Sleep is My Waking Passion

Alison Kole
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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. 4d ago

    The Sleep Syndrome of Menopause with Dr. Andrea Matsumura

    Why do you fall asleep fine, then wake up at 3 AM with a racing heart and a brain that won’t switch off? If you’re in your 40s or 50s, you are not imagining it, and it is not “just aging.” Sleep disruption affects up to 60% of women in the menopause transition. For many, it doesn’t go away after menopause. Dr. Alison Kole sits down with sleep physician and menopause expert Dr. Andrea Matsumura, creator of the D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method™. They cover what is actually happening to midlife women’s sleep and what works. In this episode: Why falling progesterone and swinging estrogen wake you up right as cortisol starts risingThe D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method: Daily habits, Resting environment, Emotions, Archetype (your circadian rhythm), and Medical conditionsWhy a nightly glass of wine “steals” your REM sleep, and why needing it to fall asleep is a red flagWhy women with sleep apnea often don’t snore. They “purr,” and they show up with insomnia, fatigue, headaches, or low mood instead.Why women don’t present “atypically” with sleep apnea; the screening tools were built on menWhat hormone therapy can and can’t do for sleep. In Dr. Matsumura’s practice, a quarter to a third of women on it still struggle.Melatonin in midlife: what the European data shows, and why US over-the-counter doses miss the markSupplements like magnesium, valerian, and lavender: thin evidence, and they won’t fix a medical causeThe two least glamorous habits that move the needle most: a fixed wake time and morning lightAbout Dr. Andrea Matsumura Dr. Andrea Matsumura (MD, MS, FACP, FAASM, MSP) is a double board-certified Sleep Medicine physician and a nationally recognized expert in sleep and menopause. She created the D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method™ and the Sleep Goddess Archetype™, frameworks that help women understand the biological drivers of midlife sleep disruption. She is Chief of Sleep Services for Monarch MD. She has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, and SHAPE, and appears regularly on national TV and podcasts. Connect with Dr. Matsumura Website (free resources and the chronotype quiz): andreamatsumuramd.comInstagram: @drandreamatsumuraTikTok: @andreamatsumuramdYouTube: @drandreamatsumuraLinkedIn: @andreamatsumuramdFacebook: @drandreamatsumuraHer book, When Women Stop Sleeping: Solving the Sleep Crisis from Menstruation to Menopause, is coming in 2027.Share this episode with one woman who is exhausted and has been told it’s normal. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what you’re still wondering about menopause and sleep. We’ll answer it in a future episode. This episode is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Talk with your own clinician about your sleep.

  2. Oct 14

    Will Sleep Apnea End My Military Career? CPAP, Deployment & the Truth About Getting Tested

    Afraid that a sleep apnea diagnosis will cost you a promotion, a deployment, or your career? You’re not alone. That fear keeps many service members quiet, tired, and untreated for years. In this episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion™, I sit down with Jesse J. James, a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer with 20 years of service, a respiratory therapist, and Director of Military Healthcare Initiatives at Quality DME. Jesse has seen the system from the inside, both operationally and clinically. His message is clear: the old career-ending rumors about sleep apnea are outdated, and leaving it untreated is the bigger risk. In this episode: Why sleep is the first thing sacrificed in high-tempo military life, and what that does to judgment, mood, and safety What “readiness” actually means, and why chronic fatigue erodes it even when you can still perform The “barracks lawyer” myths that keep soldiers from getting a sleep study How referrals, TRICARE handoffs, and PCS moves break the path to diagnosis and treatment Why “no” from one referral desk often gets repeated as official policy A better model: home sleep testing at the primary care level, with complex cases sent to sleep clinics Why getting treated now, not right before you retire, protects your health and your career Who this is for: active-duty service members, veterans, military families, and clinicians who treat them. Sleep is not a luxury. For those who serve, it’s infrastructure. Connect with Jesse J. James: jjames@qualitydme.com Ask The Sleep MD: askthesleepmd.com/workwithme This episode is for educational purposes and is not individual medical, legal, or VA benefits advice. Send your questions my way! Leave a comment or send me a DM and I will answer them in socials or a new episode!

