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. 4D AGO

    Sleep Apnea Nearly Killed Me: ‘Out of Breath’ Documentary (with NJ Sleep Doctor Dr. Alison Kole & George Nierenberg)

    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 lives over two years, from falling asleep at the wheel with loved ones in the car to marriages, parenting, careers, and mental health slowly unraveling—then rebuilding—with effective treatment. We dig into why up to 80% of people with sleep apnea remain undiagnosed, the fear and stigma around CPAP, evolving options like oral appliances and airway-focused dentistry, and how reframing sleep as the foundation of health (not just a “pillar”) can literally save lives. 🎬 Watch the film: sleepapneafilm.com 👩‍⚕️ Learn more about Dr. Kole’s work: AskTheSleepMD.com If this conversation sounds like you—or someone you love—share this episode, leave a review, and be the nudge that finally gets them diagnosed and treated. Suggested YouTube tags/keywords (optional to add below the fold): sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP, oral appliance therapy, Out of Breath documentary, George Nierenberg, Dr Alison Kole, Sleep Is My Waking Passion, undiagnosed sleep apnea, snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, falling asleep at the wheel, sleep apnea documentary, sleep doctor, sleep medicine, New Jersey sleep specialist, airway dentistry

    23 min

  2. APR 22

    Is Your Child’s Snoring Dangerous? Red-Flag Signs of Pediatric Sleep Apnea with Sleep Doctor Chris

    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 helps families and schools recognize sleep apnea and other sleep disorders through a child’s eyes. They break down what to watch for at night, how to advocate with your pediatrician (including the exact buzzwords to use), what really happens during a pediatric sleep study, and the key numbers on your child’s sleep report that most parents overlook. If you’ve ever wondered whether your child’s “ADHD,” mood swings, or school struggles might actually be a sleep problem, this episode will give you practical language, real-world treatment options—from nasal steroids to tonsil/adenoid surgery to CPAP—and the confidence to push for answers.

    27 min

  3. MAR 18

    Better Questions, Better Sleep: Why Smarter OSA Conversations Could Be the Data We’re Missing featuring Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg

    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.

    26 min

  4. MAR 11

    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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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
    109
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sleep is My Waking Passion
  • Show Website
    Sleep is My Waking Passion

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