Dr. Upneet (Neety) Chawla, MD, is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. She serves as an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center with roles in both the Departments of Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. Her efforts are dedicated to merging the fields of sleep health with hospital medicine and extending this knowledge to the public. Dr. Chawla completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Ohio and her fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Rush University Medical Center. Beyond her clinical and academic roles, Dr. Chawla aims to simplify the complexities of sleep medicine for the general public. She is an avid advocate for the importance of sleep health, using her expertise to educate and connect with a broader audience. Through her presence on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok (@sleeping.beauty_MD), she provides valuable insights, tips, and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a sleep medicine expert. Dr. Chawla is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to sleep health information, advocating for its integration into comprehensive medical care and public health awareness.
BIO:
Dr. Upneet (Neety) Chawla, MD, is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. She serves as an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center with roles in both the Departments of Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. Her efforts are dedicated to merging the fields of sleep health with hospital medicine and extending this knowledge to the public. Dr. Chawla completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Ohio and her fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Rush University Medical Center.
Beyond her clinical and academic roles, Dr. Chawla aims to simplify the complexities of sleep medicine for the general public. She is an avid advocate for the importance of sleep health, using her expertise to educate and connect with a broader audience. Through her presence on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok (@sleeping.beauty_MD), she provides valuable insights, tips, and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a sleep medicine expert.
Dr. Chawla is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to sleep health information, advocating for its integration into comprehensive medical care and public health awareness.
SHOWNOTES:
😴 What is sleep apnea really and why it’s not just about weight or age?
😴 Snoring, waking up to use the restroom, daytime fatigue… Could these be overlooked warning signs?
😴 Home sleep test vs in lab study: Which one is right for you?
😴 Sleep apnea basics: What’s the difference between mild, moderate, and severe?
😴 CPAP therapy in 2025: Still bulky or now sleek and comfortable?
😴 Are there alternatives to CPAP: From oral appliances to positional devices
😴 Can you really see results within days of starting treatment?
😴 How behavioral sleep medicine can help you adjust to CPAP and break through resistance
😴 What is central sleep apnea and how does it differ from obstructive sleep apnea?
😴 Why you should keep your threshold low when deciding whether to see a sleep physician
😴 A surprising resource: How Project Sleep’s free hotline can guide you to the right help
😴 Dr. Chawla’s morning routine for better sleep: Walking, daylight, and the power of a 10,000 lux light
😴 Dr. Chawla’s biggest aha moment: How consistency in routines transformed her sleep
😴 And so much more!
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DISCLAIMER:
The information contained in this podcast, our website, newsletter, and the resources available for download are not intended to be medical or health advice and shall not be understood or construed as such. The information contained on these platforms is not a substitute for medical or health advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.
Welcome to the Sleep As a Skill podcast. My name is Mollie Eastman. I am the founder of Sleep as A Skill, a company that optimizes sleep through technology, accountability, and behavioral change. As an ex sleep sufferer turned sleep course creator, I am on a mission to transform the way the world. Thinks about sleep.
Each week I'll be interviewing world-class experts, ranging from researchers, doctors, innovators, and thought leaders to give actionable tips and strategies that you can implement to become a more skillful sleeper. Ultimately, I believe that living a circadian aligned lifestyle is going to be one of the biggest trends in wellness.
And I'm committed to keeping you up to date on all the things that you can do today to transform your circadian health and by extension, allowing you to sleep and live better than ever before.
Welcome back to The Sleep Is a Skill podcast. Today I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Up Nidi Chaa, a double board certified physician in internal medicine and sleep medicine and assistant professor at Rush University Medicals. Center. In this episode, we unpack the often overlooked world of respiratory sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
She explains why these conditions are so commonly missed and symptoms you should actually be watching. For Hint, it's not just snoring and how testing has evolved from daunting overnight labs days to simple at-home studies. We also explore today's treatment options from modern CPAP, mass to oral appliances, positional therapy, and behavioral tools, all designed to make better sleep, more accessible.
