Sleep is My Waking Passion

In this episode, I reconnect with Dr. David Fieno, MD, PhD, a board-certified surgical cardiologist, and a former residency colleague from our days at Cedars-Sinai. Though we've both moved away from Los Angeles, we remain lifelong friends. In this episode, Dr. Fieno shares his personal and professional journey with GLP-1 drugs, discussing the profound impact these medications have had on the...

Dr. Audrey Wells, MD is a board certified pediatrics, sleep medicine, and obesity medicine specialist and founder of SuperSleepMD. She is a seasoned public speaker and together we dive deep on GLP1 RAs and GLP1 RA/GIP medications (aka Ozempic, Mounjaro, Zepbound) and get the skinny on what we know and don't know about how these medications impact weight and might impact OSA (obstructive sleep...

I am a fellowship-trained and Board Certified Sleep Medicine specialist, and chronic insomniac turned sleep biohacker, who is on a mission to empower my listeners to improve their sleep naturally. Season 2 will explore insomnia as a symptom of other deeper issues and sleep disorders. It is all about circadian misalignment, sleep apnea, rare central disorders of hypersomnia, and beyond.  Wellness i...

Season 4 Episode 1 kicks off with an interview with Rachel Nesmith, a dynamic mom from Dallas, TX, living with obstructive sleep apnea and treatment-emergent central sleep apnea (OSA/CSA), severe Type 1 narcolepsy, and autism spectrum disorder. Rachel is a dedicated Project Sleep ambassador committed to dismantling the stigma associated with narcolepsy and is known for her beautifully creative min...

Anyone with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)  knows that CPAP is definitely not for everyone. In our Season 3 Finale, Stacy Ochoa, DDS, D-ABDSM,FICOI returns to discuss what sleep dentists can do to improve the airway of adults who cannot tolerate or do not want to use CPAP. Stacy started her journey in Dental Sleep Medicine 20 years ago when her Dad was found to be CPAP intolerant. She went on to re...

Dr. Beth Ann Malow is Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Director of the Vanderbilt Sleep Division, holds the Burry Endowed Chair in Cognitive Childhood Development, and serves as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Neurology and director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Clinical Translational Core. She is also a fellow member of the AASM Advocacy Committee and serves on the S...

Dr. Logan Schneider, MD is a physician scientist specializing in Neurology and Sleep Medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor affiliated with Stanford University, a Neurologist at the Stanford/VA Alzheimer's Research Center, and a Clinical Specialist at Alphabet. On this episode, he discusses idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), a central disorder of hypersomnolence that is characterized by exc...

Morgan Adams, MSW is a Holistic Sleep Coach for women based in Virgiinia. She and I share the same affliction: Insomnia. She found a way to liberate herself from need a sleeping pill to feel like she could rest, and she is on a mission to help other women do the same. She is full of great advice and I highly recommend you have a listen. I guarantee she will teach you a thing or two. I definitely a...

Dr. Kim Hutchison is a Neurologist and Sleep specialist, CPAP expert and educator based in Portland, Oregon. She is also the inventor of Somnoseal. She is NOT sponsoring this podcast, though we will be mentioning her product in today’s discussion. She joins the podcast to discuss some of the most common problems faced by individuals with sleep apnea who use CPAP machines. The conversation covers t...

In this episode, Mikey joins me for a heart-to-heart conversation that started when I discovered his product about a year ago and decided to try it out for my 6-year-old daughter. The results were astonishing as we watched her thrive despite her vibrant yet restless mind. While this episode is brought to you by a sponsor, rest assured, it's far from a sales pitch. Instead, Mikey opens up abou...

Jen Walsh is a  Sleep researcher, educator & consultant   and Director of the Centre fro Sleep Science in Perth, Western Australia. She has studied cannabis for insomnia not associated with other medical conditions and has a fantastic TEDx talk on this topic available on YouTube. Have a listen as we talk honestly about the challenges of solid research on this topic and what we know and don&apo...

Dr.  Jeff Durmer, MD, PhD is a neuroscientist and sleep specialist, and former competitive rower. He is the current CMO for AbsoluteRest, and CMO and founder of Limbico Health. He is an expert in management of RLS and serves as board member for the RLS foundation. This condition has a genetic component and is an incredibly common reason for sleep disruption, which we know is bad for your overall h...

