For so many moms these days, getting a good night's sleep is a luxury. Insomnia is such a problem that three in 10 American women admit they have to use a sleep aid at least a few nights a week.

"I don't think I've had a good night's sleep in a very, very long time," says Shannon, a 30-something Kirkland mom who works full time and has a teen and a toddler at home.

She starts off the morning at breakneck speed, rushing the kids to school, and then going to work. She doesn't stop until 10 or 11 at night, then it's time for her to fall asleep, but she can't.

"You have to rehearse everything in your mind of what your next day will look like, or how you will solve something," Shannon says. "So often, I go to sleep with so many thoughts racing through my mind."

She takes an over-the-counter sleep aid a couple of times a week. About a year ago, she also started taking an anti-depressant to deal with the anxiety of not sleeping.

"I think it's helped me just balance myself a little bit more, because I find that if I don't take it, I get a little more agitated with the kids," she says.

Her story is becoming very common. The National Sleep Foundation says 80 percent of the women who took part in a recent study said they were just too stressed to turn out the lights. And 30 percent now need help, in the form of a pill to do so.

"There are people trying herbal supplements, trying melatonin, and taking things like Tylenol PM intermittently," says Dr. Joan Olson with Sand Point Internists. "And then there are people taking Ambien, or other prescription sleep medication every night to try and get good sleep."

Dr. Olson says she's seeing more women complaining of serious sleep deprivation. She says the problem usually starts when they hit their mid-30s.

"Especially as women go through that menopause period. Estrogen does cross the blood-brain barrier, so it can affect how you're feeling and sleeping." Olson says.

Last year, nearly 16 million American women between the ages of 40 to 59 got a prescription for Ambien. That's nearly twice the number of men in that same age group.

"I think that women are more in touch with their bodies than men are. So they are more attuned to being stressed, and their insomnia. That can be a self-fulfilling prophecy in many ways. Once you're aware you're not sleeping well, you tend to obsess about it," says Dr. Gandis Mazeika, a sleep doctor at Sound Sleep Health.

After worrying all night, he says you're going to be exhausted the next day, so you'll likely eat junk to give you a quick energy boost. But then you'll be too tired to exercise. That leads to weight gain, and a whole host of new health problems that could also affect your sleep.

"Sleep apnea and other conditions, pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, which in itself can cause insomnia. So many women get themselves into this vicious cycle. It's very difficult to break out of," he says.

Do sleep aids need to be mother's little helper? The doctors say they can work for a while, but not for the long term

"Taking something like Benadryl on a daily basis, you might start to feel hungover the next day, and it can affect your reflexes," says Olson. "The Ambien and those kinds of medications, you can become habituated and dependent on them for sleep."

"These medications certainly have a place," says Mazeika. "They improve the quality for life for many people, but we don't necessarily think they should be put into place and left alone for years and years."

Ursula Reutin, 97.3 KIRO FM Reporter