Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOTC Sleep AidsPrescriptionsSupplementsTips for Better SleepWhen to Get Help
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
OTC Sleep Aids
Prescriptions
Supplements
Tips for Better Sleep
When to Get Help
Sleep aids are medications, herbs, and supplements that can help alleviateinsomniaand improve your sleep. Medications may be over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription.
Getting good sleep is important. Bouts of insomnia can have a major impact on your health and quality of life.
Over-The-Counter Sleep Aids
OTC sleeping pills cause sleepiness as a side effect. They’re a common choice for people who have trouble falling asleep.
Many of these products claim to provide immediate results. However, few can deliver on their promises.
Diphenhydramine
A lot of OTC sleep aids, especially those with “PM” in the brand name, contain the active ingredientdiphenhydramine. Advil PM andZzzQuilare two of many diphenhydramine products.
Diphenhydramine is the drug in Benadryl, anantihistamine. Typically used to treat allergies, diphenhydramine and other first-generation antihistamines can also cause sleepiness.
While it may help with the occasional sleepless night, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine does not recommend diphenhydramine as a treatment for chronic insomnia.
Diphenhydramine can cause serious side effects, including difficulty urinating and vision problems. If you experience either of these side effects, call your healthcare provider.
Other side effects of diphenhydramine include:
Doxylamine
Doxylamine is an OTC sleep aid commonly sold as Unisom Sleep Tabs and many store-brand nighttime sleep aids.
An antihistamine, doxylamine causes sleepiness and is commonly used for short-term relief of insomnia. It is also used in combination nighttime cold medicines, such as Alka-Seltzer Plus Night Cold Formula, Tylenol Cold and Cough Nighttime, and NyQuil.
Doxylamine can cause serious side effects, including difficulty urinating and vision problems. If you experience either of these side effects, call your healthcare provider.
Other side effects of doxylamine include:
Alcohol Isn’t a Sleep AidWhile alcohol can make it easier to get to sleep, it also disrupts healthy sleep later in the night as your blood-alcohol levels drop. Experts don’t recommend using alcohol as a sleep aid.
Alcohol Isn’t a Sleep Aid
While alcohol can make it easier to get to sleep, it also disrupts healthy sleep later in the night as your blood-alcohol levels drop. Experts don’t recommend using alcohol as a sleep aid.
Is Sleeping Naked Good for Your Body?
Prescription Sleep Aids
If you routinely have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, talk to your healthcare provider about prescription sleep medications. Several classes of drugs are used for sleep.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepinesare anti-anxiety medications sometimes prescribed to treat insomnia. Like some sedative-hypnotics, they enhance the effects ofgamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA).
They used to be widely prescribed for insomnia, but they’ve somewhat fallen out of favor due to dangerous side effects, including addiction, abuse, and overdose.
Benzodiazepines aren’t recommended for long-term use. Those sometimes prescribed for sleep include:
These drugs carry a risk of falls, delirium, and long-term memory problems. They may also cause daytime drowsiness, problems with thinking and memory, and rebound insomnia.
Other side effects of benzodiazepines may include:
Warning About BenzodiazepinesDo not abruptly stop taking benzodiazepines. It could cause seizures and other serious side effects. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about how to wean off of these drugs.
Warning About Benzodiazepines
Do not abruptly stop taking benzodiazepines. It could cause seizures and other serious side effects. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about how to wean off of these drugs.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants sometimes target brain chemicals in a way that slows the brain and helps with sleep.
Trazodone is linked with numerous side effects, including:
Melatonin-Receptor Agonists
Melatonin receptor agonists are prescription medications used to treat insomnia. These medications help to induce sleep and regulate the circadian rhythm, or internal body clock.
Common melatonin-receptor agonists prescribed in the United States to treat insomnia include Rozerem (ramelteon).
Warnings About Melatonin-Receptor AgonistsMelatonin-receptor agonists may impair your ability to drive, operate machinery, and perform activities that require alertness. After taking the medication, limit your activities to preparing for bed. People who shower before bed should wait to take this medication until after their shower.Rozerem can also cause severe adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis, amnesia, hallucinations, mania, and agitation.
Warnings About Melatonin-Receptor Agonists
Melatonin-receptor agonists may impair your ability to drive, operate machinery, and perform activities that require alertness. After taking the medication, limit your activities to preparing for bed. People who shower before bed should wait to take this medication until after their shower.Rozerem can also cause severe adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis, amnesia, hallucinations, mania, and agitation.
Melatonin-receptor agonists may impair your ability to drive, operate machinery, and perform activities that require alertness. After taking the medication, limit your activities to preparing for bed. People who shower before bed should wait to take this medication until after their shower.
Rozerem can also cause severe adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis, amnesia, hallucinations, mania, and agitation.
Sedative-Hypnotics
Sedative-hypnotics are another class of prescription sleep aids. They work in various ways.
Several of them enhance the effects of GABA, which helps your brain and body relax. These drugs include:
Other sedative-hypnotics target different brain chemicals and are associated with fewer side effects.