Dr.  Jeff Durmer, MD, PhD is a neuroscientist and sleep specialist, and former competitive rower. He is the current CMO for AbsoluteRest, CMO and founder of Limbico Health, and has served as a sleep consultant assisting Olympic level athletes in treatment of sleep disorders and sleep quality optimization for maximal performance.

Julie Flygare, JD, is President and CEO of Project Sleep as well as an awarding-winning author of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy. She is internationally recognized as a patient-perspective leader and is an accomplished advocate living with with type 1 narcolepsy. She shares her journey and experiences in this podcast episode. She discusses her involvement in sleep advocacy and pol...

Jackie is nurse, mom of three, and certified nutrition, physique, and bodybuilding coach who has expanded my understanding of proper nutrition and how to create practical changes to your lifestyle to achieve your health goals permanently. She is a Women's Health coach with Team Biolayne. Have a listen because creating a lifestyle that is healthy and joyful is hard! But remarkably easy to do w...

Marissa Sharkey is a registered dietician with 7 years of clinical experience working with patients of all ages, both in and out of the hospital. She and I worked closely side-by-side in the ICU at our local hospital, and I can tell you there is nothing like being in the trenches and knowing you have a friend who has your back. She is a master at optimizing nutrition in the critically ill. She has...

I am a fellowship-trained and Board Certified Sleep Medicine specialist, and chronic insomniac turned sleep biohacker, who is on a mission to empower my listeners to improve their sleep naturally.  Season 3 drops on January 24.

Stacy Ochoa, DDS, D-ABDSM,FICOI lives in Missouri with her husband and 4 children, and is passionate about dental sleep medicine. Stacy started her journey in Dental Sleep Medicine 20 years ago when her Dad was found to be CPAP intolerant. She went on to receive specialized training in sleep dentistry and treats adults and children.  She is one of the co-founders of ASAP Pathway, an educational pr...

Dr. Lee Surkin, MD is board-certified in Cardiology, Nuclear Cardiology, and Sleep Medicine. He is also the President of Empire Sleep Medicine and Founder of the American Academy of Cardiovascular and Sleep Medicine (AACSM).  In this eye-opening episode, we explore how the quality and duration of our sleep directly impacts our cardiovascular system. Whether you're a night owl or an early bird...

Dr. Indira G and I got a chance to discuss why biology in teens must be respected. Sleep deprivation is a public health epidemic. Approximately 80% of high school teens are chronically sleep deprived! Why? Because the majority of our teens have a delayed circadian rhythm. They are tired later and naturally want to get up later. In addition, they have higher demands placed upon them to succeed, and...

Have OSA and Can't Sleep? You may have both OSA and insomnia, aka COMISA. Alex Sweetman and his colleagues are actively investigating COMISA and how it impacts our health. On this episode we talk about what we know so far, what we want to know, and the challenges it creates for treatment. Spoiler alert: I truly was amazed to discover how effective cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can...

Together, Joselyne and I review the brand new 2023 recommendations for healthy sleep in shift workers, published in Sleep. This is a MUST LISTEN if you are a shift worker. Link to the article: https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsad182

Joselyn John is a sleep science coach with deep personal experience navigating the night shift as a nurse. She shares her amazing journey from refugee to career nurse turned sleep educator. She is the real deal, and has reviewed the literature on how lack of sleep caused by shift work negatively impacts our health. You can learn more about Jocelyn, purchase her book "Sleep Tight" , and b...

Attention all snorers and sleep apnea folks! Matt Davis, MD is a Sleep Neurologist affiliated with RWJBarnabas Health. He also happens to be a TikTok superstar! Matt shares with us his take on treatment for OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) beyond simple CPAP. Please have a listen, especially if you or a loved one cannot tolerate CPAP. You are not alone, and unfortunately one of the ~30% of folks who...

Claire Wylds-Wright is the CEO of the Hypersomnia Foundation, and the author of Waking Mathilda, a memoir about her journey to California in search of an answer for her daughter's sleepiness. Her daughter Mathilda is one of the youngest patients to be diagnosed with narcolepsy in documented history. Claire is an inspiration. Her organization is doing phenomenal work both in promoting research...