Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I started having to take sleeping pills 5 months ago - my boyfriend starting working very long hours, and would come home and snore. I needed to get to sleep and STAY asleep! I started off with regular ole cheap sleeping pills (Unisom/Nytol) but became worried after reading about the side effects of the chemicals in these pills, so went looking for a natural solution. My first find was SleepMD. Melatonin and valerian are the main ingredients. I had too many strange dreams from the melatonin, and was also still a little tired the next day. It was better than nothing, but was not worth the cost. I don't recommend melatonin for most people. I actually did a research paper on it in college and the horrid nightmares that some people get will counteract restful sleep you may get. Also, this is a little expensive at around 70 cents a pill/dose. I then encountered Alteril at Wal-Mart and grabbed it. L-tryptophan was listed as a main ingredient, and I KNOW this works on me (hello Thanksgiving turkey!). There is a miniscule amount of melatonin in this product, which made me very happy. The dosage for this product is actually 2 pills, BUT that dosage was actually TOO strong for me... I had too much trouble getting up in the morning, so have since dropped it to 1 pill and it's PERFECT. This brings this down to only 41 cents a pill/dose, much cheaper than SleepMD! I have also recently tried Dream Water (you can buy from their website) - this does NOT work very well and is very expensive at $3.25 per little shot. It's very weak and not worth the money. It also took a long time to work... Main Points about Alteril: * This product is stronger than others I've tried... I only need to take 1 pill instead of the recommended 2 pills * This products WORKS, and works in the time it says it will work (1 hour)!!! The most restful sleep I've ever gotten, and I don't wake up! No bad dreams since the melatonin level is so low. It's the L-tryptophan that makes this product shine * With 2 pills, was very hard for me to get up out of bed in the mornings. With 1 pill, I'm groggy for maybe 10 minutes after I get up, but then FULL of energy for the remainder of the day * I love that this is an all-natural sleep aide - no fear of becoming addicted or chemical side effects like non-natural sleeping pills are associated with * I have SOO much more energy and zest each day now... getting better/deeper sleep has changed my entire world, even moreso than eating correctly and exercising have done. I rarely need to drink coffee anymore to wake up in the mornings either!! This is a wonderful product! I love trying out new consumer products constantly, UNTIL I've found one that works well (which is rare), but I love Alteril and will continue purchasing and recommending it. Sleep is VERY important, I'd start here first and then move to exercising, it's a simple painless change you can make that will change your life!! From SELF magazine 04/22/2010: "Getting up multiple times during the night is annoying, no doubt, but it might also harm your health. Rising many times before the morning appears to alter the body's natural pain-control mechanisms, contributing to backaches, headaches and muscle soreness, a study in Sleep notes"