Each sedative-hypnotic drug has its own list of side effects, but they also have many in common. Potential side effects include:
Be sure you’re familiar with the side effects specific to the medication you’re taking.
Dangerous CombinationsNever combine two or more kinds of sleeping pills without medical supervision. Do not take sleeping pills with alcohol. Both of these increase the risk of overdose, breathing problems, and death.
Dangerous Combinations
Never combine two or more kinds of sleeping pills without medical supervision. Do not take sleeping pills with alcohol. Both of these increase the risk of overdose, breathing problems, and death.
Rebound Insomnia: How to Prevent It
Herbal and Dietary Supplements
The followingherbal and dietary supplementsare natural sleep aids that are relatively safe for adults in moderate doses.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that plays an important role in sleep and your 24-hour internal clock (circadian rhythm). It’s especially helpful if your circadian rhythm is off.
Melatonin supplements are generally synthetic or made from animal sources. They’re widely available in stores and online.
Side effects of melatonin include:
The Benefits of Melatonin
Valerian Root
Valerian root(Valeriana officinalis) is an herb that is used to promote sleep. Its active ingredient is valerenic acid, which has sedative effects.
Valerenic acid is thought to act similarly to benzodiazepines and other sleep medications. It affects GABA receptors to help calm and slow the brain. It also interacts with the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is also involved in the sleep-wake cycle.
Side effects of valerian root are typically mild and may include the following:
Chamomile
Chamomileis a widely used herbal remedy for sleep. While often touted as a complementary medicine cure for insomnia, there is little evidence to support its use in treating clinical insomnia.
Research shows chamomile may help to improve sleep quality in people without clinical insomnia. If you have trouble sleeping from time to time, a cup of chamomile tea atbedtimemay help.
Side effects of chamomile are generally mild but not common and may include:
In rare cases, chamomile may cause a life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. People who are allergic to ragweed, daisies, chrysanthemums, and marigolds are more likely to experience an allergic reaction to chamomile.
Kava
Kava (Piper methysticum)is an herbal remedy used to promote sleep. Research shows kava can help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and increase periods of deep sleep.
The sleep-promoting qualities of kava are due to chemical components known as kavalactones, which also help to relieve anxiety.
Kava is generally well tolerated with mild side effects that may include:
Other Natural Sleep Remedies
Other herbs and nutrients are commonly recommended for better sleep, However, there is a lack of evidence to support their use for sleep in humans. Other purported natural sleep remedies include:
Talk to your healthcare provider before trying a natural sleep aid. If you take any prescription medications, check with your pharmacist before taking any supplements. Always make sure to follow the instructions on the label.
9 Best Natural Sleep Aids
Things to AvoidTreating insomnia isn’t always about what you take. It may help to avoidcaffeine,alcohol, andeatingor exercising just before bed. These can all disrupt your sleep.
Things to Avoid
Treating insomnia isn’t always about what you take. It may help to avoidcaffeine,alcohol, andeatingor exercising just before bed. These can all disrupt your sleep.
Non-Drug Tips for Better Sleep
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Sleeping pills aren’t right for everyone, and they can interact with other drugs. If you’repregnant, they may harm the developing fetus.
You may also be concerned about the potential for addiction. Or, you may dislike the side effects.
Fortunately, there are other ways to manage insomnia. You may find it helpful to simplychange your sleep habits.
Other alternatives for treating insomnia include:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
You may not need treatment for an occasional bout of insomnia. But if it’s a long-term or recurring problem that disrupts your life, you should see a healthcare provider.
Seek help at once if your insomnia makes you feel depressed or suicidal.
Obstructive sleep apnea(breathing pauses during sleep) is a common cause of long-term insomnia. When apnea wakes you up, you may have trouble getting back to sleep. This condition requires special treatment.
You may also benefit from sleep therapy.Cognitive behavioral therapyfor insomnia (CBTI) is one example. You can learn about this from a book, an online course, a workshop, or a class. A professional therapist can also help you get started.
Summary
Insomnia affects nearly everyone at some point. For people who deal with the occasional sleepless night, OTC sleep aids diphenhydramine and doxylamine—antihistamines that cause drowsiness—can help.
For chronic or clinical insomnia, prescription medications can help. Classes of prescriptions sleep aids include benzodiazepines (Halcion, Restoril), antidepressants (Silenor, Trazodone), melatonin-receptor agonists (Hetlioz, Rozerem), and sedative-hypnotics (like Ambien, Lunesta, Belsomra).
