A glass of Rioja, a bit of Boccherini on the stereo, and a warm snuggle with the cats and husband.  If anything, I end up daydreaming all day looking forward to my nights.

My personal recipie for falling asleep naturally at night is taken from the book by Susan S. Weed Menopausal Years The Wise Woman Way(Ash Tree Publishing co. 1992).

Chapter Two, ppgs. 89-93 are full of herbal allies and information concerning naturally treating sleep disturbances. My favorite recipie is for a cup of infused Oatstraw tea. To quote Ms. Weed(pg. 90):

Step 3: "Let oatstraw nourish your nervous system, smoothe your energy and give you more restful sleep."

She also suggests  a cup of hops tea which also helps deal with night sweats. Oatstraw for me is very relaxing, I don’t feel "drugged" and I wake up far more refreshed and I am able to feel as if I got a good night’s sleep. Oatstraw can be found at any health food, natural food market in bulk or in already prepared tea bag form. I hope this helps.

If I didn’t do something about my insomnia, I’d go about a week or two without sleeping and then crash for 2 days - and yes, it has happened several times before. I was always afraid of using any type of herb or medication to help me sleep, but I finally realized I was not doing my health any good. Now, I’ll allow myself to go one or two nights on little or no sleep, but on that third night I brew a cup of tea with valerian and chamomile and lavander, or I take 2mg melatonin. I try to mix them up so I don’t get into the habit of taking either of them. I also try to set a time limit on when to use them - if I haven’t fallen asleep by 1am, I take something.