![]() Melatonin is actually a hormone that your body produces naturally. “So, when we block something that alerts us, it makes us drowsy.”īut there are some unpleasant side effects from using antihistamines on the reg, including headaches, drowsiness, blurred vision, and constipation, so it’s best to save these for rare occasions. “Histamine is an alerting neurotransmitter, in fact, it's probably the most alerting neurotransmitter in the body,” says Dr. Antihistamines work by blocking the action of histamine. These can be diphenhydramine (think Benadryl) or doxylamine succinate (the main ingredient found in NyQuil), Natalie Williams, MD, a family medicine physician at Austin Regional Clinic in Austin, Texas, says. But if you struggle sporadically due to a reason you can identify, below are some options to consider. If you have trouble sleeping regularly and it’s not due to a reason you can pinpoint (like a short-term stressful event, for example), get help by talking to a medical pro. Natalie Williams, MD, is a family medicine physician at Austin Regional Clinic in Austin, Texas. Helena Schotland, MD, is a pulmonary and sleep medicine doctor at Mount Sinai in New York City. ![]() Meet the experts: Christopher Winter, MD, is a board-certified sleep specialist at Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine in Virginia, the author of The Sleep Solution, and the host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. Christopher Winter, MD, a board-certified sleep specialist at Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine in Virginia, author of The Sleep Solution, and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. In short, if there’s a short-term event that makes sleep hard to come by, like traveling across time zones, doing shift work that requires you to work odd hours, or, say, dealing with noisy neighbors having a party, you could consider a sedating antihistamine or melatonin, says W. ![]() It’s the latter category that experts recommend as a go-to “sleep aid,” but there are a few instances when it makes sense to try either of the former two options. So, if you’re having trouble dozing off one night, you might be tempted to reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aid lest you miss out on all those benefits.īut first! Know that there are essentially a few different types of OTC sleep aids: sedating antihistamines, melatonin, and certain herbal teas. By this point in your life, you know the importance of good sleep.
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