Sleep is My Waking Passion

Alison Kole
  • 4.9 (25)
  • FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Hosted by Dr. Alison Kole—a triple-boarded pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine physician, reformed chronic insomniac, devoted mom, and unapologetic sleep health creator—this hit podcast takes you on the real, unfiltered journey inside the science and soul of sleep. Each week, with wisdom forged from the trenches of night shifts and the chaos of motherhood, Alison sits down with top-tier experts and ordinary people with extraordinary sleep stories, unraveling how sleep shapes happiness, health, and destiny. If you want the 360° truth—the wins, the setbacks, the breakthroughs—about why every hour of sleep could be the most important hour of your life, this is the show that will change how you see your pillow forever. Sleep isn’t just her passion—it’s the key to waking up to your potential. Hit subscribe and transform your nights, days, and dreams.

  1. 2D AGO

    Kratom, Alcohol & Sleep: A Near‑Death Wake‑Up Call featuring Xavier Schumann

    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 how these substances can shut down your breathing and destabilize your heart. You’ll hear the story straight from Xavier—what he remembers, what his family saw, and how his follow‑up sleep study and heart testing tell a very different story once the substances are removed. This conversation is also about hope and what comes after a near‑death experience. Xavier talks honestly about chronic alcoholism in his 20s, the surprising relief in his anxiety and depression after he stopped drinking, and the very real cravings and “little excuses” that still show up months into sobriety. If you recognize yourself or someone you love in this story, please don’t try to white‑knuckle it alone. Reaching out for help—calling an addiction helpline, connecting with a local treatment program, or walking into an AA/NA/SMART Recovery meeting—can be the moment everything starts to change. You are not weak for asking for support; you are choosing to stay alive and give yourself a different ending than the one Xavier narrowly escaped.

    29 min

  2. MAR 4

    Living With Narcolepsy Type 1: Cataplexy and the Invisible Attacks of Emotion with Sol Briggs

    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. Learn how people with narcolepsy search for answers about “cataplexy attacks,” “narcolepsy with cataplexy,” and “why I collapse when I laugh,” and hear what it’s really like to walk through life with a condition that silences your smile before it fully forms.

    32 min

  3. FEB 25

    Somatic Therapy, EMDR, and DBT for High‑Achiever Insomnia featuring Anthony Fontana

    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 hour (2–4 a.m. wakeups), physician burnout, COVID vicarious trauma, people-pleasing, and why Type A high achievers struggle to slow down—even when life finally lets them. If you’ve tried CBT-I, sleep hygiene, or “just relaxing” and still wake up wired, this episode is your permission slip to heal on a deeper level, get back into your body, and finally let your nervous system rest.

    48 min

  4. FEB 18

    When Faith Meets Insomnia featuring Dr. Benjamin Long

    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 struggling with chronic insomnia. You’ll hear about Ben’s “Sleepless Night Rules” (his faith‑infused take on stimulus control), why worldviews like consumerism and strict scientism shape how we respond to sleeplessness, and how a simple spiritual history question can transform the therapeutic relationship. If you’ve ever wondered whether your beliefs belong in the exam room—or if insomnia has become a place of both suffering and spiritual growth—this conversation will give you language, tools, and hope.

    45 min

  5. FEB 11

    Why Your Insomnia Isn’t About Sleep Time (And How Digital CBT-I Can Actually Cure It) with Dr. Jason Ong

    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, and Director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Clinical Science at Nox Health. Before joining Nox, he was an Associate Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University, where he directed the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program and led NIH‑funded research on insomnia and digital therapeutics. He helped develop Somryst, an FDA‑cleared, prescription digital CBT-I program that delivers structured, six‑session insomnia treatment through your phone or computer. If you’re searching for “how to fix chronic insomnia,” “CBT-I vs sleeping pills,” or “does digital CBT-I work,” this episode is for you.

    35 min

  6. FEB 4

    Cortisol, Tech Addiction, and Sleep: How to Escape “Stress Nation” with Justin Hai

    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 quietly hijacking our circadian rhythm, sleep, and sanity. They dive into how to work with your natural chronotype, what chronic fight-or-flight does to your hormones and deep sleep, why naps and “anchor sleep” can help (or hurt), and practical ways to cut through device

    38 min

  7. JAN 28

    Pregnant, Snoring, and Exhausted: When Should You Seek Help?

    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 snoring, how hormonal and anatomical changes can obstruct breathing during sleep, and what that means for both maternal and fetal health. 💤 What you’ll learn: Why snoring and severe fatigue in pregnancy deserve closer attention.The key risk factors that should trigger early screening.How social determinants and insurance barriers affect access to care.The postpartum reality — does sleep apnea go away after birth?This episode is for expecting parents, clinicians, and anyone passionate about women’s health. Early recognition and treatment of sleep apnea in pregnancy can make a life-changing difference — for both mother and baby. 🎧 Tune in on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen — and find out when “just tired” is a warning sign worth acting on.  ...and remember to like, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs to hear it!

    33 min

  8. JAN 21

    Is Perimenopause Wrecking Your Sleep? Here’s How to Take It Back with Dr. Meredith Broderick

    That’s the question millions of women are asking — but most doctors still aren’t answering. In my latest episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, I sat down with Dr. Meredith Broderick, MD — a Stanford-trained sleep neurologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist — to unpack why women’s sleep so often falls apart in perimenopause… and why our healthcare system still treats it like a midlife inconvenience instead of a health crisis. We talk about: 🔹 The real physiological shifts behind 2–3 AM wakeups. 🔹 Why rising sleep apnea rates in women signal a looming epidemic. 🔹 The identity shift needed to stop calling yourself “a bad sleeper.” 🔹 And how to reclaim the rest your body is begging for — without more pills. 🧠 It’s one of the most honest, science‑backed conversations I’ve had yet about the sleep deprivation epidemic no one is talking about loudly enough. Tag a woman who’s been told, “That’s just midlife.” She deserves better sleep — and better answers. Website:  https://soundsleepguru.com/about/?srsltid=AfmBOoqTMkfJ6ghSuEeG8watmeBhaKfWLQQ712WBgx_9NamaB24FeTKf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepdoctormer/?hl=en

    33 min
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Trailers

4.9
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Hosted by Dr. Alison Kole—a triple-boarded pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine physician, reformed chronic insomniac, devoted mom, and unapologetic sleep health creator—this hit podcast takes you on the real, unfiltered journey inside the science and soul of sleep. Each week, with wisdom forged from the trenches of night shifts and the chaos of motherhood, Alison sits down with top-tier experts and ordinary people with extraordinary sleep stories, unraveling how sleep shapes happiness, health, and destiny. If you want the 360° truth—the wins, the setbacks, the breakthroughs—about why every hour of sleep could be the most important hour of your life, this is the show that will change how you see your pillow forever. Sleep isn’t just her passion—it’s the key to waking up to your potential. Hit subscribe and transform your nights, days, and dreams.

Information

  • Creator
    Alison Kole
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sleep is My Waking Passion
  • Show Website
    Sleep is My Waking Passion

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