In this episode of Orthodox Apostasy, host Andy Feltovich welcomes Dr. Muhammad Usama — dual-board-certified sleep and wake physician, educator, and thought leader at the intersection of clinical sleep medicine, health tech, and innovation.

They trace the evolution of sleep medicine from its infancy to the present, break down practical strategies for optimizing sleep, and explore the societal, economic, and safety consequences of chronic sleep deprivation. Dr. Usama shares red flags for when to seek medical help, debunks common myths, and discusses how to integrate wearables without becoming obsessed with the numbers.

What You’ll Learn:

• How Dr. Usama’s residency led him to sleep medicine — the epiphany that many cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological disorders had a common root cause — sleep!
• How the totality of sleep knowledge went from one book in 1939 — to 5,000+ new studies per year today
• The “three pillars” of sleep health — quantity, quality, and timing — and actionable steps to optimize each
• Red flags for when to seek medical guidance
• The pitfalls of DIY diagnosis and treatment — how melatonin can backfire and how OTC sleep aids could contribute to Alzheimer’s
• The price of poor sleep — $400 billion in annual economic losses!
• Public policy changes that work — later school start times and workplace flexibility
• Wearables as trend trackers — not diagnostic tools — and the law of unintended consequences: how obsessing over sleep data can cause… insomnia! (a specific form thereof called orthosomnia)
• Sleep as a skill — children as sleep geniuses — and how they morph into their sleep-dunce parents
• Sleep myths busted: why you can’t truly catch up on sleep over the weekend, and why “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is a fast track to — death
• Book and resource recommendations:
  • Why We Sleep — https://amzn.to/41ygmWq
  • Say Good Night to Insomnia — https://amzn.to/3HGmqFB
  • Sapiens — https://amzn.to/4lXavkI

Guest Links:

• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sleepwarriormd/
  — for regular insights, clinical perspectives, and sleep innovation updates
• Medium:https://medium.com/@Muhammad-Usama-MD-FACP
  — articles on sleep disorders, brain health, and digital healthcare innovation

If you’re a professional struggling with fatigue, burnout, or poor performance despite “doing all the right things,” this episode will give you the science, strategies, and mindset shifts to make sleep your most powerful performance enhancer.