W. Chris Winter's Blog: The Sleep Solution

Forgive me Goodreads...I've been gone for a while. I'm back.

What have I been doing? Seeing patients, raising some kids, wearing masks...probably similar things that you've been doing.

The seeing patients thing has changed in this new pandemic (hopefully post-pandemic world). Instead of seeing patients in person, our clinic is now 100% virtual. That's not the only change we've seen in the clinic. One big change has been the rise in young people that we now see.

Kids are struggling in so many ways, and sleep is one of them. I have recently completed my second book, The Rested Child: Why Your Tired, Wired, or Irritable Child May Have a Sleep Disorder--And How to Help, which launches August 17th. As excited as I am about the book, the bigger story at hand is the looming crisis of dysfunctional sleep among kids of all ages. This was a problem before the pandemic with many clinicians ignoring or missing childhood sleep disorders. Now with the pandemic, and the return to in-person classes, we believe this issue is at its breaking point.

Sadly, parents are simply not equipped to recognize and deal with these disorders, nor are their kids' doctors. A study of 152 pediatric residency programs around the world revealed that the average pediatrician only receives about four hours of training on sleep disorders (23% receive no training at all). This would not be such an emergency were it not for the fact that sleep disorders in children and teens are among the most common disorders they are faced with treating. It is estimated that two out of three kids will have a sleep disorder (66%). Contrast that with "common" pediatric conditions: diabetes (0.25%), depression (5%), ADHD (9%), and obesity (19%). The numbers are staggering and the misdiagnoses and missed diagnoses are unfathomable.

Unfortunately, when it comes to "children's sleep books," the only options available are books on how to get your baby to sleep through the night and nap well. While these are important, they are useless in terms of addressing these larger sleep issues.

As a double board-certified sleep doctor who has clinically treated sleep disorders in children since 2004 (and been in the field of sleep science since 1992), the time felt right to reach out to parents, educators, clinicians, and anyone else who is currently child or teen-adjacent.

I sincerely thank you all for your support on this platform. I feel like my writing career was launched on Goodreads and the positive word of mouth my first book The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It garnered. Hopefully this community can spread the word about this massive problem as kids all over the country begin to return to a sleep situation (school) that is far from optimal...a whole other dimension to the story.

It's good to be back. I deeply appreciate everyone's support!

W. Chris Winter

When I wrote The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It, I had no idea what to expect. I thought a site like Goodreads might contain 20 readers who would take the time to give me some feedback on my book. I anticipated some "haters" and maybe a few people who criticized aspects of my book that were not true or even not present. I anticipate the less than doctorly tone to rub some people the wrong way. In short: I was prepared.

I was not prepared for Kenn. Kenn read my book and gave it three stars. He was generally positive and his critiques were valid. He didn't care for my humor. I get that; Jay Leno was the host of Late Night for 17 years and I never really found him funny. When it comes to the funnies, people like different things. Kenn also didn't feel like I provided enough "actions" to take to actually fix one's sleep.

This is an interesting criticism. My book was written, in part, as a response to the, "here are the seven new, surprising, weird tricks, shocking tricks you can use tonight to make your sleep amazing" culture we have created. When readers do not see a new headphone, bed sheet, or wrist-worn device, they feel let down. "Move along...there is nothing new here." Kenn charitably gave me three stars and moved on with his life.

Two months later, Kenn started sleeping better. Who knows what the cause was (as a man of science, I'm totally going with my book), but for whatever reason, Kenn started sleeping better. While that is cool in and of itself, what I was blown away by was the fact that Kenn came back to his review, reconsidered it, and despite my corny jokes, changed his rating and added to his review.

Thanks for not only reading my book but considering it deeply, even after you finished it and put in on that shelf where only your favorite books go. It takes a lot of work for Sleepyheads out there to find their best sleep. I am so glad you are finding yours.

Here's to you, Kenn!

Chris

My first book, The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It came out on April 4. Prior to that time there were many things PenguinRandomHouse and my agent thought I should do. "Join Goodreads" was on that list.

