sleep labs, coma research, Terri Schiavo, and the surprising results of a large sleep-and-cognition study. One of the biggest takeaways: too little sleep — and possibly too much — may impair reasoning and decision-making even when memory seems mostly unaffected.</p><p>That matters because real life is made of decisions. Some are huge. Some are ordinary. And some, like whether to change lanes in traffic, only seem ordinary until they are not.</p><h2>In this episode</h2><ul><li>Why Dr. Owen says he is not strictly a sleep expert — and why sleep is so useful for studying consciousness</li><li>What brain imaging has revealed about some patients diagnosed as vegetative</li><li>Why the Terri Schiavo case became such a public flashpoint</li><li>Why sleep is harder to study than people might assume</li><li>What Dr. Owen’s large sleep-and-cognition study found about 7–8 hours of sleep</li><li>Why too little and too much sleep may both be linked with poorer cognitive performance</li><li>Why reasoning and decision-making may be affected more than memory</li><li>Why “I don’t feel sleepy” is not the same as “I’m thinking clearly”</li><li>What sleep trackers can and cannot tell us</li><li>Why Neil’s own sleep numbers made Dr. Owen recommend a proper sleep study</li></ul><h2>Key takeaway</h2><p>The scariest kind of sleep impairment may not be the kind you feel. It may be the kind that quietly affects your reasoning, planning, and decision-making while you still think you are fine.</p><h2>Resources mentioned</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.uwo.ca/bmi/investigators/adrian-owen.html" rel="nofollow">Dr. Adrian Owen — Western University profile</a></li><li><a href="https://owenlab.org/" rel="nofollow">Owen Lab</a></li><li><a href="https://creyos.com/" rel="nofollow">Creyos</a> — formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences</li><li><a href="https://creyos.com/online-cognitive-tasks" rel="nofollow">Creyos online cognitive tasks</a></li><li><a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/41/12/zsy182/5096067" rel="nofollow">Dissociable effects of self-reported daily sleep duration on high-level cognitive abilities</a></li><li><a href="https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Into-the-Gray-Zone/Adrian-Owen/9781501135217" rel="nofollow">Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Mysteries of the Brain and the Border Between Life and Death</a></li><li>Dr. Adrian Owen on X/Twitter: <a href="https://x.com/comadork" rel="nofollow">@ComaDork</a></li></ul><h2>Note from the archive</h2><p>This is one of the early foundation episodes of <em>The Snooze Button</em>, so it is a little more science-heavy than later episodes. That was deliberate. Before Neil could start testing fixes for his own sleep, he needed a clearer understanding of what was actually happening — and how much trust to place in consumer sleep trackers, lab sleep studies, and cognitive testing.</p><p>In the original episode, Cambridge Brain Sciences was mentioned by name. That platform is now Creyos. Some older support and rating links mentioned in the episode are no longer included here because they could not be reliably verified.</p><p>Follow <em>The Snooze Button</em> in your podcast app, and visit <a href="https://thesnoozebutton.com/" rel="nofollow">TheSnoozeButton.com</a> for updates as the show returns.</p> 0bbf2c1f-3933-46b0-aae6-9797701a7c8a https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/31b0c186-fc43-4806-be48-bff269553050 Mon, 09 Sep 2019 07:05:38 +0000 3170 false full Premiere / Pilot Premiere / Pilot Neil Hedley In the premiere episode of The Snooze Button, veteran broadcaster Neil Hedley sets the table for a journey toward a good night's sleep that will essentially turn him into a lab rat.

]]> <p>In the premiere episode of <em>The Snooze Button</em>, veteran broadcaster Neil Hedley sets the table for a journey toward a good night&#39;s sleep that will essentially turn him into a lab rat.</p> bb4d9922-7271-45bc-8876-1a3bc138d867 https://redcircle.com/shows/f2d07340-5348-4fd8-92a5-27b2e18f0c29/episodes/7b0ff983-f0c1-432c-8155-2c598a1be874 Fri, 16 Aug 2019 10:45:00 +0000 595 false