That yawn could be telling you more about your health than you realize. Innovator Jeff Kahn believes lack of quality sleep may be the most underappreciated health concern in society, and his company is working to change that through sleep behavior modification.

He tells listeners

• Why sleep is the "biggest lever you have in your control,"
• How he ties sleep problems and effective sleep to relationships and solving some of the world's biggest challenges,
• What's the two-factor model of sleep and wake regulation, and
• How the Rise Science app for sleep works for technology-enabled sleep behavior.

Jeff Kahn is a cofounder and CEO of Rise Science, a company that harnesses technology for better sleep. He studied science, design, and engineering in graduate school and his own struggles with sleep brought him into the university's sleep department; that's where it all began. Since then, research has only increased on the side of the importance of sleep. He shares some of this research with listeners as well as better sleep tips and available resources for more information.

He explains how the two-factor model of sleep works in terms of our empathy, cognitive abilities, and other skills throughout our waking hours. These factors are known as "sleep debt," or how sleep deprived someone is, and circadian rhythm. The Rise Science app addresses both of these factors, measuring and suggesting modes of improvement.

He explains how and addresses other sleep issues such as the "sleep hangover," the role of napping, different sleep stages, chemicals released in sleep like adenosine and what it does, and whether it's possible to get too much sleep. Feeling sleepy yet? Well, for some tips about how to address your sleep needs, listen in.

Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C