"i have had chronic insomnia for 5 years.  i struggle to fall asleep, and once i&#039;m asleep, i never sleep longer than 45 minutes - 1 hour without waking up.  i take ambien when i can afford it, so i have to limit myself to only a few times a week. i was given a sample pack of silenor about a year ago, but the online reviews made me not want to try it.  i was desperate last night, so i tried one 3mg. my heart raced and it did not make me sleepy. i took another half 3mg. and finally dozed off about an hour later. the amazing thing is that even though i never felt sleepy from it like i do with ambien,  i actually slept for 3 straight hours on the silenor.  i do have a tiny headache today, so i don&#039;t know if i will take it again."