  3. Oct 7

    Sleep Like an Astronaut: NASA's Sleep Scientist on Body Clocks, Shift Work & Sleep Apnea in Space

    Ever feel jet-lagged on a Monday without leaving your house? Or notice that a few night shifts can scramble your sleep for a week? Now imagine a sunrise every 90 minutes. That's life on the International Space Station, where astronauts circle the Earth on a loop of 45 minutes of light and 45 minutes of dark. So how does NASA get them to sleep? Not with a gadget. With a bedtime. On my birthday (yes, really), I sat down with Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, who helps keep astronauts rested on everything from the space station to the Artemis missions. Her work reaches far beyond orbit, to pilots, physicians, and every shift worker trying to sleep while the world is awake. Ever feel jet-lagged on a Monday without leaving your house? Or notice that a few night shifts can scramble your sleep for a week? Now imagine a sunrise every 90 minutes. That's life on the International Space Station, where astronauts circle the Earth on a loop of 45 minutes of light and 45 minutes of dark. So how does NASA get them to sleep? Not with a gadget. With a bedtime. On my birthday (yes, really), I sat down with Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, who helps keep astronauts rested on everything from the space station to the Artemis missions. Her work reaches far beyond orbit, to pilots, physicians, and every shift worker trying to sleep while the world is awake. The takeaway for those of us on Earth: you don't need a supplement or the newest tracker. Keep a regular bedtime and wake time, give yourself a real wind-down routine, and stop treating exhaustion as normal. Sleep is not a luxury. Even NASA builds the mission around it. Learn more about Dr. Flynn-Evans's lab: https://www.nasa.gov/human-systems-integration-division/human-performance/fatigue-countermeasures-laboratory Connect with Ask The Sleep MD: [add website + socials] This episode is for educational purposes and isn't medical advice. If you're struggling with sleep, talk to a board-certified sleep physician.

  4. Sep 30

    Always Tired With COPD? It Might Not Be Your Lungs

    Doing everything right for your COPD and still exhausted, foggy and short of breath? It might not be your lungs. In honor of World Oxygen Day (October 2, also my birthday!), I'm joined by fellow pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine physician Dr. Saema Tahir, the NYC Sleep Doctor. We talk about what happens when COPD and obstructive sleep apnea overlap, why it's so often missed, and what you can do about it. Oxygen therapy is life-changing when you need it. But if sleep apnea is part of the picture, oxygen alone won't fix it. 🔗 Connect with Dr. Saema Tahir Instagram: @thenycsleepdoctor Website: drsaematahirmd.com 🔗 Connect with me Ask The Sleep MD | Sleep Is My Waking Passion™ This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please talk with your own doctor about your care.

  5. Sep 24

    19 Years Tired. It Was Narcolepsy. | Lindsay Scola

    Ever been told your exhaustion is "just stress"? Lindsay Scola spent 20 years at the center of politics and entertainment, advancing events for President Obama and working the Emmys, while secretly fighting to stay awake. It took 19 years, two "normal" sleep studies, and a meltdown in her doctor's office to finally hear the words: narcolepsy type 1. Dr. Alison Kole and Lindsay talk about the narcolepsy symptoms that hide in plain sight, why home sleep tests can miss what's really going on, how to push for a referral to a sleep specialist, and the everyday strategies that keep Lindsay thriving today. If you're tired of being tired, this one's for you. You are allowed to ask. Find Lindsay at lindsayscola.com and watch her TEDx talk on YouTube. More from Dr. Kole: askthesleepmd.com

  6. Sep 16

    Your Skin Knows You Didn't Sleep: Sleep, Skin Aging & the Truth About Korean Skincare with Dr. HeeJin Kim

