Interview with Dr. Yatin J Patel the World’s Best Sleep Speaker and Physician

Dr. Yatin J Patel is recognized as one of the leading sleep physicians in the world today. He is popular sleep speaker and author of three books, including famous book CPAP is Sexy.

When did you start to become a passionate advocate for overall health?

In 2006. When I joined the Executive MBA program at Notre Dame University, I noticed that my fellow students were the best in their respective fields, but were often the worst when it came to caring for their sleep, and their overall health. If you burn a candle at both ends, it will die away in half the time. To achieve sustainable excellence, you have to take care of your health. Protecting your mind and body begins with sound sleep.

Why did you choose to specialize in care for people with sleep disorders?

Sleep has always fascinated me. During my fellowship training in Pulmonary Medicine at Marshall University, I would find myself, after a long day of work in the Intensive Care Unit, sprinting to the sleep center to talk to the sleep technicians about the patients they were studying that night. Looking at the brain waves of those patients mesmerized me. I was also fortunate to find a mentor, Dr. William R. Beam, who nurtured my growing interest by teaching me all he knew about this fascinating phase of our daily lives.

How important do you think is sleep?

Without sleep, there is no life. Without sleep, there is no success. It holds the key to every door. It has the solution to every problem. We wake up in the morning and run around all day looking for happiness, but we forget to look within. We have no clue that what we are seeking is in our sleep. Sleep is the only time, we use all of our brain, and paradoxically it is the only time, we rest all of our brain; the former gives us success, the later health.

Which is one of the most difficult to treat sleep disorders you have ever encountered?

Chronic insomnia is frustrating to treat especially when associated with depression. Most patients do not want to pursue Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia. Their depression treatment might be only partially effective. The sedating medications may not work well for these patients. These patients, unfortunately, are trapped in a vicious cycle - poor sleep makes depression worse, and depression makes their sleep worse.

How do you share your message of good health globally?

I love using social media to spread the message. It is the most cost-effective intervention that can rapidly improve people's health around the world. A healthy lifestyle can enrich a person's life while reducing the healthcare cost. I travel around the world frequently and spread the message by also talking to small and large groups alike.

What else do you do as a humanitarian and philanthropist?

My wife and I believe in empowerment through early education. Hence we run several initiatives both in the USA and across the ocean, in rural India.

At Bethany Christian School in Goshen, Indiana, we support their speech and debate program annually.

In India, under AASH (Adopt A School Here), we have adopted five schools in the towns we both grew up in. We provide uniforms, school bags, shoes, sports equipment, and most importantly guidance to the stud
ents every year. With the help of Non-Resident Indian community, we intend to adopt more and more schools over next several years.

We also encourage excellence in education by awarding 1 lac rupees to the top three students of the D. Z. Patel Higher Secondary School in Anand, India. We have done that for over a decade now.

More info:

Website: https://www.yatinjpatel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YatinJPatel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yatinjpatel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yatinjpatel