I did join Goodreads. Looking back, it was a box to check. Having been a part of the community since that time, I'm very happy to say it's more than just a punch list item to me now.

To start, I can't believe how many of you people actually took the time to read my book. I was pretty sure that when the book arrived, I'd sell about 20...10 to first degree relatives.

The feedback, both positive and negative has been really instructive to me. Having read this book over and over during the writing and editing process, it's now impossible for me to see it with "new" eyes. This community has really helped with that. If I ever get around to writing another book, there is much from Goodreads that I will carry over into the next project.

Finally, you guys read some good stuff. My list of things to read has grown considerably. I've done a fair amount of looking up books I love to see what you all think about it (my tastes in things can be a bit strange...I liked David Lynch's Dune movie adaptation!) Your reviews are really helpful.

So from the bottom of my heart, thanks to everyone for being a part of this new author journey.

Chris

My father-in-law Ray has taught me many things over the years, but watching the way he handles tipping at a restaurant might just be the most profound.

After a night at a restaurant where the service was exceptionally poor and bordering on rude, it was time to pay the bill. "Stiff him," was the chant arising from the table. Ray ignored us. He's good at that. Instead he quietly got up from the table and sought out our server and had a long conversation with him. When he was done, he returned to the table and proceeded to add no tip to the bill.

"What did you say?" we all asked as we left the establishment.

"I simply let him know that his service was well below the standard anyone would expect and described for him the things I felt were lacking from his service. Nobody learns from a "0" on the tip line. We learn from constructive criticism."

I have thick skin. When I wrote my book I had no expectation that it would solve everyone's issues and be universally praised. I told a colleague that I expected it to be disliked by as many people who liked it (insomnia patients are a tough crowd). What I did not expect was the lack of feedback on a site like this. To date, all of my one star reviews have no comments at all attached. In fact, for some, my book is the only book they have reviewed on Goodreads. Dear God, did they sign up, create a password, verify that password, and log in for the first time to simply slam my book? Kind reader, if that is so I really apologize. Read The Circle by Dave Eggers. His book is really good!

Criticism is a good thing. It makes us better. I am so appreciative of the readers who took the time to tell me what they liked about this book I have poured my soul into. If there is a reader who did not find it so useful, I'd love to know why. Don't stiff me and walk away; I promise, I can take it.

"You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette." This commonly used expression is thought to have originated in the mid 1790s and probably refers to individuals who died during the French Revolution. In other words, the eggs in the saying represent those who lost their lives for the cause.

Treating individuals with sleep problems, while not as difficult as crossing the Alps, does pose many challenges. Individuals who have difficulties sleeping can be understandably very frustrated and weary of books, beds, pillows, and pills that promise salvation but rarely deliver. They have tried them all; none work.

I had many thoughts going into writing this book. Does the world need another sleep book? Am I the best person to write it? My mother was a 7th grade English teacher...we all remember our 7th grade English teacher...that's when English suddenly got really hard in school. Will my approach to my patients translate well into a book?

I have no idea about the answer to these questions. Time will tell. I did come to the conclusion that if my book did not challenge and maybe even upset a few readers, it may not have been successful in its quest to help people sleep better.

There is a population of sleep patients out there who are desperate for sleep help but strangely do not really want it. In my dealings with elite athletes, I encounter many nutritionists who describe similar experiences; a client who desperate wants to lose weight or "get ripped" but really does not want to hear exactly what that entails. In many ways, it's a lot easier to say, "I've tried those things, but they don't work for me. Are you going to finish those fries?"

I hope this book is challenging. While I'm not interested in upsetting people, I expect it might. I'm bracing for the, "I've read this book cover to cover and I still can't sleep. Don't waste your money...nothing helpful here. Wow this guy is irritating" review. My hope is that like many of my patients, that initial negative response is just the sound of the eggshell being cracked with a beautiful mushroom and spinach egg white omelette to come.

