#193 - Insomnia and Success: Gonna Hit The Big Time

Success looks good in the daylight, but at night, it often looks very different. In this episode we explore why insomnia is so common in driven, high-achieving, Type-A personalities. Is it stress? Hyperarousal? The Zeigarnik effect? We unpack the science, the psychology, and the cultural narrative that may be quietly rewarding sleeplessness. In this episode, we will:

• Discover what the research says about achievement orientation, perfectionism, and insomnia
• Outlinehyperarousal model of insomnia and why high performers may struggle to “turn it off”
• Introduce the Zeigarnik effect and how unfinished goals hijack the sleeping brain
• Learn why our culture romanticizes sleepless productivity and how that reinforces the problem
• Contrast the difference between short sleepers, workaholism, and true chronic insomnia
• Think about practical strategies for high achievers to protect sleep without sacrificing ambition

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

Music by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reserved

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
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• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!