If you've been dealing with restless nights, frequent wake-ups or daytime fatigue, this conversation will give you a clear path forward. So let's jump into the podcast, but first a few words from our sponsors. Do check them out. We only partner with companies that we truly believe in, so they really do keep this podcast alive.
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Welcome to the Sleep is a Skill Podcast. This has been an episode a long time in the making. Really excited for our guest. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here. Thank you for having me. I've been waiting for so long. Yay. The day is here. Fantastic. Yes. So maybe just start by sharing a little bit about yourself and how you became an expert in this area of sleep.
Yeah, sure.
So I did my internal medicine residency in Ohio and I, you know, during that time we're doing rotations with different, in different fields, really trying to figure out if you wanna specialize in anything, like go beyond internal medicine. I didn't even fully realized that sleep medicine had become its own field because.
It had been kind of joined with pulmonary critical care in the past. Um, so once I did my rotation in sleep medicine, it just kind of clicked for me. Um, I just saw that it's, number one, it's a great lifestyle. Um, you know, you're not working in super high stress environments, but on top of that, and more importantly, you really see the difference.
In patients, um, people were coming in saying that they felt like they had kind of like a personality transplant, and there's not. So many fields, you know, in medicine where you can make kind of that quick of a, you know, turnaround. And so it was just really, really gratifying. And that kind of, that kind of did it for me.
And I also started kind of taking those tips and I can say that I've really improved my, um, sleep hygiene, which has helped my life a lot too.
Oh, that's amazing. A win-win. Yeah. For everyone. Okay, great. Well, yeah, maybe we can jump into sort of the ABCs of that before we hit record. We're speaking about the fact that there's a ton of sleep wake disorders, but especially for you really targeting in on sort of those respiratory based sleep disorders.
So maybe we can help demystify that for us a bit.
Totally. I think the most common, um, actually probably commonly undiagnosed, um. Respiratory sleep disorder is sleep apnea. And I feel like when people think of sleep apnea, they think, okay, it can't be me because I'm, you know, not super overweight. Or also it's, you know, more commonly in like older males.
So kind of like the younger females are thinking, nah, that can't be me. Yes. But the fact of the matter is though it is higher risk in those individuals, it's probably because. The studies have been, you know, more based on that population. But if you are having any kind of sleep issues, I would highly recommend being tested for sleep apnea.
'cause we're finding out more and more. It really can happen in anyone.
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So, and how does this look? So people come in and they're suspecting that something might be going on with their sleep. Like walk us through kind of a day in the life for you and how you're guiding people on this.
Yeah, honestly, anything. Um, a lot of times we get people who are snoring. Oftentimes it's not even the patient, it's the bed partner of the patient. Um, that's one that's wanting them to come in, which is equally as important, you know, because when you're sleeping, you don't really realize what's going on in your sleep.
Yeah. Um, so if you're waking up at night, if you're snoring, if you're feeling. Really tired throughout the day. Another one I feel like people should pay attention to is waking up to use the restroom. Um, that could be because of sleep apnea. Yeah. So any, any kind of disturbance really in your sleep could bring you into the sleep office.
And we do, we as the, um, physicians do a full kind of sleep history. I'll be asking kinda. When you go to sleep, when you wake up, like totally everything about your sleep hygiene, right? Um, and then figuring out if that warrants a sleep test. Um, a sleep study. And more often than not, it does because it doesn't.
Often have to be these like very severe symptoms. So then I go ahead and I order a sleep study. Another important thing to note is that there's two different kinds of sleep studies, uh, these days. So I know that people get a little bit, you know, iffy about staying in the lab, which. Yes, I totally agree.
Yes. Um, the in lab sleep study is kind of, you know, daunting because it's one night that you're sleeping, you know, in kind of a foreign environment. Yes. It's at the hospital. Um, you have lots of like wires and things kind of all over you, so it's a little difficult to sleep, you know, normally. Yes. Um. But these days we also have a home sleep test.
