# Best non-RX sleep aid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726 "2017-04-18T18:49:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/21 "2017-04-19T17:58:28Z")
Like **PastTense** writes, look for a cause. As for me, I studied meditation in the 70’s. I repeat my mantra two times, and in 15 seconds I am asleep. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/22 "2017-04-19T18:03:49Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Seriously, a serving of alcohol about a half hour before bedtime works wonders for some folks. Well, yes, you get to sleep, but the sleep is poor quality: > **[Sleep Apnea Basics](https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea)** > > Sleep apnea is a serious condition that happens when your breathing stops and starts during sleep. Learn more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. \*Think a nightcap may help you get a better night’s sleep? Think again. A new review of 27 studies shows that alcohol does not improve sleep quality. According to the findings, alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply for a while, but it reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. And the more you drink before bed, the more pronounced these effects. REM sleep happens about 90 minutes after we fall asleep. It’s the stage of sleep when people dream, and it’s thought to be restorative. Disruptions in REM sleep may cause daytime drowsiness, poor concentration, and rob you of needed ZZZs. “Alcohol may seem to be helping you to sleep, as it helps induce sleep, but overall it is more disruptive to sleep, particularly in the second half of the night,” says researcher Irshaad Ebrahim. He is the medical director at The London Sleep Centre in the U.K. “Alcohol also suppresses breathing and can precipitate sleep apnea,” or pauses in breathing that happen throughout the night. The more a person drinks before bed, the stronger the disruption. One to two standard drinks seem to have minimal effects on sleep, Ebrahim says. Alcohol Is Not a Sleep Aid “The immediate and short-term impact of alcohol is to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, and this effect on the first half of sleep may be partly the reason some people with insomnia use alcohol as a sleep aid,” Ebrahim says. “However, this is offset by having more disrupted sleep in the second half of the night.”\* ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/23 "2017-04-19T18:18:41Z")
I’m not disputing or discounting those who recommend melatonin, but it does absolutely nothing for me. I bought a bottle and tried it for several weeks. It did nothing to help me get to sleep or stay asleep. From what I’ve read, it works for some people and doesn’t for others. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/24 "2017-04-19T18:41:35Z")
I know it doesn’t work the same for everyone but, for me, melatonin is magic. I used to have regular recurrent insomnia and often had nights of only 3-4 hours of sleep. I started taking melatonin regularly and I can’t even remember my last bad night anymore. I take one before bed and then read in bed, and in 10 to 15 minutes I can’t even keep my eyes open. I often fall asleep and drop the book even. Can’t assure you will have the same results but I strongly recommend you give it a whirl. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/25 "2017-04-19T19:03:46Z")
I mix valerian root and melatonin. I love valerian root for calming down my brain when it’s my thoughts keeping me up. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/26 "2017-04-19T19:22:15Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > I mix valerian root and melatonin. I love valerian root for calming down my brain when it’s my thoughts keeping me up. I use a [Schiff brand of melatonin that combines it w/ valerian root, theanine and GABA that I get a year’s supply for under $7 at Costco](https://www.costco.com/Schiff-Melatonin-Ultra-3-mg.%2c-365-Tablets.product.100220283.html). I take one w/ two generic benadryl and I don’t get weird dreams (as I do w/ melatonin alone) but I _do_ sleep more than 5 hours. W/o them, I get about 4 good hours of sleep if I’m exhausted. This sleeplessness started w/ stress and continued w/ menopause starting in 2013. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/27 "2017-04-19T21:03:40Z")
I had never liked melatonin- it made me feel like I had a constricted blood flow through my neck especially on/after plane flights. So I’ve shifted over to 5-HTP which my partner and I think is the best stuff ever. We are out cold and sleep hard until morning- as in not remembering even rolling over during the night. No lingering effects and wide awake in the morning! I’ve been using it for 6 months on ~10 trips and works incredibly well! ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/28 "2017-04-19T21:18:22Z")
Another bad sleeper here. I just looked at the ingredients in Unisom and the tablets are doxylamine. The gels and “sleep minis” are diphenhydramine. The latter gives me a hangover (can’t wake up, really logy) the next day so I stay away from it. I’ve found that not eating sugar in the evening helps quite a bit. Also, my doctor told me that eating protein less than two hours before bed keeps the body awake because it has to work hard to digest it. She’s right! I can tell! So if I feel I need a bedtime snack I have some cheese with a couple crackers. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/29 "2017-04-19T21:19:54Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > I had never liked melatonin- it made me feel like I had a constricted blood flow through my neck especially on/after plane flights. So I’ve shifted over to 5-HTP which my partner and I think is the best stuff ever. We are out cold and sleep hard until morning- as in not remembering even rolling over during the night. No lingering effects and wide awake in the morning! I’ve been using it for 6 months on ~10 trips and works incredibly well! Huh. Never heard of this. Amazon has it, though - I may try it. ---
