A TRIBUTE TO YOU || SleepyHeadCENTRAL on its first anniversary

It's been quite a journey since I planted the seeds of SleepyHeadCENTRAL in Summer 2013. So much research and reading, the writing of the content and the continuing education that managing a sleep health clearinghouse requires, plus the mastery of blogging utilities, SEO strategies and consultations with gurus about social media, marketing and web design.

Meanwhile I was still working at a local sleep laboratory, putting my new RPSGT credential to use and studying for my boards for the Certificate in Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH) just nine short months later.

Last September 19, I took a deep breath, clicked the "Publish" key once I felt that the website content was complete enough to share with the world, and SHC became official.

Today is the 1-year anniversary of that launch. 

By all indications, things are going well and I feel the mission is still on point. Traffic to the website is twice as high now as it was then. I've done some fun sleep-related giveaways. I've included guest posts from leaders in the field whenever they had time to share their expertise with SHC's readers. Themes have ebbed and flowed according to seasonal interests. I published a newsletter that has since led to a weekly news curation that is extremely popular with readers, and SHC is proud to be actively participating in the sleep awareness effort, #Sleeptember. There have been product highlights, book reviews, interviews, news articles, features. We've talked about insomnia and nightmares, sleep apnea and narcolepsy. We've addressed the interests of pregnant women and the elderly, of shift workers and the chronically ill. We've pointed the spotlight on drowsy driving, sleep deprivation in the workplace, and the proven need for teenagers to start school later.

Yet, it still feels like there is so much more to do!

What's in store for the future of SHC?

CURATION VS. CONTENT
SHC is moving toward a period of straightforward curation, as opposed to the production of original content. After all, the website is already jam-packed with content! But as you will discover below, there are other projects on the docket, and your fearless (or perhaps insane) curator has only 1 brain, 2 hands and 24 hours.

So... The weekly Sleep News feature will continue as a popular aspect of SHC that supports its mission as an information clearinghouse. I love this part of my job. It keeps me on the edge of what's going on in the world of sleep health and readers get to follow right along with me.

For special sleep-related awareness events, SHC will participate in curating new content in various ways (#Sleeptember, for instance, involves daily sleep-related posts; November will bring a blast of Drowsy Driving Month posts; Narcolepsy Awareness happens in March, etc.).

The ABCs of Sleep series will continue, as will the occasional quotes and words of wisdom from scientists and cultural icons as they relate to sleep. If guest bloggers come knocking with great ideas, I'll likely give them the space to post as well, and an occasional interview will turn up from time to time because it's a format I enjoy producing for readers.

But for the most part, you can expect less original content, more content curation, as well as the usual website improvements and updates that any decent clearinghouse must accommodate to stay legitimate.

INTRODUCING SLEEP SHELF
Meanwhile, I will continue work on a 3-book project (a main book and two related workbooks) which I hope to publish by May 2016 as part of SHC's new sleep health publication series, Sleep Shelf. Sleep Shelf will also eventually expand to include smaller publications you will be able to acquire through SHC's future bookstore either as direct e-book downloads or print-on-demand.

ON THE ROAD... AND ON THE PAGE
As a speaker, educator and writer, I hope to move the spirit of SHC out into the world in the form of presentations,workshops and independent journalism. This will be where I prioritize my focus on original content. If I am scheduled to speak or teach a workshop, you will hear about it at SHC, and if I publish a sleep-related article, I will post a link at SHC so you can read it.

SHC = SLEEP HEALTH CONSULTING
Finally, I hope to move beyond the curator role and become a private consultant in 2016. The website you know and love will still be very much a part of that landscape and I can't wait to see how my efforts in these other arenas will come to benefit SleepyHeadCENTRAL (and vice versa). But SHC is a "labor of love," and as such, does not keep the lights on. Consulting will allow me the pleasure of working with individual clients, so important in an arena where relevance in critical; this way I can remain tuned into what matters most to you.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

These are exciting, busy times, and I'm glad to be able to reflect on what the last year has brought for SHC and to consider what the future holds.

The best part about all of this: getting to meet SHC's supporters in person, and hearing them tell me how much I have helped them to understand and prioritize their own sleep health or to help the ones they love.

THANK YOU... to the readers, supporters, subscribers, colleagues, cheerleaders, contributors, followers... Without you, there would be no sleep health information clearinghouse at all.

Nobody succeeds alone. I spend a lot of alone time behind this laptop typing and reading and interacting, and sometimes my ideas come as a complete shot in the dark... but I hardly feel alone in these endeavors.

So many people have my back here at SHC that my work as curator, blogger, webmaster and sleep health activist definitely leaves me feeling like I'm working as part a group operation. Or a family business. Or a community. Whatever you want to call it, "it" is my privilege to serve SHC's constituents and I can't do it without the help of countless others.

That said, I am compelled to shout out my "A" list of supporters and sources of inspiration, who have really helped me by stoking my confidence, contributing to the website, networking regularly with and for SHC, sharing information and ideas for me to use, teaching and inspiring me, and getting the word out about SHC. Shout outs are in alphabetical order.

Again, thank you for being part of this journey! I couldn't do any of this work without you!

