Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After having 4 kids in 8 years, you get in this habit of being awake, frequently, at night. Habit or nature? I have no idea. Also, sometimes I have trouble turning my own brain off to fall asleep. In the past, I tried prescription Ambien, but only a few because they were a sleep aid from my doctor during the last few weeks of pregnancy. They are habit forming, so she didn't keep me on them. I've tried night time teas. Those aren't bad - but am I the only one that has to go to the bathroom if I drink tea? Not conducive to "staying asleep". I've tried benadryl. It's not too bad, but you get a groggy feel in the morning that's hard to come out of. Aleve PM isn't too bad. I don't know about taking a pain reliever when I don't need one. My doctor asked if I had tried melatonin and I have. It actually had an odd effect on my deep sleep and I didn't care for it. (Man, I'm complaining in this post - sorry guys!) She mentioned 5-HTP. I researched it and tried it. My Reaction: ( I take 1 pill 10-15 min before bed) - It doesn't seem to make you sleepy like you are expecting. It's weird. It's not like taking a Benadryl or drinking alcohol where you just start getting droopy eyes. It's much more subtle. You just start migrating towards bed. - If you find you can't seem to shut your brain off, you may start out in bed wide awake, thinking about the day. Out of nowhere, you'll start semi-dreaming. Sometimes you realize you really weren't driving your own thoughts anymore. It's kind of a pre-cursor to sleep coming on and you actually sense when you are about to shut down. - If I wake in the night, my brain doesn't "come online". I just go to the bathroom and then go right back to bed and sleep. I am able to shut back down and it doesn't take hours anymore. More like a couple of minutes. - Although I don't wake "groggy", I find that I am capable of sleeping for longer periods if I choose to. It's weird that you lose the ability to sleep in. This gives it back. You actually can "catch up" on sleep if you want to. If you can't sleep in, you just wake up and start the day like normal You don't feel like you have medicine head. If I feel anything, it doesn't last beyond about 3-5 minutes. So I'm not complaining. - I don't really notice much of a mood change. Maybe it's there. But I homeschool 4 kids 8 and under so....it's an adventure. A funny, noisy, sometimes sticky adventure. Sensory overload just kind of goes with it. Hope this helps others. Basically it's a subtle effective sleep aid and my doctor says its safe to use.