    Have you ever looked in the mirror after a bad night and thought, my face did not sign up for this? You're not imagining it. That dullness, the sunken eyes, the fine lines that look a little deeper than they did yesterday — that's your skin talking. And when a few bad nights turn into a few bad months, it stops being about looking tired and starts being about accelerated aging. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. HeeJin Kim — a physician trained in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Geriatric Medicine who has since become a skincare expert and beauty educator. She and her sister founded PureenMD, with locations in Fort Lee, New Jersey and Seoul, Korea. She blends dermatology-informed routines, evidence-based ingredients, and Korean skincare philosophy into strategies real people can actually follow. We get into what's real and what's hype — including the part where she tells me, on the record, that half of what I've been buying doesn't do what I thought it did. In this conversation: Why HeeJin asks every patient how they sleep before she talks about products What one bad night does to your skin — and what chronic poor sleep does that's structurally different The cortisol–acne connection that doesn't stop when you leave your twenties Collagen 101: why production peaks around age 28 and what actually slows the decline Oral collagen — where the evidence is thin, where it isn't, and why she takes it anyway Topical collagen: the honest answer (it's not what the label implies) Korean vs. American sunscreen — the regulatory reason they feel different, and why "made in Korea" on Amazon may not mean what you think Why anti-sunscreen content goes viral and why it's wrong The short list: gentle low-pH cleanser, moisturizer, SPF — then vitamin C and retinol after 30 Retinol vs. retinal vs. tretinoin, and how to start without wrecking your barrier PDRN, "salmon sperm," and which serums are worth it Is eye cream a scam? (Her answer surprised me.) Gwanri — the Korean philosophy of maintenance, and why barrier preservation beats aggressive lasers and peels The one habit she'd change for every woman listening — and the overnight window most of us are scrolling straight through And a bonus cameo from my daughter's drum practice, because this is real life. --> may need to get removed if not including.  If you take away one idea about how your nights are showing up on your face in the morning, do something kind for your future skin: protect your sleep tonight. Sleep is not a luxury. It may also be the most underrated skincare product that exists — and it's free.

  7. Sep 9

    Fix Your Circadian Rhythm | Dr. Olivia Walch, PhD

    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 company behind the circadian health app Clairoe. Olivia studies the biology most of us are unknowingly fighting every single day — and she explains it in a way that finally makes it usable. We get into what light actually does to your body at different times of day, why the outdoors can be 100 to 1,000 times brighter than your living room without you noticing, and whether blue-light-blocking glasses do anything at all. We talk about red light at night and the cells in your eye that talk directly to your circadian clock. We cover meal timing, the clock in your digestive system, and why eating on a schedule can quiet nighttime hunger without willpower. And we take on one of the most common things I hear in my office: "I've always been a short sleeper." The genetics say four in 100,000 people. The math says it's probably not you. Olivia also shares the study that finally fixed her own sleep — and why the secret ingredient was accountability, not information. In this episode: Why sleep rhythmicity matters as much as sleep duration What light does at morning, midday, night, and 3 a.m. — and why timing changes everything The honest answer on blue blockers, brightness, and wavelength Red light at night: real mechanism, realistic expectations Meal timing, the digestive clock, and finding your "food groove" The short sleeper myth and why tired brains can't grade their own performance How the Clairoe app translates wearable data into personalized light timing for shift workers, travelers, and everyone in between About the guest: Dr. Olivia Walch, PhD, is a mathematician and sleep scientist, the author of Sleep Groove, and the CEO of Arcascope. Her app, Clairoe (C-L-A-I-R-O-E), uses circadian science to predict your biological time and tell you when to seek and avoid light. Connect with Olivia: clairoe.io · arcascope.com Connect with Dr. Alison Kole: Website: askthesleepmd.com Podcast: askthesleepmd.com/simwp Newsletter — Diary of a Sleep Doctor: alisonkole.substack.com Instagram & YouTube: @askthesleepmd Work with me: askthesleepmd.com/workwithme If this episode helped you better understand your sleep, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. If you are struggling with your sleep, please speak with a qualified sleep provider.

  8. Sep 2

    National Sleep Foundation Talks Kids Sleep

    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 joined by Dr. Joseph Dzierzewski, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs at the National Sleep Foundation, to unpack the 2026 Sleep in America® Poll: 44% of U.S. children aren't consistently getting the sleep they need, and most parents underestimate how much their child needs by more than an hour a night. We cover the updated NSF sleep duration guidelines hour by hour, why tired kids look hyperactive instead of sleepy, bed-sharing and the social side of sleep, and what you can change tonight. Read the full poll at thensf.org. Share this with one parent or pediatric provider you know. Until next time — sleep well.

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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
    128
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sleep is My Waking Passion
  • Show Website
    Sleep is My Waking Passion

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