I have never tried Ambien, but it caused horrible nightmares for a friend of mine.
I use a shot or two of bourbon,And it works great for me But it certainly is not for everybody.If I wake up in the middle of the night I take another couple shots. I have no problem with deep REM sleep, I have Vivid dreams every night.
I had Ambien for two days while in the hospital after ankle repair surgery, about 10 years ago. It put me in such a deep sleep that we discovered I have sleep apnea when I go that deep. I am fortunate. When I entered a sleep study after that, my sleep apnea isn’t so bad as to need correction. I was very borderline. After that, I decided to lose weight. 25 pounds has been off for 8 years and counting. Now I have a normal BMI. So the sleep apnea isn’t really an issue for me. I do have restless legs, and that bothers my husband’s sleep, which is why I try my best to get to bed when I should.
As for the vivid dreams, I have those most every night, since I was a young child. I still remember my dreams from when I was 3 and 4. It’s just part of me. There are very few nights when I DON’T remember my dreams.