What if the thing holding you back isn’t ambition, or effort, or even luck... but sleep? Today, you're going to hear a story that breaks every rule in the sleep medicine playbook.

Kristen Cascio spent 15 years searching for answers—dismissed as “just tired,” overlooked by experts, and forced to live in a fog. Diagnosed with sleep apnea at 31 (and with none of the “classic” risk factors), she proves that the real signs are often invisible. Migraines. Fatigue after eight hours of sleep. Headaches. All of it missed—until one doctor looked deeper.

In this episode, Dr. Alison Kole and Kristen expose the dangerous blind spots in our health system, revealing that women—young, fit, “not the stereotype”—can suffer even more from mild sleep apnea than the numbers suggest. You’ll learn the difference between tired, sleepy, and exhausted, why so many cases go undiagnosed, and what “normal” actually feels like after life-saving treatment.

If you've ever felt unseen by medicine, worried your story didn’t fit the mold, or just want to understand why millions go undiagnosed, this is the conversation that will shift your perspective. You'll get the inside track on how Kristen travels the world with her CPAP and breaks stigma open with every badge, every border crossed, and every Instagram post.

This is not just another health podcast.
This is a wake-up call.

Are you sure you know what sleep apnea looks like—and could you spot it in yourself, your family, your friends?
Listen now, and rethink everything.

You will learn: 

* the true warning signs doctors miss

* how sleep science is failing women

* what real advocacy looks like

* and how to cut through medical jargon and get the answers you deserve.

Instagram and tiktok is @meandmycpap. I also have a website: www.meandmycpap.com

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