The Project Sleep Podcast

Emmy Award-winning news anchor and correspondent Diane Macedo struggled with insomnia for years. She decided to attack the problem as a journalist, poring through research and interviewing sleep experts from all over the world to get to the bottom of what really keeps us from sleeping—and the various ways to fix it. Now recovered from insomnia, Macedo shares what she learned in her bestselling boo...

What are the connections between upper airway infections like the flu, our immune systems, and our brains? In today’s podcast, we're honored to speak with the 2023 Breakthrough Prize winner, Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, Director of the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. Together, we discuss new advancements in our understanding of narcolepsy type 1 as a likely autoimmune disorder brought on...

Sleep is often seen as this boring thing that doesn’t get us anywhere. In this podcast, we speak with sleep expert, Dr. Michael Grandner about re-shaping cultural perceptions of sleep, seeing sleep as an investment in our future. We also discuss the importance of winding down at night and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.   Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist, Directo...

How do you know if you have an occasional bad night's sleep or an actual sleep disorder? How do you untangle anxiety, depression, and insomnia? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist, behavioral sleep medicine specialist, and the author of The Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia.   Dr. Harris's Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sleepdocshelby/ Dr. Harris's w...

Why aren’t primary care doctors asking about sleep? This podcast covers an important but underrated discussion about what work is actually being done to develop better sleep disorder assessments and screening tools so that primary care doctors are better equipped to discuss sleep and more people reach an accurate diagnosis and treatment sooner.   Guests include: Dr. Dennis Hwang - Pulmonologist, P...

If you tell your doctor that you’re tired all the time, would they take you seriously? What if you said you’re snoring? In this podcast, we talk to Alida Abdullah about finding her sleep apnea diagnosis, getting treatment, and what she wishes she’d known earlier in her journey. We also discuss a challenge many of us face: how to balance a busy lifestyle as a mom and teacher while also prioritizing...

How much light did you get today? In this fascinating episode, we speak with Dr. Till Roenneberg, a Professor of Chronobiology for the Institute of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Dr. Roenneberg explains how powerful light and darkness are in setting our internal clocks and how industrialization has shifted how we use light. We discuss how variable our intern...

When talking about creating a healthy sleep environment, we often assume that things like light, temperature, safety, and our sleep schedules are all within our personal control. In this episode, Dr. Dayna Johnson talks about important and under-discussed factors influencing people’s ability to get a good night’s sleep and how policies can shape our individual behaviors, sleep, and overall health....

What is the connection between sleep, race, ethnicity, and health disparities? What is being done to reduce these disparities? In this episode, Dr. Michael Grandner provides an overview of sleep health disparities research. Next, Dr. Carmela Alcántara highlights a community engagement sleep intervention in the Spanish-speaking LatinX population.   Dr. Michael Grandner is a licensed clinical psycho...

If you’ve ever spent time around teenagers, you probably know that many teens are struggling with sleep. In fact, nearly 70 percent of high school students sleep less than the recommended 8-9 hours a night. In this podcast, we talk to Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown about how we can make sleep cool to teens and their parents too!   Dr. Afolabi-Brown is board-certified in pediatric pulmonary medicine and p...

With sleep paralysis and hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, the lines between sleeping and waking can be blurred. In this episode, we talk with three incredible narcolepsy advocates about these underappreciated, often terrifying, and confusing symptoms and how to cope with them.   About Our Guests: Chelsea Cataldi is a world traveler who enjoys creating things with her hands. She was diagn...

Navigating the workplace with narcolepsy can be intimidating. When should you bring up narcolepsy? What kinds of work accommodations are helpful and also reasonable to ask for? In this episode, we bring together a wonderful panel to discuss working in a variety of settings while living with narcolepsy.   About Our Guests: Tre Burge is a proud Iowa native and paraprofessional working with elementar...

What distinguishes narcolepsy type 1, type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia? Can your diagnosis change? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Chad Ruoff about the latest research and perspectives on this topic.   About Our Guest: Chad Ruoff, M.D., is an internal medicine physician specializing in sleep medicine. He is active in research and education and has authored numerous publications in sleep medic...

