Sleeping through the night

It's late.  I'm really tired but I can't go to sleep.  I have just realised that I haven't really had a good night's sleep since, well, since the kids were born.  Why? Because I jump up to check on them whenever they cry in the night, or call out in their dreams.  Always, I am there, hovering, patting them, soothing them back to sleep.  It's been 9 years since I started this night-time duty and with a one year old in the household - it looks like it will be another 9 years before I can step down from this voluntary position.  If I ever sleep through a cry in the night, it simply means that I am too exhausted to hear them and when I do hear about it later on in the day - I feel terribly guilty.  Times like these that I wish I could be more like my husband - he can sleep with a baby screaming in his face.  Funny thing is, when the kids sleep over at my parents' place - I close my eyes and try to sleep with no success.  I can hear the ticking of the clock, the rustle of leaves outside the window and even doors closing two houses down.  I may ask my GP to give me some sleeping pills so that I can just fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow (will make sure that I only use then when the kids are having a sleep over though) Old habits die hard. Can't wait for the day when I can sleep through the night.