“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” Is Not a Flex: It’s a Warning Sign with Dr. Leah Kaylor

“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” Is Not a Flex: It’s a Warning Sign with Dr. Leah Kaylor

From The Shá Sparks Show by Sha Sparks

June 4, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Dr. Leah Kaylor discusses the importance of sleep and its impact on performance and well-being.

We’ve turned exhaustion into a badge of honor. Sleep is not weakness. Sleep is wisdom. And if you want to lead, heal, create, and show up fully, your nervous system cannot run on fumes forever. In this episode our special guest, Dr. Leah Kaylor shares her expert research on sleep and what she has learned about the quality of our sleep. Dr. Leah Kaylor is a licensed clinical and prescribing psychologist who has served as the FBI’s Sleep Expert for over six years. She specializes in optimizing human performance through the science of sleep, trauma recovery, and stress resilience—particularly within high-stakes professions like law enforcement and the military. Dr. Kaylor is the author of the bestselling book If Sleep Were a Drug: The Science of Sleep Optimization: Biohack Your Brain, Body, and Performance (2025). She translates cutting-edge neuroscience into practical, real-world strategies to help people sleep smarter, think sharper, and perform at their best. You are invited to reach out to her on website at https://drleahkaylor.com/ ______ Do you believe that it has to be "lonely at the top"? Or do you think when you are connected with the right-aligned community, you are…

People in this episode

Host: Shá Sparks

Guest: Dr. Leah Kaylor

Topics covered

  • sleep optimization
  • human performance
  • stress resilience
  • high-stakes professions
  • mental health

Keywords

  • sleep
  • exhaustion
  • performance
  • neuroscience
  • trauma recovery
  • stress resilience
  • law enforcement
  • military

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FBI

Books & works: If Sleep Were a Drug: The Science of Sleep Optimization: Biohack Your Brain, Body, and Performance

More episodes of The Shá Sparks Show

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Shá Sparks Show podcast page.