Drowsy driving is deadlier than drunk driving. In this episode, Dr. Leah Kaylor explains why your sleep is a safety issue, not just a lifestyle choice. She is a licensed clinical and prescribing psychologist, the FBI’s in-house sleep expert with a specialty in sleep and trauma, and a relentless educator on evidence-based fixes.
1. Reset your clock: keep a consistent wake time and get outside within an hour of waking. Morning light signals the suprachiasmatic nucleus, shuts off lingering melatonin, and jump-starts alertness.
2. Master evenings: dim overheads, use lamps or warm smart bulbs, and let your space darken with sunset. Keep bedrooms cool in the low 60s.
3. If you work nights: use a sunrise alarm and timed bright-light therapy to shift rhythm; front-load a healthy meal; sip caffeine little and often with a hard cutoff 6–8 hours before bed; no sunglasses while commuting home if you are driving; sleep in a dark, quiet, truly blackout room.
4. Safety first: learn the “nappuccino” (espresso, then a 20-minute nap). It outperforms either alone when fatigue hits mid-commute. Microsleeps make you stop steering and braking entirely. Pull over.
5. Insomnia or apnea: insomnia shows up as trouble falling, staying asleep, or waking unrefreshed; obstructive sleep apnea often hides behind loud snoring, morning headaches, and crushing daytime fatigue. Get a sleep study.
6. Habits that help: avoid long or late naps; reserve the bed for the three S’s only—sleep, sex, sickness; set boundaries with screens and games; watch caffeine’s 4–6 hour half-life; skip alcohol as a “sleep aid” since it fragments sleep and suppresses REM.
Thank you for listening.
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OUTLINE:
00:00 What a Sleep Psychologist Does
01:53 Why the FBI Needs Sleep Science
04:51 Three High-Impact Sleep Habits
10:18 Consistent Schedule, Sunrise Alarms, and Light
15:40 What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
17:18 Shift-Work Survival: Strategies and Support
23:10 Drowsy Driving and the Nappuccino
30:41 Night Shifts and Cancer Risk
39:33 Are You Actually Sleep Deprived
44:32 Wired but Tired; Does Creatine Help
48:35 Screens, Gaming, and Bedtime Procrastination
57:05 Train Your Brain: The Three S’s
1:06:26 Insomnia vs Sleep Apnea
1:21:26 Naps, Sleep Inertia, and Timing
1:28:25 The Effect of Alcohol on Sleep
1:30:26 The Myth of 4-Hour Sleep
1:38:54 Final Thoughts & Outro
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