Sleep is My Waking Passion

Episódios

• 
  Sleep Like a Pro: Stealing the Elite Athlete Playbook with Dr. Abhinav Singh, "The Sleep Vigilante" 29.07.2026 32min

  What if waking up refreshed wasn't luck — but strategy? Elite athletes don't leave sleep to chance. They treat it like training, nutrition, and recovery — because at the pro level, the margins are a game of inches. This week, Dr. Alison Kole is joined by Dr. Abhinav Singh — better known as "The Sleep Vigilante" — sleep physician for the Indiana Pacers and WNBA Indiana Fever, Medical Director of the Franciscan Sleep Disorders Program, Associate Clinical Professor at Marian University, and auth...
• 
  What if your political stress is quietly wrecking your sleep — and your relationships? 22.07.2026 40min

  In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Beth Ann Malow — neurologist, sleep medicine specialist, and 2026 AASM Sleep Health Advocate Award recipient — to discuss her bold new book, Beyond the Politics of Contempt. We explore how outrage-driven culture, social media algorithms, and the 24-hour news cycle are affecting our mental health, cardiovascular risk, and sleep quality. From "doomscrolling insomnia" to fractured family relationships, we dig into the real consequences of living in constant ...
• 
  How Your Gut Controls Your Sleep featuring Marissa Sharkey 08.07.2026 37min

  Registered dietitian Marissa Sharkey — aka the Gutsy Dietitian — returns to unpack the gut-sleep connection and why so many busy adults feel exhausted, bloated, and stuck. From simple meal-prep swaps to the daily habits quietly sabotaging your rest, this is a practical playbook for feeling better from the inside out. In this episode, you'll learn: How gut health and sleep quality feed each other — and where most people go wrongRealistic meal-prep strategies for busy schedules (no all-day Sund...
• 
  PTSD Is Treatable — Even 65 Years Later 01.07.2026 44min

  Most people think trauma is something you just have to live with. It isn't. In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Courtney Worley — board-certified clinical psychologist and diplomate in behavioral sleep medicine — we break down the evidence-based therapies that actually treat PTSD and the sleep it steals. If you or someone you love struggles with nightmares, insomnia, or trauma, this one's for you. What you will learn: It's never too early — and never too late. PTSD is a problem in ...
• 
  Nightmares in Narcolepsy Are Way Worse Than You Think (And We Can Rewrite Them) 24.06.2026 30min

  Narcolepsy isn’t just about “falling asleep at the wrong time.” For many patients, the scariest part is what happens inside their sleep—long, vivid, emotionally intense nightmares that can blur into sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and even waking life. In this episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with clinical psychologist and sleep researcher Dr. Jennifer Mundt (University of Utah) to unpack a symptom almost no one is talking about: nightmares in narcolepsy—and h...
• 
  Yes, Nightmares Are Treatable featuring Dr. Courtney Worley, PhD. 17.06.2026 26min

  Nightmares aren’t just “bad dreams”—and you don’t have to live with them. In this episode, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with behavioral sleep medicine expert Dr. Courtney Worley to break down what actually defines a nightmare disorder, why nightmares happen (far beyond trauma), and—most importantly—how to treat them. They dive into the gold-standard, evidence-based therapy you’ve probably never been offered (imagery rehearsal therapy), how your brain can be retrained to stop recurring nightmares...
• 
  Live from London with ENT Sleep Apnea Surgeon Dr. Ryan Cheong 10.06.2026 41min

  Live from London, Sleep Is My Waking Passion joins forces with multi‑award‑winning ENT and specialist sleep surgeon Dr. Ryan Chin Taw Cheong to break down how obstructive sleep apnea is managed in the UK versus the USA. From earlier ENT involvement and airway‑focused surgery in the NHS to faster access to sleep testing and PAP in many American settings, we highlight what each system gets right—and where patients still fall through the cracks. We cover recognition gaps, long wait times (up to ...
• 
  On The Fringe: Sleep Apnea Treatment You Haven’t Heard Of featuring Dr. Audrey Yoon, DDS, MS 27.05.2026 40min

  What if treating sleep apnea isn’t just about machines, mouthguards, or surgery—but actually changing the structure of your airway? In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with Stanford sleep expert and orthodontist Dr. Audrey Yoon to explore a rapidly emerging—and often overlooked—approach to sleep-disordered breathing: airway expansion. You’ll hear how techniques like MARPE (miniscrew-assisted palatal expansion) are reshaping the future of sleep medicine. From children with s...
• 
  Can Women Have Sleep Apnea Without Snoring? A Sleep Doctor's Story | REM OSA & Heart Risk 13.05.2026 38min

  What if a sleep doctor didn't recognize her own sleep apnea? Dr. Valerie Cacho shares her personal journey from diagnosing patients to becoming one—revealing how women's sleep apnea symptoms look nothing like the textbook. In this episode, Dr. Cacho and Dr. Alison Kole dive into why women with "mild" sleep apnea may face serious cardiovascular risks, the unique phenomenon of REM-related sleep apnea in women, and why Asian populations are at higher risk despite normal BMI. Skool community: htt...
• 
  Talking Women’s Sleep in Atlanta and Beyond: An Interview with Sleep Legend Dr. Nancy Collop 06.05.2026 27min

  When does “crappy sleep” in women stop being a normal part of aging and start being a dangerous, underdiagnosed sleep apnea? In this episode, living legend Dr. Nancy Collop, MD—former AASM president and former director of the Emory Sleep Center in Atlanta—joins Dr. Alison Kole to unpack how menopause, hormones, and REM‑related apnea uniquely raise women’s cardiovascular risk. You’ll learn why “mild” sleep apnea numbers can be misleading, which red‑flag symptoms should trigger testing, and how...
• 
  Sleep Apnea Nearly Killed Me: ‘Out of Breath’ Documentary (with NJ Sleep Doctor Dr. Alison Kole & George Nierenberg) 29.04.2026 23min

