The Zoe MD podcast
Host: Dr. Michele Johnson
Guest: Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown
Episode Summary
Meet today's guest, Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown, Founder of Restful Sleep MD. Also an Associate Professor, Dr. Funke is currently serving as Associate Program Director for Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship and the Pediatric Site Director for Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
In this episode, Dr. Funke discusses the importance of sleep, sleep disorders, as well as practical tips that are highly beneficial to improve sleep. Her focus is on helping her patients breathe better and families sleep better.
Episode Timeline:
• [01:35] What made you interested in Sleep Medicine?
• [04:50] The importance of sleep
• [07:52] Common sleep disorders
• [11:35] What would you recommend to improve the sleep of shift workers?
• [16:06] Do you have any opinion regarding the use of melatonin?
• [17:18] How to contact Dr. Funke.
Notes
Right from medical school, Dr. Funke realized that getting enough sleep helped her function better. While practicing Pediatric Pulmonology, a lot of complaints revealed how poor sleep due to breathing issues affected daytime function. These experiences encouraged her to delve deeper into Sleep Medicine
Sleep is not just a cure for sleepiness. Sleep has a cleansing effect on the brain as it works through the Glymphatic system to remove protein build-up from the surface of the brain; some of these proteins have been associated with Alzheimer's disease. It also helps with metabolism, heart function, mood regulation, cognition, memory, and critical decision making.
"When children are not sleeping, the parents are not sleeping"
Common sleeping disorders in families include insomnia, poor sleep habits, Obstructive sleep apnea, Shift work sleep disorder, and Restless leg syndrome. Shift work sleep disorder is different from other sleep disorders because it occurs due to work schedule, and is associated with at least 3 months of daytime impairment that have no other medical explanation. It results in insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and generally reduced total sleep time.
How shift workers can optimize their sleep: Prioritize sleep by aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep, understanding that you may falter from time to time. Before a night shift, take a nap. At the beginning of the shift, expose yourself to bright light or you can have caffeine. Getting to the end of the shift, you would have to reduce exposure to bright lights; sunglasses are encouraged. When the shift is over, don't run errands, go straight home and sleep in a room with low lighting.
The use of melatonin is not discouraged, however, it should not be a replacement for good sleeping habits. It can be used in small doses at the end of the night shift before you sleep.
Listeners are encouraged to visit the Restful Sleep MD website and sign up for the newsletter to get tips for promoting healthy sleep habits.
Key Quotes:
"Sleep is a critical pillar of health"
"Sleep makes us happy, it makes us healthy and it makes us more successful"
"If you don't make sleep a priority, regardless of whether you have shift work or not, you're going to have trouble"
Connect:
Find | Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown
Website - www.restfulsleepmd.com
Instagram - @restfulsleepmd
LinkedIn - Dr Funke Brown
YouTube - Restful Sleep MD
