Will I ever be able to sleep without the help of a sleep aide medicine?

Asked by ItalianPrincess1217 (11979) November 9th, 2009 from iPhone

I started having trouble falling asleep about 3 years ago. It all stemmed from my stressful job. I started taking over the counter sleeping pills to help me fall asleep. They worked great. I eventually left that horrible job but I felt reliant on the pills. I continued to take them. I decided 4 days ago to stop taking the pills. I wanted to see how hard it would be to adjust. The first night without them, I didn’t sleep a wink. I was still wide awake when my fiancé woke up at 5:30 am for work. It was a very difficult first night. I suffered all through the day, fighting my tiredness. I thought for sure I would sleep well the next night. Nope. I didn’t fall asleep until 3:30 am. And I tossed and turned all night. It’s been the same deal the last couple nights. Should I go back to taking the sleeping pills? Is it terribly unsafe to do so? They do not contain any pain relievers. Just a sleep aide. Have you struggled with this before? What did you do?