Here's to another year... of good sleep, better health literacy, and the best sleep hygiene yet!

Signed, Tamara Sellman, curator

SleepyHeadCENTRAL.com

NOTE FROM THE CURATOR: "Alternatives" theme to extend into February

Dear readers,

By the hand of fate, my month of January handed me several distractions, including the loss of my mother. The blogging schedule has taken a hit and I need to regroup, as I have many more blog posts to offer regarding the Alternatives theme I ran for January.

I was planning to have a non-themed month in February; instead of that, I'm going to just keep it coming with the January theme, more posts on nonpharmaceutical alternatives to sleep problems throughout February, mixed and mingled with general sleep health posts.

I am also extending the giveaway and monthly poll through February as well, so if you haven't taken the poll, it's on the left (a new version for February), and if you haven't subscribed to the free monthly newsletter, you will MISS OUT on the amazing giveaway offered on the right, so go sign up now!

Thanks for your support and understanding!

Tamara Sellman, Curator

Announcing the formal launch of SleepyHeadCENTRAL!

Today is SleepyHeadCENTRAL's official opening day! Thank you so much for visiting and for checking out what this sleep health information clearinghouse has to offer!

If you are visiting SleepyHeadCENTRAL, it's probably because you have a sleep disorder, suspect you might have one, or know someone else who might have a sleep disorder or who has been recently diagnosed.

ABOUT SHC
I hope that I can help you. My name is Tamara Sellman and I'm the curator of this website.

Let me help you with your sleep health!

I have 25+ years experience in research, writing, journalism and publishing; I'm also a practicing registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT), which means I work directly with sleep patients in sleep clinics. In addition, I'm certified in Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH), which means I have been trained to help educate folks on matters of sleep health.

I entered this field after undergoing a sleep study myself and learned, at that time, just how difficult it is for people with sleep problems to educate themselves via the web about the importance of good sleep.

WHY SHC EXISTS
The key mission of SleepyHeadCENTRAL is to provide easy-to-understand, accurate, high-quality updated information about sleep health to you, the ordinary healthcare consumer, so that you can make educated decisions about your own health and well being.

In a perfect world, we would all
ask our doctors about sleep
health. But it's not a perfect
world now, is it?

Listen... lots of people with sleep problems do not ask their doctors for advice, at first. This may or may not be a good practice, but it is the reality. Many people will go online and ask their friends in social networks about their symptoms first, or they will turn to Google or other general medical sites.

Does this sound like you?

Why don't any of us just ask our doctors about our sleep problems? Listed below are a handful of many countless reasons why this doesn't happen:

• "I don't have a primary care provider. I have nobody to ask." 
• "I have a primary care provider, but I don't feel adequately cared for by them nor do I trust them."
  Or, "If I saw my doctor, they would just put me on drugs when all I really want is advice and support."
  Or, "My doctor would probably just tell me my concerns are imagined."
  Or, "If I asked about my sleep problems, I would just become lost in the maze of the healthcare system like I've been in the past."
• "I do not want to deal with the high costs of testing and treatment."
• "I've heard the tests, labs and devices are scary." 
• "I don't have insurance."
• "My problems aren't related to sleep even if they interrupt my sleep."
• "I can educate myself better by looking up the information online."
• "I would prefer to learn more about my sleep problems by going online before visiting a doctor so I can feel more empowered and knowledgeable when I actually sit down with them."
• "I don't want to sit at a doctor's office all day long just to find out what I already know... that I have a sleep problem."
• "My life is too full of work and parenting and caregiving for me to make it to a doctor's appointment, even if I really wanted to go."
• "What's the big deal? I don't believe sleep is crucial to good overall health and, therefore, I don't feel the need to see a doctor about my problems."

If it were up to me, I would send everyone directly to a sleep specialist for their problems. 

However, I'm a realist... I recognize that this isn't actually the way many, if not most, people pursue their health issues. It's not always practical or affordable. While I may have a great team of doctors, not everybody is so blessed. I get it. 

So if people are more likely to head to the Internet to learn more about sleep, then why not build a great one-stop location on the web where they can do that? 

That's the aim at SleepyHeadCENTRAL: to serve as a crossroads where people can visit, time and again, to learn more about sleep health. 

WHAT MAKES SHC DIFFERENT 

As you likely already know, there are some great websites for basic information out there, but there are at least as many (and probably more) sites that offer bad information or mainly exist to sell products and have no interest in actually helping people with their sleep problems. Even the good ones can fall short because they are too complicated to navigate, the information they provide is too clinical for many to comprehend, or these sites are just plain impersonal.

The goal of SleepyHeadCENTRAL is to make it interesting, make it easy, make it personal. You are not the sum of your health problems, you are still a person, an individual with a brain and feelings and attitudes and ideas. That's the way I'd like to keep things around here. Casual, useful, friendly and service-oriented. A community where people can seek help knowing a real person is on the other end of the line, waiting to serve them.

• Maybe your aunt has a problem with legs that twitch all night, keeping her awake and making her cranky. 
• Or you could be worried about your 2-year-old, who snores loudly.... What to do? 
• Or perhaps you find your spouse roaming the halls in a trance twice weekly... scary...
• Or what about your brother, who keeps making jokes about falling asleep at the wheel?
• Or, suppose, you wake up in the middle of the night gasping... what then?

