text: health question here?? need answers? i work on a tug boat.  i have a very unusual schedual.  my sleep paterns are very unusual at work.  i go out for 20 days and work 6hrs on and 6hrs off.  i am home for 10 days and have to adust to normal life.  i some times take xanax to help regulate my sleep so i can stay more intune with my girlfriends schedual.  i love her very much but i often feel guilty that when i'm home i turn her schedule completly upside down.  i often dont wont to go to sleep because of anxiety or maby the fact that i'm away so much i'm afraid i'm gona miss out on somthing.  i've been doing this for almost 12 years and make very good money.  i know she loves me as well.  this is very hard on both of us.  we have a great time when i'm home but it also brings alot of stress on her.  some times i can stay up for 24 hours strait without it even phasing me. i think this is due to my job because often i have to pull these kinds of hours.  xanax helps but i'm sick of being fuzzy headed and druged.  any good advice? please consider trying other things besides xanax to help you sleep and to reduce your anxiety.  for one thing, xanax is very addictive, and is not recommended for long term use.  for another, it's really not the most effective sleep aid, if that's how you are using it.    i have two recommendations for you and i hope you will at least look in to trying them.  i have tried both and would swear by them as they have worked wonders with both anxiety and insomnia.  one of the best things i've found that helps me go to sleep at night is a supplement called melatonin. "at night melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep-wake cycles. the amount of melatonin produced by our body seems to lessen as we get older. scientists believe this may be why young people have less problem sleeping than older people."  it has other added benefits like strengthening your immune system. you can buy it at your local health food store, a gnc, vitamin shoppe, or online at any vitamin store. it helps you get to sleep, it doesn't knock you out or anything, and it doesn't leave me with that "sleep hangover" you get from nyquil.  as far as anxiety is concerned, a doctor recommended that i try taking the supplement gaba, and i have not had problems with anxiety since then. i have found that it makes me feel calmer and more in control without feeling stupid, sleepy, or drugged. i would strongly, strongly recommend that you give it a try. i have also tried valerian root and did not find it particularly beneficial, but the gaba has truly worked wonders. i have since heard from other friends who have had similar problems, and some of their doctors have also recommended they try gaba.  i wish you the best of luck.