What's a good non-prescription sleep aid?

Benadryl. It’s the PM in Tylenol PM.

Melatonin works great for me and my SO. (Bonus- I just read that it could also make your dreams more vivid.)

Calms Forte. It is all herbal and really works well. You can get it at most drug stores.

I’ll second the Melatonin suggestion. It’s a natural hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.

Seconding Melatonin.

I use benadryl.

None, but that’s just me. Try all the kinds until something works. People are different. If nothing over the counter works, see a doctor.

@rOs :: I can confirm the dream thing. I have amazing dreams when I take melatonin. They are very vivid and I tend to remember them.

I also use benedryl.
Most OTC sleep aids are some type of antihistamine.

I’d be wary about using benadryl as anything more than a temporary fix… I tried it for a while and it made me groggy and confused in the morning. Not to mention it’s addictive properties..

@johnpowell for really crazy dreams, find an African Dream Seed.

My wife says melatonin, and I have to agree it seems to work well for her. I tried it a couple times and didn’t really notice any benefit. Green-death NyQuil usually knocks me out but then, when I take it I’m also pretty sick, so that’s not exactly scientific. A good double scotch does the trick for me otherwise. Oh, and a dark (I’m talking pitch black as I can get it), cool/border-line cold room with some white noise almost always knocks me out.

A combination of 5HTP and St. John’s Wort might work. They’re both natural, and not habit forming. I tried the melatonin and it didn’t do squat. Depends on the person, I guess.

This Yoga DVD by Rodney Yee, for stress and AM/PM (morning and evening) exercises for beginners has helped me tremendously.

If you do the night time exercises, starting about an hour before you go to sleep, it will make a world of difference.

Pure Melatonin (@WillWork..it is best if it’s a vegan brand…Others aren’t too pure)

Start at a 3mg lozenge dose, 15 to 20 mins before you get into bed. I take it nightly and it has helped to greatly increase my restful sleep I’m a chronic insomniac with no side effects whatsoever.

My son takes 3mg nightly. He’s been on this dose for almost a year now and it’s been life altering for him.

You can safely take more if the 3mg doesn’t work for you.

A hot buttered rum works for me.

[NSFW]. At least, it works for me, sometimes.

Also, since I used to work evenings, stay up all night, and sleep in the daytime, I am used to sleeping with a black T-shirt around my face. I haven’t had that job in years, but the T-shirt wrap still works when nothing else will (because my body associates that soft pressure with sleep). Is there anything that means sleep for you, even in the past? It might still, if you give it a chance.

A massage with warmed up lotion after a long shower or bath, the feet especially.

Depending on what hurts, ice pack or heating pad.

Benadryl works in a pinch but I feel gross the next day.

What @laureth wrote is my #1 but it’s not always readily on hand for everyone.

$2 store brand sleep aid from Dollar General knocks both my husband and I out for the night. gives me crazy dreams about Grizzly bears though

Some use L- Tryptophan

Everything is ok when done in moderation (exceptions are the ones on intimacy, warm baths, massages, and working out).

You really should get a Dr to review things.

@rOs

Benadryl is not addictive. If it were, it would certainly not be available OTC. it’s been around for ages and has a very wide margin of safety.

It also has a built in prevention for true addiction (meaning habituation and increasing amounts) because of it’s side effects. You’d get such an unbearable case of dry mouth (because it’s an antihistamine) the first time one tried to increase the dosage too much that they would quickly abandon that idea for the future.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I have pretty vivid dreams already so maybe the Melatonin might not be the best or maybe it will patch the holes in my vivid dreams :P but I’ll try it and the other suggestions.

@blueiiznh: It’s not a physical thing, it’s a psychological thing. Me and the boyfriend broke up a month ago and if I don’t completely exhaust myself before I attempt to go to sleep, I stay up all night alternately depressing and angering myself not by choice. I figure I could use a sleep aid every once in a while when I really need to get to sleep before five in the morning.

I say benadryl, too, but buy the generic kind. You won’t need it for long and it’s very safe.

Some good sex knocks me right out!

@jca It does the exact opposite for me…

My mother always said that two cookies and a glass of milk 30 minutes before bedtime worked for her.

It worked for her, but not for me.

Succinate is over the counter and makes you sleepy withing 30 minutes. Most otc sleep aids have antihistimine in it. Succinate works differently and really works.

@SpatzieLover: Same here. It’s why I prefer afternoon sex. Ramps me up for going out!

@jca great minds think alike

@KatawaGrey Just a heads up: The benedryl/antihistimine often works opposite for me, too

@KatawaGrey That additional information helps a lot. Settling a physical relax is way different from trying to relax your mind.
While you may not be able find something that flips the switch for your thoughts to off, you may find something that will focus your thoughts somewhere else.
What works for me is a book and the ability to move myself into that story. When my eyes are too tired to read anymore, I let my mind wander in the book and drift off. I too have vivid dreams and for me it is a measure of a good sleep. I put myself in those dreams. It makes me want to sleep and find out what is next.
I guess you need to find something that helps you focus your mind away from all those thoughts that are keeping you awake. Good luck finding that switch.

@KatawaGrey Sorry to hear about the difficult time you are going through. I don’t like to take medication much either, but for an accute problem, like a break up, I would take something. Xanax would be my choice because it is probably an anxiety problem. I did it once, took it for about 6 weeks following a bad break up and it was extremely helpful. The only caution is it is very addictive of course. I didn’t have a problem, but if you have addiction problems, or even if your family does, I wouldn’t take it.

As far as something natural, can you get sleep through napping during this difficult time? Even if your sleep is broken you can try to get adequate sleep in a 24 hour period. Don’t resist times you feel sleepy, let yourself catch up.

Unisom generic name doxylamine is another OTC antihistamine similar to Benadryl, but marketed primarily as a sleep aid. Some folks get good results from antihistamines while others are groggy the next day, or as @SpatzieLover mentioned can have a parodoxical reaction.

Valerian is an herbal remedy I frequently suggest to my patients. It’s pretty pungent as herbs go, but has mildy sedative properties. There have been some good research studies showing a shorter time to sleep onset and better sleep quality. Most people tolerate it well.

Try Lazy Cakes. They are brownies filled with sleeping aids. You can find them on any cornerstone except in New York.