We all need to sleep. Some of us toss and turn all night long and wake up feeling tired and groggy, while others drift easily into a deep and restful sleep and awake feeling refreshed. Sleep experts have known for some time that sleep, and particularly its dream stages are important for helping the mind and body heal itself and for filtering and incorporating important input from your daily activities into your memory and discarding what isn’t needed. Now, they are beginning to discover that the sleeping mind is much more active that we used to realize; it can even help us solve problems while we are dreaming.

If you are desperate for a good night’s sleep, need to keep bad dreams or nightmares at bay and want to feel great when you wake up in the morning there are modern methods available to help you. Here is a rundown on some of them,

A Gentle Awakening

Alarm Clock For Me is an alarm clock app for android that will wake you gently to the sound of your favorite music. This is much healthier than a jarring alarm that will increase your blood pressure and leave you feeling anxious. The app gives you a choice of waking up to a built-in selection of gentle tunes or music from your own collection. It also has background alarm support so that the alarm will sound even if the app is not running. Its nightstand mode will turn your mobile device into a handsome bedside clock and you can change the screen’s brightness so it won’t glare.

Don’t Feel Blue

One reason you may be feeling tired all day is because of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The problem stems from a lack of bright light in winter. Light makes a significant difference to the functioning of brain chemistry although the exact means of effect are still unknown. It is known that the nerve centers in our brain which control our daily functions are affected by the amount of light entering the eyes. Blue Light Therapy is an app that’s designed to stimulate your brain with blue light, relieving symptoms of SAD such as confusion, fatigue, depression and anxiety.

Bedtime Stories for Grownups

Bedtime Stories: Classic Tales for Sleepy Grownups is a podcast you can listen to on your mobile device while you’re waiting for sleep to draw you in. Narrated by Parker Leventer’s soothing voice, the show plays unabridged stories by favorite authors like Willa Cather, H. P. Lovecraft, Edith Wharton, Jack London, and Edgar Allen Poe. This podcast is perfect for a sendoff into slumber. You can listen to it on your mobile device using the Stitcher Radio app.

Many people nowadays walk around feeling tired all the time, not realizing why or how to fix it but using these methods you no longer have to be one of them. You can sleep peacefully and feel refreshed each day.

Scott Hurst is a life coach who wants to give everyone a burst of energy so that they can focus on creating the best life possible. His articles appear on a range of lifestyle blogs.

Here is it, the end of January, and just about everyone in our family has had a cough, cold, or some other funk happening. I kid you not, I have started this post numerous times and someone or myself being sick has gotten in the way every time.

Now that we are all on the road to better health, I wanted to share so of the great products from Pfizer, that have helped us get healthy again, Children’s Dimetapp®, Children’s Robitussin® and Children’s Advil®.

Yes, we have actually used all 3 of these products with our children so far this year.

We have had to use the Children’s Dimetapp® for Alexander (age 8) to help fight off his icky cold that came with a runny nose, congestion, and a cough.

For Ellie (age 5), we’ve depended on Children’s Robitussin® Extended-Release 12 Hour Cough Relief at night to help her get some rest while fighting off a wicked cough. It’s a great product because it helps control and relieve symptoms all-day or all- night. 

Lastly, there is Joey (age 3), who has had fevers along with earaches, infections, and pain. For the little guy, we use Children’s Advil®, because it works quickly and helps make him comfortable until the infection or fever clears.

Really, we have been hit with a lot already this winter and we are only a month in!

Now that everyone is healthy again, they are back to school and back to playing. I am thankful we always have these great products from Pfizer on-hand to help combat the ick.

Helping Keep Kids Healthy

Since the beginning of the school year, I have really appreciated our school nurses lettings us parents know when something icky is going around the school. I think the memos she sends has really helped us stay on top of things and stop a lot of illnesses before they start.

The great folks at Pfizer want to take the time and put the school nurses in the spotlight and are asking you to participate in the America’s Greatest School Nurse contest by nominating your school nurse.

Does your school nurse go above and beyond in educating and comforting their students? Pfizer wants to hear about them! Nominations will be accepted nationwide from anyone who would like to honor their exemplary school nurse.

One nurse from each state plus Washington D.C. will win a prize valued at $500 and will be entered to win the grand prize: the title of America’s Greatest School nurse and a trip for a getaway from school sickness.

For more information and to read the full contest rules and submit a nomination, visit AmericasGreatestSchoolNurse.com. Nominations will be accepted from January 9 to February 23.

Voting will be open from April 3 to April 16 and the winners will be announced in early May.