**Author:** ![ASanders](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asanders/32/3367_2.png) [@ASanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASanders)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/30 "2017-04-19T21:50:28Z")
Fascinating how different people react differently to things. My sleep miracle is Trader Joe’s chewable melatonin. One of those has the exact effect described above–I read for 10 minutes and am out like a light till morning. Benadryl and its ilk caused awful hangovers and didn’t work well anyway. But I take generic Zyrtec every morning to manage allergies. I also took 5-HTP for a whole to manage mood swings, and never noticed any related sleepiness. Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/31 "2017-04-19T23:13:36Z")
Yoga class. Really. I find it helps me sleep better, move better, breathe better. My best sleep happens the night after yoga class. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/32 "2017-04-19T23:39:56Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > I had never liked melatonin- it made me feel like I had a constricted blood flow through my neck especially on/after plane flights. So I’ve shifted over to 5-HTP which my partner and I think is the best stuff ever. We are out cold and sleep hard until morning- as in not remembering even rolling over during the night. No lingering effects and wide awake in the morning! I’ve been using it for 6 months on ~10 trips and works incredibly well! What dose do you use? ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/33 "2017-04-19T23:46:26Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Have you looked at your sleep habits? Things like not taking naps, going to bed at the same time every night, no noise or lights in your bedroom, whatever? > > Perhaps someone here has some recommendations. Yes, I’ve considered all that. Used to work at a sleep lab, ironically enough, so I’m aware of many of the doc-rec’d things to optimize best sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/34 "2017-04-19T23:47:49Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Do you drink anything with caffeine in it? No. Used to drink coffee regularly but haven’t for a few months. These days I drink water exclusively, with very occasional (couple times a month) wine with dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/35 "2017-04-19T23:49:17Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I’ve also used Tylenol PM in the past, and it worked for me, but after about a week of using it I became habituated and had to slowly wean myself off of it. It I tried to stop cold turkey I was guaranteed a very bad night’s sleep. So I can use it for a night or two now and then, but I have to be careful. YMMV. Joey P mentioned Tylenol PM too. I’d prefer to stay away from Tylenol. I’m not a fanatic about it but do keep in mind potential damage to organs. (I realize that’s with excessive use.) It’s the first thing I thought of, when the Unisom didn’t work, but I’m trying to hold off on going this route if something else works. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/36 "2017-04-19T23:50:42Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I agree with this. Perhaps assess your situation before reaching for drugs. As stated, create a good environment for you to get into sleep mode, such as no screen-time while trying to get to sleep, a cool, quiet and dark sleep environment, routine, etc. Also, eliminate caffeine in the afternoon, watch what you eat before bed-time, etc. There are all kinds of advice out there, you need to explore what may work for you. > > Also, porn and self-gratification can help with the “quickness” thing, if you are so inclined. 🙂 Actually tried your last suggestion a couple nights ago. Quite enjoyable, but I was still awake a couple hours later, unfortunately. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/37 "2017-04-19T23:53:10Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Like **PastTense** writes, look for a cause. > > As for me, I studied meditation in the 70’s. I repeat my mantra two times, and in 15 seconds I am asleep. Did you study TM by any chance? I do regular meditation and have a mantra of my own, but it’s not been helpful for this. Maybe I need to borrow yours! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/38 "2017-04-19T23:54:29Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > I’m not disputing or discounting those who recommend melatonin, but it does absolutely nothing for me. I bought a bottle and tried it for several weeks. It did nothing to help me get to sleep or stay asleep. From what I’ve read, it works for some people and doesn’t for others. I tried it about a year ago during another insomnia bout and my experience echoed yours - no seeming effect. I may give it a try again, perhaps in combination with valerian root as someone else here suggested. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/39 "2017-04-19T23:55:30Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > I mix valerian root and melatonin. I love valerian root for calming down my brain when it’s my thoughts keeping me up. I may try this. I tried melatonin alone about a year ago, with no effect. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726/40 "2017-04-19T23:56:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, try Melatonin first. > > Hot chamomile tea. Going to try melatonin and valerian root. Not wanting to do tea because one of the ‘sleep hygiene’ recs I’ve had from doctors before includes not having beverages past a certain hour (relative to when you plan to go to bed), to hedge against being wakened once you _do_ get to sleep by the need for the bathroom. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-non-rx-sleep-aid/784726.md?page=3)