I love taking care of sleep patients. If push came to shove, I'd probably do it for free (and with the ever declining reimbursements physicians get for their services, I might get to prove it in the near future). Every patient is a new experience and for as much as I help them, they always seem to teach me something as well.

Every new patient I see is typically greeted with my standard opening question, "Hello, I'm Chris. How can I help you?" I like this simple question. I stole it from one of my neurology professors during residency. The open nature of the question sets a nice tone of me being ready to serve my patient.

Recently I had a nice young patient answer my question in a shocking way. "You can help me with my sleep...it is hellish." There was absolutely no hint of sarcasm or hyperbole in his tone.

When I think of something as being hellish, I don't know why, but my mind always goes to the same situation: I have been abducted and I'm being kept against my will in the basement of some creepy individual's house. I'm sure everyone has their own definition of a hellish scenario. I was anxious to hear my patient's story. Here's how it went.

"Sometimes I wake up and it takes me an hour or two to go back to sleep."

That's it. I kept waiting for him to add the fact that it took him an hour or two to fall back to sleep while locked in a basement, but that was not a part of his story.

I'm not here to pass judgement. Patients occasionally tell me that the experience during their sleep study was "the worst night of their life." I do think that when it comes to our sleep, and our feelings about it, we need to dig deeper and ask why is not sleeping for an hour or two such an awful experience for some. I've been up today eight hours so far as I write this blog...feels okay to me. Is it a feeling of failure? Is it a dread of what will happen tomorrow (which is usually much less of a problem than expected)?

The last time I was at Universal Studios Park in Florida, I went with my family to see the new Harry Potter theme park. We went during a time of what was promised to be enormous crowds and endless wait times, so going in, I was braced for the worst. When the first ride only took an hour to get through, I was thrilled. Expectations in action!

Tonight, when you go to bed, if it takes you a while to go to sleep, you can consider going to bed a little later, or you can just prepare for your two hours. Use the time to plan a fun event for your partner or a friend. Think about a celebrity crush (I think about eating my way across Italy with Giada). Think of all of the things in your life you are thankful for (strangely, again for me it's Giada). Maybe something as simple as planning for a difficult night can move that needle from hellish to just slightly terrible. It's a start!

Hello Goodreads community. I'm not sure what a real author blogs about on here. Forgive me if I miss the mark...here goes.

I got a call from an earnest magazine writer some time ago seeking help for an article she was writing. The topic was bran, and how new research showing a diet rich in bran could help people with sleep problems.

So here we are; an educated reporter asking me about how people struggling with sleep around the world can harness the power of insoluble fiber to sleep better. What am I supposed to say here? "Yes it's true. To the millions of insomnia sufferers, you have now been liberated from the prison that is sleepless nights. Choke down that Metamucil and meet us all in the streets where we will be dancing, our celebration interrupted only by occasional restroom breaks." I told her that the use of the fiber seemed to help improve some aspects of sleep. She wrote it down. We moved on with our lives.

I appreciate the reviews I get on here. I truly believe they help me become a better author and physician. I am particularly appreciative of a reader named Madonna who gave my book 3 stars ("Like it"), said she found it interesting (thank you Madonna!), and that it was silly at times (agreed). She then made the comment that it "really didn't tell me much about how to get better sleep".

For many people, they want the bran. They want the item/food/device/pill that they can pick up in the store today and be sleeping the sleep of angels tonight. That "thing that makes you sleep better" rarely exists. Sleep is so much more complicated than that. This book is written for the person who has tried the muffin, tried the pill, tried the hypnosis, tried the acupuncture, tried the "one weird trick" and has failed miserably. The text is meant to serve as a reboot of the way you think about and approach sleep. It's not meant to diminish the tips that we see every day. Rather it is meant to say to the reader, sometimes a tip is not enough; you must start again and fundamentally rebuild the way you think about sleep. You might even need to address a problem that can't be fixed with an article or a book. The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It is hopefully a fun (okay silly) first step in that process.

I dedicate this post to Madonna and sincerely hope that an extra bran muffin or two helps you sleep well tonight.

Sleep well Goodreads community!

Chris