  What if the thing quietly stealing your energy, memory, and even your life was happening while you sleep? In this powerful episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker George T. Nierenberg to explore his deeply personal sleep apnea journey and his new film, Out of Breath—the first feature documentary to put the human cost of sleep apnea front and center. You’ll hear raw, intimate stories from patients and families who filmed their own l...
• 
  Is Your Child’s Snoring Dangerous? Red-Flag Signs of Pediatric Sleep Apnea with Sleep Doctor Chris 22.04.2026 26min

  Every child deserves more than “they’ll grow out of it.” In this comeback episode, Dr. Alison sits down with viral pediatric sleep specialist Sleep Doctor Chris to unpack why so many kids are snoring, melting down at bedtime, and dragging through the day—and when it’s actually a red flag, not “normal kid stuff.” You’ll hear Dr. Chris’s deeply personal journey from exhausted, snoring kid to double board-certified sleep doctor and author of the new children’s book Sweet Dreams, a story that hel...
• 
  Better Questions, Better Sleep: Why Smarter OSA Conversations Could Be the Data We’re Missing featuring Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg 18.03.2026 25min

  Starting CPAP, an oral appliance, or an implant but still not feeling heard? In this episode, Dr. Alison Kole and Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg unpack PLATO—the Patient-reported Longitudinal Assessment Tool for OSA—and the 11 questions your doctor should ask to truly understand how you feel, personalize your treatment, and finally put you back at the center of your sleep apnea care.
• 
  Kratom, Alcohol & Sleep: A Near‑Death Wake‑Up Call featuring Xavier Schumann 11.03.2026 28min

  In this episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with 25‑year‑old Xavier Schuman, who went from “just partying,” working night shifts, and using a kratom pill to help him sleep… to turning blue, going into cardiac arrest, and waking up days later in the ICU. Together, they unpack how alcohol, kratom, and untreated sleep apnea collided to create a perfect storm: terrifying gasping and choking during sleep, the moment his dad started CPR, and the real physiology behind h...
• 
  Living With Narcolepsy Type 1: Cataplexy and the Invisible Attacks of Emotion with Sol Briggs 04.03.2026 32min

  Type 1 narcolepsy isn’t just about falling asleep—it’s about losing control of your body in the middle of laughter, joy, or surprise. In this Patient Spotlight episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with independent patient advocate, writer, and artist Solomon Briggs (The Narcoplexic). Saul shares his journey from childhood cataplexy episodes to a late‑in‑life diagnosis, and how living with severe cataplexy reshaped his relationships, career, and creative expression....
• 
  Somatic Therapy, EMDR, and DBT for High‑Achiever Insomnia featuring Anthony Fontana 25.02.2026 47min

  What if your insomnia isn’t “just stress” or bad habits at bedtime—but unprocessed trauma, a fried nervous system, and a body that never got to stand down from the war? In this episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, I sit down with holistic psychotherapist Anthony Fontana, MA, AMFT, APCC to unpack the therapies most insomniacs have never been offered: DBT, ACT, narrative therapy, emotionally focused therapy, EMDR, TRE, somatic experiencing, tapping, and more. We go straight into the witching ...
• 
  When Faith Meets Insomnia featuring Dr. Benjamin Long 18.02.2026 44min

  In this episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, Dr. Alison Kole sits down with Dr. Benjamin Long, a dual board‑certified sleep medicine physician and pediatrician, seminary student, and debut author of Sleep Habits Journal: Practices, Prayers, and Devotions to Ease Your Sleepless Nights. They explore how evidence‑based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT‑I) can be thoughtfully integrated with Christian faith, prayer, and Scripture to support patients who are spiritually minded and s...
• 
  Why Your Insomnia Isn’t About Sleep Time (And How Digital CBT-I Can Actually Cure It) with Dr. Jason Ong 11.02.2026 35min

  Chronic insomnia is not a “bad habit” you fix with lavender spray and blue‑light blocking glasses—it’s a learned pattern of wakefulness in bed that needs to be rewired. In this episode, Dr. Jason Ong, PhD, DBSM, explains why clinical guidelines now recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the first‑line treatment over sleep medications and how prescription digital CBT-I is changing access to care. Dr. Ong is a clinical psychologist, Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine...
• 
  Cortisol, Tech Addiction, and Sleep: How to Escape “Stress Nation” with Justin Hai 04.02.2026 37min

  If you’ve ever blamed “high cortisol” for your anxiety, burnout, weight gain, or terrible sleep, this episode is your crash course in what’s really going on with your stress hormones in a tech-obsessed world. Dr. Alison Kole sits down with Justin Hai, CEO of Rebalance Health and bestselling author of Stress Nation: Escape the Technology Trap, Eliminate Stress, and Reclaim Rest, to unpack why cortisol isn’t the villain—and how our always-on relationship with phones, email, and social media is ...
• 
  Pregnant, Snoring, and Exhausted: When Should You Seek Help? 28.01.2026 33min

  Pregnancy is often described as magical — but for many women, it’s also exhausting. When snoring gets louder and fatigue feels unrelenting, it could be more than just pregnancy catching up with you. In this powerful conversation with Dr. Ghada Bourjeily from Brown University, leading researcher and sleep medicine expert, we explore the growing — yet underrecognized — challenge of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during pregnancy. Dr. Bourjeily unpacks why so many pregnant women report loud snori...