Thanks for the advice/opinions. I figured I'd give it my first try on a weekend in order to get a feel for the effects and don't find out the hard way on a work morning that I am gronked for the day.

Also...try to stay out of the kitchen. I had some Ambien power-eating sessions like unto crazy pot munchies.

Oh hell yes. Good lord.

Praise be to all dieties that I have not been burdened with insomnia. Hubby is deeply jealous of my ability to sleep. Of course, I stay up till I'm sleepy, which helps. But that's 1-2 AM on a worknight, which doesn't help.

I miss Ambien. I got a little too fond of it, so now I use melatonin and Benadryl, but there was something really comforting in knowing that I could take it and I would sleep, period, no matter what.

I also got the the good news that my bp was 120/72 which is about as good as its been since I started taking bp meds. I was afraid it would be through the roof with all the stress of the last 18 or so months and the bad habits I've been indulging in during that time period.

I will say things have eased up considerably in the stress department the last month or so, though. I'm still trying to get a daily routine during the week that doesn't feel stretched thin, but at least that constant knot of dread seems to have cleared up.

Dana, I recommend using a sleep mask with the melatonin as the darkness seems to trigger a stronger response, at least for me.

Do not Ambien and Social Media.

This. THIS. Also do not Ambien and Amazon, eBay, or Etsy.

Be aware that generic Ambien from different manufacturers may have different side-effects. I discovered this when it became apparent that a particular generic version game me the bonus gift of hallucinations before sleep. Hey look, the curtains are melting! The light fixture has grown arms and is doing an interpretive dance!

BT, Ryan looks like such a big kid. I'm not at all surprised he has valuable egg information to share.

So, ambien - yea or nay?

Ambien gave me about 10 good nights of sleep taken on an as-needed basis (about once every 3-5 days) before it stopped working for me. I took it 2-3 more times, varying conditions (timing, etc.) to see if that would change how well it worked. When it became clear to me that it was no longer working, I then began wanting very much to take it every night even though I knew it was not helping. That frightened me to the point where I took the half-full bottle to the drop box at the police station (local don't flush your meds into the water supply initiative) so that it would not be in the house with me. I told my clinical nurse (like an NP only specifically trained to manage psychotropic meds) about it. She was quite glad to know that I had responded to the weirdness in an appropriate way.

I haven't used Ambien in years. More recently, I found the singular PM portion of Tylenol PM and a blackout curtain.

Like Burrell, darkness is a boon to my sleep life.

In all my purging and tossing, I was rewarded for what stuff I DO keep by finding a piece of fabric (dark purple sheer) that I now drape over my super-bright clockface. I can still see the numbers, but the glow is eliminated. Helpful! (the fabric is a scrap from a wedding I did in 2005)

Also, especially in this bitter weather, having a vaporizer (super cheap Vicks version) really helps my sleep. And ear plugs. And sleeping like a 4 with pillows next to my knees.

Plus, my nightly happiness practice. (Day 131 of the 21 day program!!)

My sleep is a production, yo.

But is all works together to give me the best sleep of my entire life.