This week marks the 12th month we have put out the Top 10 Sleep Threats Power Rankings, and this week, we have a special guest assessor, Upneet Chawla, MD (@sleeping.beauty_md). Upneet is an internist and board-certified sleep specialist. In this episode, she has graciously provided us her list. In this episode we will:

• Find out what Dr. Chawla thinks are the top threats to your sleep
• Incorporate abstracts from the 2026 Sleep meeting to illustrate her points

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Sleep duration has always been the headline number in sleep science, but mounting research is pushing the conversation toward something less obvious: how consistent your timing is from night to night. In this episode we dig into a debate that's far from settled, and into a statistical trap that may be quietly distorting it. WIn this episode we will:

• Break down the four separable pillars of sleep health: duration, consistency, continuity, and circadian alignment
• Walk through the landmark UK Biobank study showing sleep regularity outpredicting duration for all-cause mortality
• Bring in brand-new data from SLEEP 2026 in Baltimore linking sleep consistency to long-term cardiovascular trajectories
• Expose the "range restriction trap," why duration looks less important in these studies largely because almost nobody in them was severely sleep-deprived for years on end
• Stress-test the theory with five hypothetical sleepers, each excelling at one dimension and failing at another, to figure out which variable really wins when you push it to the extreme

To find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Welltory, please use the following link: https://welltory.com/

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

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

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!

Menopause has always been linked to sleep disruption, but the story has changed dramatically since we last covered it in episode 3. Hot flashes and night sweats still matter, but newer research is pushing us to think more broadly about brain temperature regulation, insomnia, mood, sleep apnea, cardiometabolic risk, and a new generation of nonhormonal medications that directly target vasomotor biology. In this episode we will:

• Revisit why menopause so often produces sleep-maintenance insomnia
• Explore the KNDy neuron/neurokinin pathway and why drugs like fezolinetant and elinzanetant matter
• Separate hot-flash awakenings from true insomnia disorder
• Discuss CBT-I, hormone therapy, and nonhormonal treatment options
• Explain why sleep apnea and cardiometabolic risk should not be overlooked in midlife women

To find out more about this week's podcast sponsor Moonbird, please use the following link: https://www.moonbird.life

Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)

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

Produced by: Maeve Winter

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

More

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

Thanks for listening and sleep well!