And a lot of, um, institutions, offices are using this. And oftentimes it's just like a little watch that you wear and you can wear it at home in the comfort of your own bed. And most of these things are just like a one night. Uh, one night study and then, um, I know the kinds that, uh, we use, uh, where I work, uh, you don't even have to kind of come back in and drop off the equipment.
Um, you just wear it one night and the data gets transferred to us and then we are able to read the study and then come up with a diagnosis, and then we would have you back into our clinic to go over the results and kind of figure out. What we wanna do treatment wise.
Okay. And so most people, is there a path that you see most commonly?
Is it nowadays the at home studies or just obviously case by case? What do you see most often? I
think, yeah, for a lot of people it is now more so the home sleep test. There are certain cases where if somebody has, you know, a certain, uh, other kind of maybe lung disorder, heart disorder, um. A central nervous system such as seizures, it probably is better to get it done in the lab, but other than that, it's more often the home sleep test.
Okay. Got it. Yeah, so they're doing this home sleep test, and then if people are thinking like, maybe this is like an expensive undertaking, you know, it's gonna take a long time, why bother? You know, some of these things when people are tired and just kind of the motivation is missing, maybe you can help walk us through the hopefully more effortless steps that this can take.
Yeah. Usually now I can't speak for all insurances, but so long as you have. Some sort of symptom and disrupted sleep is enough, then um, insurances are more likely to cover it and they're more likely to cover now that we have the home sleep study, which, you know, is less expensive than the in-lab sleep study.
Yeah. Um, and treatment really depends on kind of what we see. Um. As a result, because there's different levels of sleep apnea. Yeah. So let's kind of take it back to the basics, like what is sleep apnea? Right? So sleep apnea is a problem of your upper airway where when you're sleeping at night, your airway just kind of closes.
As you sleep, just like you know, the rest of your body is relaxing, your airway relaxes too, so much that it can just close sometimes when you're sleeping. Um, now the way that we figure out, you know, are you having really mild sleep apnea? Moderate sleep apnea or severe is dependent on how many times your airway is closing per hour of sleep.
Mm.
So when it comes to severe sleep apnea, so that's now 30 times and above per hour, so that's every other minute. So that's, you know, we gotta do something to treat that. Yeah. Um, most often it's CPAP, which I feel like I also feel like it's kind of a bad rep.
Yeah,
because it did start off, you know, as this big thing on your face, but these days there's a lot more, um, comfortable masks that are like just around your nose or, um, maybe just like under your nose or that insert into your nose.
Um, but when it comes to, um, mild and moderate, there are other options such as like a mouth guard. Some people might even only have sleep apnea when they're on their. Back, uh, versus on their side. So we can also offer some positional training devices. So I think kind of depending on which route you go down, it can kind of change the timeline of getting treatment.
But I will say, you know. At the most. If it takes, I don't know, a few weeks max, like a month, I still think it's worth, you know, doing that because then it's a lifetime of better sleep. Exactly.
Totally. I'm glad that you pointed out all of those different options that are available nowadays too. And then what about for the people too that maybe are in the mild, moderate category?
Do they have some other options for them beyond just the CPAP in case they're like really averse to it? Yes, totally.
Um, there is this thing called an oral appliance, which a lot of sleep certified dentists can make. Um, it's different from just a mouse. Guard that you can get from a dentist, because this one is really focused on kind of manipulating your airway a little bit.
Yeah, so what it does is, you know, you go and they kind of do a whole scan and figure out your airway and all your mouse mandibular jaw positioning, and once they fit you for it. They can actually adjust it. So it kind of pulls the jaw a little bit forward and then it like makes more room in your airway.
So it's like less likely for you to have those obstructions at night. And a lot of people find that a little bit more comfortable 'cause it instead of like on top of your face, it's kind just something you can like insert into your mouth and go to sleep like that.
