In this special Editors Choice episode of the JCMS Podcast, Kirk is joined by Canada's leading sleep expert, Dr Charles Samuels.

Sleep. It is something we all do, and can’t live without.

"The main course in life's feast, and the most nourishing,” is how Shakespeare described it in MacBeth.

But how much sleep do you need to work? To live? To stay healthy? For our patients to heal properly? And what do we do when we’re not getting enough?

In this fascinating and wide ranging conversation, Kirk and Dr Samuels take on those questions, as well as some specifically dermatological ones like sleep and the treatment of eczema. And they dive into more day to day issues, like the devastating impact of screens and gaming on children's sleep, the impact of shift work on sleep and health, and how to beat jet lag.

Dr Charles Samuels is the medical director of The Centre for Sleep & Human Performance in Calgary, Alberta. He is a clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. And a past President of the Canadian Sleep Society.

Dr Samuels is also currently the lead investigator in a long-term research project exploring the impact of rotating shift work on the health and performance of police officers. And he is a co-investigator in a unique study exploring the relationship of sleep on recovery and performance in elite Canadian athletes.

For more on the work of the Canadian Dermatology Association, please visit our website at dermatology.ca

JCMS Author Interviews is produced by the CDA and David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions in Ottawa.

Our theme music was composed by Lee Rosevere.