I am a sleep deprived mom from New Jersey.  I’m 43 years old, married, with 3 wonderful children, ages 13, 10, and 8.  While I don’t work in an office, I do have multiple jobs–mom, PTA President, and volunteer at a child care center catering to low income families. In other words, I have a lot on my plate.  

I have trouble sleeping at night because of hectic my schedule.  Do I have insomnia?  I certainly do have trouble falling asleep because there is so much on my mind.  Even worse, my kids are like roosters and wake up at the crack of dawn.

I’ve tried various natural sleep remedies to help me sleep through the night:

• Melatonin
• Valerian Root
• Tryptophan

Unfortunately, none of the sleep aids worked for me.  Finally, I spoke to my doctor about the situation and he prescribed Ambien CR.  While this sleep aid certainly helped me fall asleep, I definitely had some typical sleep medication side effects including:  next day headaches, drowsiness, and dizziness. 

I then tried Lunesta because my doctor said that the side effects were not as severe as Ambien CR.  He was right!  Lunesta puts me to sleep pretty quickly and I wake up refreshed and ready to start the day.

I’m not sure that Lunesta is the right sleep medication for other moms who suffer from insomnia or have kids who rise early.   Make sure you talk with a medical professional to find out what’s right for you.