What is a good non-prescripion sleep aid?

Question

I've tried "Tylenol PM" (took nine in three hours) and "simply sleep"...same as tylenol without the medicine. Nothing seems to help me.

Answer 1

tylenol pm maybe with a glass of wine?

Answer 2

You might want to consider first the reason for your sleeplessness.
Are you watching t.v., working on your computer, or doing some other activity that is making your mind work "over-time" just before attempting to go to sleep?
Are you consuming caffeine just before going to bed, through having coffee, tea, chocolate, or even smoking cigarettes? If you answered "yes", then either try eliminating or substantially reducing your intake of any of these things several hours before attempting going to sleep.
You didn't say why you are having so much trouble going to sleep, so I hope that it's nothing more serious than what I mentioned that might be causing it.

If you can do some things to change your environment, rather than to continue taking medications, you may find that it is a better solution since the medications aren't really working the way you want them to. (plus, you probably don't want to have to deal with the side effects that some sleep aids can cause.)

Make sure that your bedroom is a soothing environment for you to be in. Make sure that your bed is the "right type" of bed for you, and you might even want to ask your doctor about Sleep Apnea, and if that could be your problem.
Have you ever considered having a "Sleep Study" done? That may even provide the reason for your not falling to sleep properly once everything else has been ruled out. Has a medical condition or even a medication that you might be taking been ruled out for causing it? Have you discussed it with your doctor or other health care professional? (seems like that would be a good idea since this is a problem for you.)
You might even want to consider having a nice warm bath just before bed to help you become relaxed, or perhaps a relaxing massage...providing that no medical condition is causing it.
And, if all else fails, as you probably know, there are prescription drugs available now that can be taken in some cases.
God bless you and hope that you can have your problem easily resolved very soon.

Answer 3

I suffer from insomnia so this is what I do and it works for me.
I take a vitamin supplement called Stress Relief Complex, if you live in the United States it is called Gentle Sleep Complex, then I take a nice bath with epson salts and when I get out of the bath I try to either watch a little TV or read a book I don't get very far with either though, my husband is usually turning the TV off or taking the book from me because I am sound a sleep.

Answer 4

I myself have had a sever sleeping problem for a while. I would not recomend asking for help on yahoo answer, but rather asking a pharmacist or you're doctor. But if you would like some suggestions regarding teqniques you can use to calm yourself down before bed, then I can help. If you don't exercise then try doing something like running, swimming or yoga a few hours before bed, try reading something boring ( it might bore your to sleep :) ) don't sleep in a room of which there is a lot of stimulating things ( tv, computer) Or try getting a routine before bed. That has worked for me in the past as well. There are a lot of things you can try, but if you really can't sleep without medicine then I would talk to you're doctor or pharmacist. Hope this helps. ( By the way this is danb135's wife) :)

Answer 5

Two Excedrin PM's works fine for me. And, Sleepy Time Tea. Normally when I just take the PM's I'm asleep in about 30 minutes. If I have a hard time getting to sleep even after taking the pills, I fix a cup of Sleepy Time Tea.

Answer 6

Melatonin. I have taken it and it helped A LOT! I heard about it from my doctor because I couldn't sleep so I was trying to take night quil to get sleep and it was making me worse. It really helped it wasn't harsh or addicting. It didn't make me feel worse in the morning either.
Have you ever wondered why humans have a natural tendency to doze off at nighttime? The answer lies in Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone manufactured in the pineal gland (located in the middle of the brain), and is considered the great regulator of our internal clock. It is responsible for maintaining circadian rhythm within the body. The amount of light hitting our eyes determines the amount of melatonin the pineal gland secretes, so darkness triggers the release of melatonin into our bloodstream, causing drowsiness, a drop in body temperature, and eventual sleep.

A major trigger of sleeplessness is stress. Finances, work, traffic, health, and family crises may all affect our sleep patterns. When these stresses provoke insomnia, fatigue in turn inhibits our ability to deal with these situations, thus perpetuating the problem.

Melatonin helps ease sleeplessness the natural way. Even air travel across time zones can disrupt our sleep patterns, causing the always dreaded jet lag. At peak efficiency, our bodies normally readjust their internal clocks at a rate of one hour a day, but Melatonin is one very simple way to potentially help speed the recovery process.

Answer 7

I had the same problems with Tylenol PM and simply sleep... I can take them in the middle of the day and not feel any affects at all. Try Sominex... they're great to help you get to sleep fast without feeling groggy in the morning!

Answer 8

What ever sleep aid you get don't take it with the pain killer (ibuprofen) in a long term it may damage your liver conducing into a cirrhosis, the best one are the ones without the pain killer, I work in the night time and I've never been a good day sleeper, I help my self with simply sleep of Tylenol, which doesn't have the pain killer, the ones Walgreen's brand are good too. Soft tees may be help you too.

Answer 9

Vicks cough syrup will do it. However you need to be able to have 8 hours for sleeping. The cough syrup will make you drousy or feeling lously the next day if you don't get a goo d8 hours.
Your best bet is to not drink any thing with caffine in it with-in 3 to 4 hours of bedtime. eat a very light supper or eat early so yuou will not be in bed with a full stomach as this irritates you often without you knowing it. The lighter you eat before sleep is better fo ryou. or nbetter stioll is to eat early and take a nice walk/exercise off themeal. drink water instead of tea , coffee, or soft drinks with caffine.
Noe caffine tea works find for me but i like mine strong.

Answer 10

Melatonin. It is a natural chemical that your body produces. You can get supplements very inexpensively at Walmart or a drug store or health food store. It really works too. There are also things you can do a to stimulate it naturally in the body. Sunshine. Eat cottage cheese. A whole list of foods. It is actually what the body produces when you smoke weed too. That's why people get sleepy and mellow after a joint. You should google it or check Web MD.

Answer 11

I found that anti-nausea tablets work. I only took a half tablet when I had problems sleeping but if your situation is very serious, take a whole one. But take it at least 8 hours before you have to wake up. I found it took at least 1/2 an hour to take effect, but then you gradually got drowsy and went to sleep. But if you take it too late then you will be in trouble in the morning with being still tired and sleepy and having a very hard time getting up.

Hope this helps.