Sure. Oh, that's great. Are your daily rituals supporting your sleep or sabotaging it?
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Now you can just head on over to www.mudwaterspelledwt.com/sleep is a skill to grab your starter kit and start supporting your energy and your sleep. You can also check out in the show notes for that same link as well. And so then the experience of all of this, do you see people like right away having positive improvements?
Is it a long-term thing or do they expect to kind of struggle for a little while with the mask and adjustment phase? What can people expect? Yeah, so it really
varies. Um, for some people it, they get used to the mask very quickly, and once you're. Used to the mask, then your sleep improves so much. And I've seen people within two, three days say that they, you know, feel a a huge difference.
For example, I had a patient tell me that he felt like he had a personality transplant because naturally you're just so groggy and can't focus when you're not getting that good deep sleep. So I think it really depends on just getting used to the treatment and it is. It is something to get used to. I know for me it would be tough to get, you know, used to a mask, but there are kind of, you know, ways around it.
You can kind of like, uh, practice wearing it in the daytime. Um, and there's other, there's also a, another kind of field of sleep medicine called behavioral sleep medicine. And a lot of times those clinics can also help, um, desensitize patients to masks.
I wonder if you can share just a little bit more about, is that something where maybe they'd be kind of working with that, the mask by day, or how does that often go?
Do we know?
Yeah. Yeah. So it is kind of just learning how to wear it kind of during the daytime and just getting used to. Having it on, you know, so that at night you're not just like taking it off. There are few instances sometimes, um, where we could work with the behavioral department and even start sometimes, uh, a sleeping pill, uh, like a sedative pill for a very short amount of time, uh, just to kind of get you to be able to fall asleep with it on until it becomes comfortable for you.
And then we would end up, you know, taking you off of the sleeping pill.
Oh, okay. And things like
that.
Is that a common approach or just more when people are really struggling? Yeah, it's not as common. Hmm. It's more like last case scenario. Last case. Okay. Got it. Amazing. Okay. And how about other respiratory based sleep disorder?
So like upper area resistance syndrome, are you seeing as much of that?
Not as much of that, but yeah, that happens too. There's also things like, um, obesity, hypoventilation syndrome. Um, there's central sleep apnea too, which, um, is a little bit different because it's not like an obstruction in your airway.
It's kind of like this signal in your brain that's telling your body to stop breathing even though there's no obstruction. And that's the difference between central, um, and obstructive sleep apnea.
Got it. Got it. Okay. Amazing. Any other major call outs for you? For people that might be listening and suspecting, ugh, maybe I've got a sleep disorder, maybe I need to check this out.
Like are there certain things that you would want them to kind of have in mind or maybe best practices of how to even get to someone like you since So commonly it seems as if it can be a challenge to find someone that can speak this language.
Yeah. Uh, honestly, I would say if you are having. Any sort of sleep disturbance and you feel like you've kind of, you know, already tried to kind of adjust your sleep habits, I would say keep that threshold low.
Yes. So try to find any sleep physician in your area. I will, um, mention there's one, um, organization called Project Sleep. I don't know if you've heard of them. Yes. Come.
Yeah. And now Emma's over there too, from sleep apnea stories. Yeah, they're so great. They offer a
hotline. Mm-hmm. So if you're ever, that it's free, anyone can call, you can ask whatever questions you want, and they, they will guide you, you know, to the, to the right place.
But I would say, you know, more often than not, go for the sleep physician. I mean, worse comes to worse. You get a study done and there's. Nothing there, but at least they can guide you to where you need
to go. Oh, totally. It's such a good point. It's such a great resource. We'll make sure to have that in the show notes.
Awesome. Okay. Well, before we get to asking questions around how you're managing your own sleep, any kind of other callouts in this big topic of sleep and sleep disorders and beyond? No,
I think my major point would just be if you're feeling like something's up. Something really might be up. So leave that threshold really low, go get it checked out.
