Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…
Jeff welcomes back to the mini-podcast sleep medicine specialist and Chief Medical Officer of Optimism, Dominic Munafo, MD. The topic of sleep hygiene is so important, Jeff invited Dominic back to give us more tips for simple adjustments that can improve our ability to sleep and function during important moments.
Dominic tells us that morning light sets the body’s circadian rhythm, which can impact our ability to function during the day and sleep at night. But what if we’re working during the night and need to be alert on the drive home? In this case, there is a balance we can strike between proper light exposure and limiting light to improve our alertness and sleep health.
What are three ways Dominic suggest we can improve our sleep hygiene?
Suggestion 1 – Think about how light is impacting your body.
Suggestion 2 – Improve the amount of sleep – quality and quantity!
Suggestion 3 – Take a nap! Augmenting our sleep when we can is important to our long-term health.
Jeff and Dominic understand this is not easy! And yet it is so important.
“Sleep hygiene is one of my biggest struggles. On the other hand, I truly believe it is never too late to try to get better. I am taking Dominic’s knowledge to create my own plan to improve my sleep hygiene. More effective naps to recover post-call! Observing how light impacts my alertness.” – Jeff Smith
Most importantly, increase awareness of your sleeping habits and look for opportunities to improve your sleep hygiene!
Guest: Dominic Munafo, MD
If you’re not familiar with Dominic Munafo, he is board certified in Sleep Medicine and Internal Medicine. He has more than 25 years of experience diagnosing and treating patients with sleep-disordered breathing. Dr. Munafo received his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Baylor and then completed a Pulmonary/Critical Care fellowship at the University of California San Diego, and joined the institution’s faculty in 1993 as an Assistant Professor. In 1995, he entered private practice in San Diego and worked there until becoming Sleep Data’s Medical Director in 2000. Dr. Munafo thought that his medical training had exposed him to the extremes of sleep deprivation, but nothing could have prepared him for the sleep deprivation of being the father of three boys and a girl. He and his wife JoAnna love to swim, bike and run.