In this vital episode of Real Medicine Real Lives, host Dr. Yassir Sonbol connects medical expertise to everyday life through one of the most overlooked health essentials: sleep. Joined by Cristy Plain, Executive Vice President of Sleep Services at Dedicated Sleep and a seasoned leader with over two decades in sleep medicine, the conversation reveals why sleep disorders especially sleep apnea remain widely underdiagnosed and dangerously underestimated.

Cristy breaks down what happens inside the body when breathing is disrupted at night, explaining how untreated sleep apnea forces the heart to work harder, increases cardiovascular strain, and contributes to serious outcomes such as hypertension, arrhythmias, stroke risk, and cognitive decline.

• (00:00:01) - Real Medicine, Real Lives: Sleep
• (00:01:55) - Sleep Tech CCSH and RPSGT credentials
• (00:06:10) - Do You Need a Sleep Study?
• (00:07:54) - Sleep studies for heart disease
• (00:11:56) - Real Medicine, Real Lives
• (00:12:23) - Sleep Apnea Diagnosis, Home Study
• (00:17:54) - What are the myths about CPAP
• (00:19:59) - Why operational precision matters in sleep medicine enrollment
• (00:21:36) - First-line treatment for sleep apnea on the truck
• (00:26:03) - Sleep Apnea Surgery
• (00:29:43) - How to manage sleep apnea with virtual care
• (00:33:42) - When Patients Finally Feel Restful
• (00:35:19) - Sleep Medicine: The Future of Sleep
• (00:35:52) - Sleep Medicine: Future of the Treatment
• (00:37:10) - How AI is Affecting Sleep Apnea Studies
• (00:44:02) - The Secret to Getting More Sleep
• (00:44:53) - How TV and other electronics affect your sleep
• (00:48:07) - Real Medicine in Real Lives