I’m prescribed lunesta, but i don’t take it because it leaves a terrible taste in my mouth all day the next day. What are some better ways to help me sleep at night? I usually just end up staying up for 2 or three nights straight and then i sleep really good that next night. but i wish i could actually sleep good every night. I hate taking medicine though. so anybody know any natural remedies. I do drink coffee but only in the morning. You don’t think i should give up coffee do you?
I tried lunesta too. It did not work very well as a sleep aid, and I agree about the terrible taste. Many people should not drink coffee after 3 PM. It’s unlikely you should give up your morning coffee unless you are hypersensitive to caffeine.
Below is a long list I once wrote about ways to fall asleep. The list is so long that reading it might put you to sleep 
This list is the one that Tony I copied and pasted from me without my permission.
If nothing below works, email me and I can give you some suggestions about over the counter and prescription meds, if necessary. However, the natural remedies below are safer and free of side effects.
What helped me a lot to fall asleep, especially when my mind was racing, was to lie in bed and listen to relaxation CDs, especially those that contain someone speaking with relaxing music in the background. The combination of voice and music is very soothing. Many of these CDs are available on eBay for very low prices.
A warm bath is a great way to help you to sleep (depending on the season). If you can’t take a bath, you can give yourself a foot massage with slightly warm massage oil, sesame oil, or castor oil from a health food store.
A helpful technique is to relax your body one part at a time. So you could relax your feet, your lower legs, upper legs, moving up from your lower belly up to your chest, etc., until your whole body is relaxed.
Of course, guided relaxation methods can help. As vividly as possible, imagine yourself at the beach, in the mountains or country, or whatever is most soothing to you.
If you have annoying thoughts that run through your mind when you are trying to sleep, you might have to talk to a counselor or therapist about that. I suggest avoiding prescription sleeping pills unless nothing else helps.
There are herbs that might help you to sleep, eg, valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, hops, passion flower, skullcap. Probably, valerian root and kava kava are the best. However, what most people don’t realize is that it can take at least a few weeks for some herbs to build up in your system before they start to work.
The minerals calcium and magnesium might be helpful for sleep. You can also try 5-HTP or melatonin. I would not take melatonin for over a month unless your doctor says it is ok.