Um, one final thing I um, I will say is that I do work for, um, rush University. Everything that I have stated is it's my own views. It does not represent, uh, views or opinions of Rush University. Very responsible.
I
appreciate that.
Totally. Yes. And you know, I think maybe this was before we hit record, but you had called out that if someone's listening, and like you said, maybe they think something might be up, but they might think, I don't look like the person that you might imagine that would have sleep apnea or barrier resistant syndrome.
Can you just underscore that You've seen many walks of life, like unexpected
individuals, right? Yeah. Yes, weight, age, height. I know that there are, there is that certain high risk population, but I have seen many that are not in that high risk population who also have sleep apnea. So you don't have to fall into that category to be affected by it.
Totally. Ugh. So good. Well, I'm excited to hear how you're managing your own sleep. So we have one that comes on for questions, and the first one is, what does your nightly sleep routine look like right now? So, my nightly
routine after dinner, I always dim the lights. That's my kind of big thing that gets me kind of, you know, gets my melatonin secreted, so gets me a little sleepy and ready for bed.
I take a shower before bedtime, so I'm a nighttime shower. Um, and then I never get into my bed until I'm actually sleepy. So I will, with whatev, with dim light, I'll either, you know, watch a little tv, do a little reading. I only get into my bed after, like once I'm actually feeling sleepy.
Mm. Very wise. Yeah.
We see that a lot for people. Then the struggle begins in the, in the bed and so really smart. Totally. Okay. And what would your morning sleep routine, as we refer to it, with the idea that how you start your day could impact your sleep, what might your morning routine look like?
So I like to do a walk every single morning.
I think the getting sunlight, uh, is, it's usually an outdoor walk. I will say, you know, I'm in Chicago, so right now the, you know, the weather's a little yes. But when I can, when the weather is nice, I like to do a outdoor, um, walk. And then I think that. Helps my sleep at night. Mm-hmm. If I can't go outdoors, I'll still do a walk on the treadmill, but I will use bright light in the morning.
I'll get, you know, I have one of those, um, what they call happy lights, which is like 10,000 lux. Yes. While I'm brushing my teeth, doing my makeup, so bright light in the morning is a must, and then getting that 10,000 steps in helps me.
Beautiful. Love that. Okay. And then what might we see on your nightstand or in your environment?
So on my nightstand, I always, always keep a, A mask, A asleep mask and earplugs. Yeah. So living in the city, it can get sometimes when you're trying to sleep in on the weekends? Yes. Um, sometimes, you know, you hear ambulances or.
Yeah,
whatever, police cars. So sometimes I'll wake up in the morning and I'll just stick in my earplugs.
Um, also blocking that light, you know, depending on what season it is. Um, getting that, getting light into your eyes helps you wake up, but doesn't help you sleep in. So I always have those two things, even when I travel.
Amazing. Love that. Okay. And then the last question would be, so far to date, what would you say has made the biggest change to your sleep game?
Or put another way, maybe biggest aha moment in managing your own sleep. Yeah, I think that,
um, just establishing these things like the nighttime, just having a nighttime and a morning routine, um, has. Made a world of a difference. So it doesn't have to be exact, you know exactly what I'm doing or what you're doing, but if someone can kind of fine tune their routines and kind of keep it close to consistent, I think that would help.
Yeah. Oh yeah, we see that all the time too. The magic and consistency for sleep is really profound. So good. And then for people listening that are saying, okay, well I wanna, you know, kind of follow you, learn more from you, what are the best ways to do that? Yeah, I have a
Instagram and I have a TikTok and it's sleeping.beauty md.
Love that. Okay, fantastic. Well, we'll make sure to have that in the show notes. I just so appreciate you taking the time. I know it's been a long time coming. We had different scheduling. We're this, we're that. We've made it happen, so this is fantastic. Yes. Thank you again so much for having me. Thank you.
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