Two Rock Stars Talk About Sleep
51m | Jul 24, 2023In this episode
- Why Lawrence Gowan says he often sleeps better on a moving tour bus than almost anywhere else
- How sleep differs among members of Styx on the road
- Why trust in the tour-bus driver matters to Gowan's ability to switch off
- How touring fitness changes when musicians move through their 40s, 50s and beyond
- Gowan's transition from hockey to weights, yoga, walking and cycling
- Why performing more than 100 shows a year is physical work in its own right
- How Gowan thinks about protecting and developing his singing voice with age
- The deliberately classic progressive-rock sound of Crash of the Crown
- Queen, Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, The Who, vintage keyboards and analog gear
- Why Styx still isn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
- Gowan's practical sleep habits: schedule, less phone time and writing down late-night worries
- The autobiographical memory exercise he uses when awake at four in the morning
- Why musicians can obsess for hours over a mistake the audience never noticed
- Dr. Mark Boulos on restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements and augmentation
- Why suddenly worsening RLS should trigger a review of iron, sleep, medications and other conditions
- Neil's experience of worsening movement symptoms after a mental-health medication change
- Why vortioxetine/Trintellix should not be described as an SNRI
- What current evidence does — and does not — say about antidepressants and RLS
- How current RLS treatment guidance has shifted away from routine dopamine agonists such as pramipexole
- Why bupropion as an antidepressant option is different from bupropion as an RLS treatment
- The danger of crowdsourced medication advice when nobody knows the full clinical picture
About Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan is a Canadian singer, songwriter and keyboardist whose solo career produced hits including A Criminal Mind, Strange Animal and Moonlight Desires. He joined Styx in 1999 and remains the band's keyboardist and one of its principal vocalists and songwriters. He contributed to Styx's 2025 album Circling From Above, the band's 18th studio album.
About Dr. Mark Boulos
Dr. Mark Boulos is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Toronto and staff neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He serves as Medical Lead for the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Program Director for the University of Toronto Sleep Neurology Fellowship. His clinical and research interests include sleep-related movement disorders, sleep and stroke, home sleep monitoring, sleep data and novel approaches to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.
MENTIONED
Styx — current band and Circling From Above
The band's current lineup, including Lawrence Gowan, and its 2025 studio album.
Crash of the Crown — Styx
The 2021 album discussed extensively in Neil's conversation with Gowan.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — 2026
The official nominee and inductee lists; Styx does not appear on either.
Dr. Mark Boulos — University of Toronto
Current academic and clinical profile, including his roles with the Sunnybrook Sleep Laboratory and Sleep Neurology Fellowship.
AASM clinical practice guideline for RLS and PLMD
The current guideline on iron assessment, exacerbating factors and treatment, including the shift away from standard dopamine-agonist use because of augmentation risk.
TRINTELLIX / vortioxetine prescribing information
Current drug labeling describing vortioxetine's indication and serotonergic mechanism.
DailyMed prescribing information
Antidepressants, RLS and periodic limb movements — systematic review
A review finding that antidepressant-associated RLS worsening is possible but appears uncommon overall, with meaningful differences among medications.
Vortioxetine and RLS — conflicting case literature
A 2019 case report linked vortioxetine to RLS; later reports described improvement in some patients. These small reports are useful mainly because they show why a single simple rule is not justified.
Bupropion and RLS
A small randomized trial found that bupropion did not exacerbate RLS and may have improved symptoms short term. Current AASM guidance nevertheless recommends against using bupropion as a treatment for RLS itself — a different question from choosing an antidepressant in someone who also has RLS.
