If you've ever typed "why can't I sleep" or "how do I fix my circadian rhythm" into a search bar at 2 a.m., this episode is for you. Most of us have been taught to think about sleep in one dimension: how many hours did I get? But there's a second dimension almost nobody talks about — rhythm. And when your rhythm is off, more hours in bed won't save you. This week I'm joined by Dr. Olivia Walch, PhD, a mathematician and sleep scientist, author of Sleep Groove, and CEO of Arcascope, the compa...
Sep 9
35 min
Your kid is bouncing off the walls at 7 p.m., melting down over the wrong-colored cup, and you're standing there thinking: how are they not tired? Here's what nobody tells you. When adults are sleep-deprived, we run out of battery — slow, foggy, flat. When kids are sleep-deprived, the system doesn't drain. It glitches. They speed up. Which means the child who looks least tired is often the one who needs sleep most. New data says this is happening in almost half of American homes. I'm joine...
Sep 2
30 min
The Back-to-School Sleep Reset Every Family Needs Right Now Summer let everyone drift. Later bedtimes, slower mornings, no alarms. Then the school calendar shows up and suddenly you're asking a kid whose body clock is set to midnight to be alert at 7 a.m. You are not alone, and you are not a bad parent. This is biology. This week Dr. Alison Kole sits down with Dr. Sujay Kansagra — pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Duke, the voice behind @thatsleepdoc, and the inventor ...
Aug 26
28 min
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...
Jul 29
32 min
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 ...
Jul 22
40 min
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...
Jul 8
37 min
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 ...
Jul 1
44 min
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...
Jun 24
30 min
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...
Jun 17
26 min
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 ...
Jun 10
41 min
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