We’ve all heard the sleep hygiene advice: turn off your screens, keep your room cool, avoid caffeine after lunch. While we can agree that these practices set the stage for better sleep, does engaging in them actually help those with sleep problems? In this episode we will:

• Examine the intended role of sleep hygiene
• Look at what research tell us in terms of using sleep hygiene as a tool for insomnia treatment
• Dive into what it means for an insomnia therapy to work
• Differentiate between actions geared at changing sleep behaviors and actions geared towards changing interpretations of sleep behaviors

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Few parenting debates stir more passion than how to help a baby sleep. In this episode, we will:

• Explore the science and controversy behind “cry it out,” Ferber/check-and-console, and gentler alternatives
• Review what research says about sleep outcomes, stress, and attachment
• Think about this concept in relationship to varyting sleep needs
• Unpack the safety concerns around bed-sharing and why guidance is so divided
• Offer practical takeaways so parents can choose an approach that works—and feels right—for their family

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

When it comes to sleep, sometimes silence is golden—and sometimes it needs a little help. In this episode, we’ll explore the world of earplugs and earbuds designed to quiet the night and protect your rest, because sometimes the best way to protect your dreams is to put a little something in your ear. In this episode we will:

• Determine why reducing noise can make such a difference for falling asleep and staying asleep
• List the best earplugs made specifically for sleep—like BET SLUMBUR, Loop, Swanwick, and Happy Ears
• Introduce new approaches to noise masking that blend soothing sound with comfort and advanced sleep tracking (Ozlo)
• Revisit noise canceling innovations that actively fight disruptive sounds (QuietOn 4.0)
• Learn how to match the right solution to your unique sleep environment—whether it’s a snoring partner, thin apartment walls, or unpredictable travel nights

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

We’ve all seen it—or maybe we’ve been told we do it: twitching, jerking, or kicking in the night. But when does this common sleep quirk cross the line into a diagnosable condition? In this episode, we will:

• Define Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) and explain how it differs from simple nighttime movements
• Explore its surprising prevalence in both adults and children—and its strong ties to Restless Legs Syndrome
• Review leading theories of cause, from dopamine to iron to spinal generators
• Highlight intriguing new research, including cardiovascular links and AI-based detection
• Discuss treatment strategies—from iron replacement to dopaminergic medications and lifestyle approaches

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Did you know…

• Only 57% of Americans now say science has a mostly positive effect on society—down 16 points since before COVID?
• And yet, 83% of people still trust their doctor more than anyone else when it comes to vaccine advice?

We’ve all lived through it—the pandemic reshaped our health, our trust, and our divisions, and those dividisions have been on full display recently as hearings have highlighted a growing distrust in the medical and scientific communities. In this episode, we will:

• Explore why COVID was not just a disease, but a collective trauma—and how trauma often drives blame and denial
• Examine the promise of MAHA (Making America Healthy Again) and the peril of dismantling expertise in the process
• Confront the deep health inequities that make the U.S. lag behind other developed nations in life expectancy and outcomes
• Ask why preventive medicine never fulfilled its promise in our healthcare system
• Review how vaccines remain one of the greatest public health successes—even as skepticism grows
• Unpack why rare side effects feel amplified when billions of doses are given
• Revisit the vaccine rollout as both a modern miracle and a “fog of war” moment with inevitable missteps
• Challenge the myth of “doing your own research” and why interpretation of science matters more than access
• Discuss how shaming during the pandemic hardened divides instead of fostering change
• Look ahead: why questioning science is healthy, but abandoning it could cost us the cures and treatments of the future

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

When it comes to insomnia, many people begin their journey staring at the clock after yet another middle-of-the-night bathroom trip and wondering: is it my bladder or my sleep that’s broken? In this episode, we will:

• Define what nocturia is—and what counts as normal versus abnormal
• Explore why most people wake up first and then feel the urge to urinate
• Reveal how nocturia can be a surprising red flag for obstructive sleep apnea
• Distinguish between urinary problems that happen all day long versus nighttime-only frequency linked to sleep disorders
• Challenge the myth that cutting off fluids during the day is an effective fix
• Reassure you that a single nightly bathroom trip can be perfectly healthy

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

We’ve all been there—different bed, strange noises, mystery thermostat settings—and suddenly your “dream” vacation or business trip comes with a side of sleeplessness. But hotel sleep doesn’t have to be a gamble. In this episode, we will:

• Explore why the “first night effect” sabotages rest in unfamiliar places
• Share 10 science-backed strategies to optimize any hotel room for sleep
• Learn how to manage temperature, light, and noise—even when you can’t control the building
• Discover how bringing small comforts from home can calm an over-alert brain
• Review simple, evidence-based tricks to dodge jet lag and keep your circadian rhythm on track

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Headaches don’t punch the clock at bedtime — in fact, for many, night is when they strike hardest. In this episode, we’ll:

• Explore how disrupted sleep can trigger and intensify migraines, cluster headaches, hypnic headaches, and chronic daily headache
• Examine the role of sleep apnea in “morning headaches” and how CPAP therapy can make them disappear
• Review the latest research linking insomnia treatment to reduced headache burden — including new findings from a Seattle study on prazosin for posttraumatic headache in veterans
• Break down the brain mechanisms connecting sleep and pain, from hypothalamic circadian control to CGRP signaling
• Offer practical, research-backed strategies for patients and clinicians to address both sides of the equation

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!