Episode Title: Sleep, Stress, and Exercise for Mental Health with Cognitive Neuroscientist, Justin Verlinden Description: In this episode of the Elevate Yourself podcast, Rob is joined by cognitive neuroscientist, Justin Verlinden, to explore the intersection of sleep, stress, and exercise on mental health. Justin provides valuable insights into how exercise-induced stress impacts the body and how sleep plays a crucial role in helping our bodies recover and recalibrate. Since Justin’s last appearance on the show, he’s been busy uncovering new findings in his field, and he’s excited to share what he’s learned. He dives into the science of exercise’s effects on stress and how sleep can help us process and recover from it. He also touches on an important question: Does the timing of exercise impact sleep quality, and how does core temperature come into play? As we wrap up the episode, Justin answers rapid-fire questions, giving us a personal peek into his daily routines, insights, and how his thinking has evolved since his last visit. Justin's Bio: Justin Verlinden is a Cognitive Neuroscience PhD Candidate co-mentored by Dr. Lauren Whitehurst and Dr. Jessica Weafer (formerly at University of Kentucky, presently at Ohio State University). Whose research to-date has been centered on the following topics: Sleep as a treatment target for at-risk drinking Sex differences in the relationship between sleep and alcohol use Next-day consequences of drinking on cognition With the help of his mentors and collaborators, he has received training in and utilized a variety of research modalities and skills throughout his career, including: Intravenous alcohol administration Alcohol skin biosensors Polysomnography Actigraphy At-home diaries R programming Feel free to reach out to him via email (justinverlinden@uky.edu) or on IG (@_veezy13) if you would like to learn more about him or his work. He’s always happy to nerd out over science :) Selected Publications: Verlinden, J.J., Moloney, M.E., Vsevolozhskaya, O.A., Whitehurst, L.N. and Weafer, J., 2025. Indirect effects of perceived stress and depression on the relationship between insomnia symptoms and hazardous drinking. Alcohol 123: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2025.01.001 Verlinden, J.J., Moloney, M.E., Vsevolozhskaya, O.A., Ritterband, L.M., Winkle, F., and Weafer, J. 2023. Effect of a digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia on sleep and alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers: A randomized pilot study. Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research 47(12):2354-2365. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.15209 Verlinden, J.J., Moloney, M.E., Whitehurst, L.N., and Weafer, J. 2022. Sex differences in the association between poor sleep quality and alcohol-related problems among heavy drinkers with insomnia. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16:875168. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.875168 Fadel, L.C., Patel, I.V., Romero, J., Tan, I., Kesler, S.R., Rao, V., Subasinghe, S.A., Ray, R.S., Yustein, J.T., Allen, M.J., Gibson, B.W., Verlinden, J.J., Fayn, S., Ruggiero, N., Ortiz, C., Hipskind, E., Feng, A., Iheanacho, C., Wang, A., and Pautler, R.G. 2022. A mouse holder for awake functional imaging in unanesthetized mice: Applications in 31P spectroscopy, manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging studies, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Biosensors 12(8): 616. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12080616 The Elevate Yourself Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Athletic Brewing. Use code ELEVATE30 for 30% OFF your first online order at checkout!