Storytelling is so powerful. In this episode, we speak with two amazing fellow authors who wrote books about narcolepsy, Claire Crisp and Henry Nicholls. Together, we share some behind-the-scenes stories and tips for aspiring writers.   About Our Guests: Claire Crisp is an award-winning author of Waking Mathilda—A Memoir of Childhood Narcolepsy which charts her family’s heart-wrenching journey to...

If you’ve ever felt like navigating health insurance is a full-time job, you’re not alone. Today, we speak to Megan Donnell about healthcare coverage and resources.   About Our Guest: Megan Donnell is a passionate advocate for those living with rare disorders and also has over 20 years of professional experience working in the healthcare and insurance benefits industry. Megan has two children in c...

If you’re interested in starting a family while living with narcolepsy, this podcast is for you. How might you manage medications or symptoms during pregnancy? What about adoption as an option? We brought together an incredible panel with so much real-life experience and insights, including people with narcolepsy who have walked this journey and an amazing clinician, Dr. Anne Marie Morse, to discu...

Every year, we raise awareness and celebrate our international community on World Narcolepsy Day, Sept. 22nd. In this episode, you’ll hear incredible stories from people living with narcolepsy in China, Australia, Poland, Germany, Israel, Angola, and Brazil. You’ll find that our experiences are more similar than we imagined. We may be spread out over many continents and time zones, but we are conn...

We’re joined by renowned narcolepsy expert, Dr. Thomas Scammell to answer all your questions about the science of narcolepsy. What causes narcolepsy? Is it genetic or are there environmental factors? What are orexins or hypocretin? And how does losing these neurotransmitters impair the wake-promoting systems?   About Our Guest: Dr. Thomas Scammell is a Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical Sch...

Students with sleep disorders have the right to an equitable education, but how do you work with your school and doctor to get accommodations? And what accommodations should you ask for? We're joined by two amazing women and Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarships recipients, Kenya Gradnigo and Danielle Brooks, to discuss navigating school with narcolepsy.   About Our Guests: Danielle Brooks was...

Is napping an unwelcome symptom of narcolepsy or a helpful treatment? In today’s episode, we speak with Dr. Luis Ortiz and Mary Murray about how we make space for naps in our busy daytime lives, especially in a culture where sleeping is laziness or weakness.   About our Guests: Luis E. Ortiz, MD is a pediatric sleep specialist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Li...

In this episode, we take a closer look at Hollywood’s portrayals of narcolepsy to better understand why they matter and how we can play a role in shaping future portrayals of narcolepsy in the entertainment industry. We are joined by Al Jean, the Executive Producer and head writer for The Simpsons, and Anna Marr, a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, and voiceover artist originally from Ohio. About o...

How can I get my friends and family to understand narcolepsy? It can be hard to know how to explain narcolepsy and ask for help. And even the most thoughtful friends and family members may not be sure how best to support the person with narcolepsy’s experience. We’ve enlisted two amazing narcolepsy advocates and dear friends, Lauren Thomas and Anne Taylor, to discuss this important topic. About Ou...

Is brain fog a symptom of narcolepsy? In this episode, we talk with pediatric sleep neurology expert, Dr. Kiran Maski and Rising Voices trained speaker, Shannon Burkoth about some more invisible and under-recognized aspects of living with narcolepsy, including Brain Fog or Mental Fogginess, Automatic Behavior, Micro-sleeps, and Mood Instability. We also discuss current research and tips for managi...

So you’d like to advocate for narcolepsy, but aren’t sure where to start? In this episode, we are joined by two incredible narcolepsy advocates, Ana E. Lara and Matthew Horsnell. Together, we talk about the power of YOUR story and break down narcolepsy advocacy into three categories: self-advocacy, raising your voice publicly, and legislative advocacy. Ana E. Lara is a poet and stay-at-home mom wh...

It’s no secret that the prospect of novel narcolepsy treatment options gives hope to many people living with narcolepsy. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Anne Marie Morse to discuss current treatment options, what’s on the horizon in drug development, and how people with narcolepsy can get involved by participating in clinical trials.   About Our Guest: Dr. Anne Marie Morse is a board-certified...