SLEEP, The Billion Dollar Business | The Gaslit Truth Podcast with Dr Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz

The Billion-Dollar Sleep Industry: What Really Works

The Gaslit Truth Podcast, hosted by Dr. Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz, explores mental health, psychiatric medication withdrawal, therapy culture, and informed consent. In their live 100th episode, they take on the billion-dollar sleep industry—including melatonin, sleep aids, and prescription sleep drugs.

These Whistle-Blowing shrinks break down why many popular sleep solutions focus on symptom management instead of addressing root causes. Rather than “buying sleep,” they explain how to restore natural rest by aligning hormones, respecting circadian and ultradian rhythms, and building routines your nervous system can trust.

The episode challenges common sleep myths, such as relying on nightly melatonin, believing five hours of sleep is enough, or trying to catch up on weekends. Listeners learn how cortisol and melatonin work together, and how modern habits—like screens, caffeine, and shift work—disrupt the body’s internal clock.

They also discuss growing concerns about long-term melatonin use, dependency risks, and the hidden costs of Z-drugs like Ambien and Lunesta.