Herbal and dietary supplements, like melatonin, valerian root, chamomile, and kava, may also help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
If insomnia is keeping you up at night and OTC treatments aren’t helping, talk to your healthcare provider.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep and sleep disorders.Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL.Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline.J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):307–349. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6470U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diphenhydramine.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Doxylamine.Colrain IM, Nicholas CL, Baker FC.Alcohol and the sleeping brain.Handb Clin Neurol. 2014;125:415-431. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-62619-6.00024-0Johnson B, Streltzer J.Risks associated with long-term benzodiazepine use.Am Fam Physician. 2013;88(4):224-6.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Triazolam.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Estazolam.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Temazepam.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Doxepin (insomnia).National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Trazodone.Laudon M, Frydman-Marom A.Therapeutic effects of melatonin receptor agonists on sleep and comorbid disorders.Int J Mol Sci. 2014;15(9):15924–50. doi:10.3390/ijms150915924U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Highlights of Prescribing Information: Rozerem (ramelteon).U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Highlights of Prescribing Information: Hetlioz (tasimelteon).National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Suvorexant.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Zaleplon.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Eszopiclone.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Zolpidem.National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Melatonin: What you need to know.Yarnell E.Herbal medicine for insomnia.Altern Complementary Ther. 2015;21(4):173-9. doi:10.1089/act.2015.29011.eyaBruni O, Ferini-Strambi L, Giacomoni E, Pellegrino P.Herbal remedies and their possible effect on the GABAergic system and sleep.Nutrients. 2021;13(2):530. doi:10.3390/nu13020530National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Valerian.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Chamomile.Hieu TH, Dibas M, Surya Dila KA,et al.Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and quasi-randomized trials.Phytother Res. 2019;33(6):1604–15. doi:10.1002/ptr.6349Bian T, Corral P, Wang Y, et al.Kava as a clinical nutrient: promises and challenges.Nutrients. 2020;12(10):3044. doi:10.3390/nu12103044Ooi SL, Henderson P, Pak SC.Kava for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Review of Current Evidence.J Altern Complement Med. 2018;24(8):770-780. doi:10.1089/acm.2018.0001Yamaguchi M, Sakai N, Muraki H, et al.0201 effects of intraperitoneal injection of gingkolides and bilobalide on sleep study in mice.Sleep. 2017;40(1):A74. doi:10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.200Mah J, Pitre T.Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a systematic review & meta-analysis.BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021;21(1):125. doi:10.1186/s12906-021-03297-zSleep Foundation.Natural sleep aids.Sutanto CN, Loh WW, Kim JE.The impact of tryptophan supplementation on sleep quality: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.Nutrition Reviews.2022;80(2):306–316. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuab027National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Your guide to healthy sleep.National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Sleep disorders: In depth.National Alliance on Mental Health.Discovering new options: Self-help cognitive behavioral therapy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep and sleep disorders.
Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL.Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline.J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):307–349. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6470
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diphenhydramine.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Doxylamine.
Colrain IM, Nicholas CL, Baker FC.Alcohol and the sleeping brain.Handb Clin Neurol. 2014;125:415-431. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-62619-6.00024-0
Johnson B, Streltzer J.Risks associated with long-term benzodiazepine use.Am Fam Physician. 2013;88(4):224-6.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Triazolam.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Estazolam.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Temazepam.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Doxepin (insomnia).
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Trazodone.
Laudon M, Frydman-Marom A.Therapeutic effects of melatonin receptor agonists on sleep and comorbid disorders.Int J Mol Sci. 2014;15(9):15924–50. doi:10.3390/ijms150915924
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Highlights of Prescribing Information: Rozerem (ramelteon).
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Highlights of Prescribing Information: Hetlioz (tasimelteon).
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Suvorexant.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Zaleplon.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Eszopiclone.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Zolpidem.
National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Melatonin: What you need to know.
Yarnell E.Herbal medicine for insomnia.Altern Complementary Ther. 2015;21(4):173-9. doi:10.1089/act.2015.29011.eya
Bruni O, Ferini-Strambi L, Giacomoni E, Pellegrino P.Herbal remedies and their possible effect on the GABAergic system and sleep.Nutrients. 2021;13(2):530. doi:10.3390/nu13020530
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Valerian.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Chamomile.
Hieu TH, Dibas M, Surya Dila KA,et al.Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and quasi-randomized trials.Phytother Res. 2019;33(6):1604–15. doi:10.1002/ptr.6349
Bian T, Corral P, Wang Y, et al.Kava as a clinical nutrient: promises and challenges.Nutrients. 2020;12(10):3044. doi:10.3390/nu12103044
Ooi SL, Henderson P, Pak SC.Kava for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Review of Current Evidence.J Altern Complement Med. 2018;24(8):770-780. doi:10.1089/acm.2018.0001
Yamaguchi M, Sakai N, Muraki H, et al.0201 effects of intraperitoneal injection of gingkolides and bilobalide on sleep study in mice.Sleep. 2017;40(1):A74. doi:10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.200
Mah J, Pitre T.Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a systematic review & meta-analysis.BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021;21(1):125. doi:10.1186/s12906-021-03297-z
Sleep Foundation.Natural sleep aids.
Sutanto CN, Loh WW, Kim JE.The impact of tryptophan supplementation on sleep quality: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.Nutrition Reviews.2022;80(2):306–316. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuab027
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Your guide to healthy sleep.
National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Sleep disorders: In depth.
National Alliance on Mental Health.Discovering new options: Self-help cognitive behavioral therapy.
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