It matters that we care about each others' sleep habits and problems. Sleep may be a personal and intimate physiological process, but when individuals do not get sufficient quality sleep, the impact of that on the community can be dramatic--even tragic. 

This sign is no joke. It's posted alongside a
Utah highway to help prevent major accidents.

Poor sleep is a root cause for many public health and safety concerns, including motor vehicle accidents, bad falls, and poor judgment in crisis situations. People lose their jobs or fail in their marriages or have to drop out of school because of untreated sleep problems. And people who are sick with other chronic illnesses, like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and hypertension, will not process treatment adequately and to its maximum effect if they have problems sleeping. 

Sleep is the time and space in our lives when we are meant to heal and recharge, after all. 

WHAT SHC OFFERS 

The fact that you've read this far down the post means you care about sleep. Hurray! I hope I can serve you in your effort to become more informed. Here are some of the things I've set up at SleepyHeadCENTRAL which are already available to you as a visitor. 

• At the top of the page are tabs that will take you to solid information related to sleep health basics, special population interests, diagnostic and treatment questions, and the many different resources people can turn to for help. I regularly update these and am open to suggestions from site visitors who have recommendations.
  
• The blog, updated several days a week, addresses a myriad of common sleep related concerns: insomnia, sleepwalking, apnea, movement disorders, anxiety, jet leg, and more. You'll also find links to and discussion about sleep health legislation you can participate in, fun spotlights on sleep in culture, quotes from sleep medicine giants, and weekly sleep hygiene tips that just about everybody can act on to improve their sleep habits. Again, I take my cues from visitors: what is it you'd like to learn more about? Contact me and I'll make sure and build your ideas into the site in a way that helps everyone.
  
• In addition, you can find YouTube videos and channels, a feed of recent sleep news articles, links to other excellent online resources. While I cannot address specific problems and am not qualified to diagnose anyone, I can certainly point you in the right direction. Again, these resources are regularly updated.
  
• SleepyHeadCENTRAL also offers an opt-in monthly newsletter which offers subscribers free sleep product giveaways; the very latest in sleep news; links to monthly sleep health polls; connections to public sleep health opportunities; and access to sleep health awareness campaigns. This is an easy way to engage with me directly!
  
• Future opportunities to chat in Google+ hangouts, Twitter, local live gatherings or webinars are on the horizon as well. 

Reaching out creates a ripple effect, yes?

HOW TO CONNECT WITH SHC
Finally, it's super easy to interact with SleepyHeadCENTRAL. You have many options! You can:

• Subscribe to the free monthly email newsletter and enjoy member benefits!
• Follow the SleepyHeadCENTRAL feed in your favorite newsfeed aggregator
• Have new blog posts automatically sent to you directly in email
• Comment on blog posts that you can relate to; I love to hear from my visitors!
• Send in your sleep health questions to be addressed in the Mailbox section
• Search the entire website for information about your sleep health interests using the search bar
• Share your favorite posts in Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Blogger and/or LinkedIn
• Connect SHC with your friends by using utilities from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Google+
• Email helpful information to friends and family
• Visit SHC any time you like by bookmarking SleepyHeadCENTRAL in your browser

REMEMBER, SHC IS ME!
Maybe you've noticed... there is no advertising on this website because SleepyHeadCENTRAL exists to serve healthcare consumers--that means you! Sponsors, volunteers and donors make up the backbone of support needed to keep the site sustainable, but for you, this information is 100% free and in no way aligned with special interests.

It's just you and me and a whole lotta other people who care about sleep, all under one digital umbrella. How cool is that?

To learn more about the mission and background behind SleepyHeadCENTRAL, click here.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING!

I'm so glad you stopped by! Do come back again. 

And don't hesitate to contact me! Have questions? Comments? Insights? Feedback? Want to help? I can be reached directly at sleepyheadcentral@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. 

Please tell your friends about SleepyHeadCENTRAL; your word of mouth is gold, in my book.

Sleep well, and may all your dreams be sweet!

Tamara Sellman, curator

www.SleepyHeadCENTRAL.com

Curator Tamara Sellman, RPSGT, CCSH

To Sleep Professionals attending the BRPT Symposium this weekend in Portland, OR...

If you're a sleep professional attending the BRPT Symposium this weekend in Portland, OR and you run into a yahoo who looks like this, do not be afraid! It's just me (maybe without the sunglasses while I'm indoors...) and I'm attending the conference not only as the founder of SleepyHeadCENTRAL, but also as a practicing  RPSGT and CCSH, and as a representative of the Washington State Sleep Society. I'll be here all day Saturday and Sunday.

Instead, be sure to stop me and ask about SleepyHeadCENTRAL! I'm happy to talk with you about SHC's mission and goals and would love to entertain collaborations with other healthcare professionals in the future; I'm always on the lookout for ideas for spreading the word about sleep health to the general public and handling requests for website content or your feedback about what SHC currently offers.

--Tamara Kaye Sellman