# Is nightquil the best sleeping aids without prescription ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519 "2016-01-08T19:39:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/21 "2017-04-05T02:31:03Z")
Nyquil is horrible stuff. To me at least. Sure it makes me _want_ to sleep, it just doesn’t _let_ me sleep. So to me, it gives me the worst of both worlds. Benedryl has that atypical reaction in me that wires me and makes sleep impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/22 "2017-04-05T02:50:27Z")
Another vote for melatonin. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/23 "2017-04-05T02:52:52Z")
It’s been three months; if he hasn’t gotten to sleep yet, it’s time to move on to prescription drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/24 "2017-04-05T04:40:59Z")
I guess I’m just echoing others, but…diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is good as a first resort. Doxylamine WILL knock you out, but I hope you don’t have anything crucial to do in the morning. Melatonin is nice, but tricky. Take a small dose a couple hours before bedtime, or take a healthy dose just before you sleep. Either way, though, you need to limit or eliminate light sources (as in, lie down and get ready for bed) or melatonin doesn’t really work. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/28 "2018-07-25T11:28:57Z")
Hubs, who was recently losing sleep during a flair up in sciatica, asked our Dr about an OTC sleep aid recommendation. Her response was, “Save your money and buy Gravol. Just as effective for most people.” And she was right! It works a charm. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/29 "2018-07-25T12:11:05Z")
I think the main cause for concern is depending what you are taking, if it gets to the point where you have to take it every night that can turn into a real issue. I have read some reports of people taking Benadryl experiencing hearing loss but I’m not sure if these individuals were literally taking it night after night or what. [https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/benadryl/hearing-loss/](https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/benadryl/hearing-loss/) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/31 "2018-07-25T14:29:02Z")
I take the WalMart brand of Tylenol PM or Advil PM. I only take one tablet and I fall asleep within 15-20 minutes. Of course, I always get up for a potty break at some point during the night but can usually fall right back to sleep. I don’t feel groggy in the morning at all. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/32 "2018-07-25T17:44:31Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Hubs, who was recently losing sleep during a flair up in sciatica, asked our Dr about an OTC sleep aid recommendation. > > Her response was, “Save your money and buy Gravol. Just as effective for most people.” > > And she was right! It works a charm. I had to Google Gravol. Here in the US, it’s Dramamine. Huh! Of all the sleep conversations I’ve read, Dramamine/dimenhydrinate has never been mentioned. Thanks for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/33 "2018-07-25T18:38:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Benedryl has that atypical reaction in me that wires me and makes sleep impossible. Count me in as another one who has that bad reaction. Diphenhydramine give me the feeling of restless legs, but all over my body. Ugh. However, I will note that I’ve taken diphenhydramine in desperation since it’s hard to find alternatives for nasal congestion, and when I’ve had to fly with a cold, having a bad case of the twitches is the lesser of two evils. As a result of grudgingly taking it occasionally over the years, I’ve discovered that my adverse reaction is not as bad as it used to be. (But it sure as heck doesn’t make me sleepy.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/34 "2018-07-25T19:55:44Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Generic Benadryl, diphenhydramine, is significantly cheaper than ZZZquil and it’s the same active ingredient. Yep. Diphenhydramine Hcl is the active ingredient. You can buy a jar of 500 for a few bucks. Much cheaper than zzzquil or Nyquil. Same with Tylenol PM or Advil PM. The real issue is that Nyquil has a large dose of Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and that can be very dangerous when taken with alcohol. Since Acetaminophen hides in many OTC medicines (and not a few prescription ones) it is very easy to exceed the safe dose. Obviously, Tylenol PM has Acetaminophen, I would avoid it for that reason. Diphenhydramine Hcl,\* taken as directed\*, is pretty safe. Try it with some melatonin. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/35 "2018-07-25T20:26:34Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I had to Google Gravol. Here in the US, it’s Dramamine. Huh! Of all the sleep conversations I’ve read, Dramamine/dimenhydrinate has never been mentioned. Thanks for the tip. I’ve never taken Dramanine as a sleep aid, but when I was on a Caribbean cruise a few years ago, and the ship encountered choppy seas one day, I took Dramanine…lordy, it was hard to stay awake while I was on it. I can totally believe it’d work as a sleep aid. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/36 "2018-07-25T20:55:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’ve never taken Dramanine as a sleep aid, but when I was on a Caribbean cruise a few years ago, and the ship encountered choppy seas one day, I took Dramanine…lordy, it was hard to stay awake while I was on it. I can totally believe it’d work as a sleep aid. Note that ginger is likely as good as Dramamine. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519/37 "2018-07-25T21:03:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Note that ginger is likely as good as Dramamine. If [Ginger](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21400000/Tina-Louise-as-Ginger-Grant-gilligans-island-21429743-640-480.jpg) were around, I’d definitely not be worrying about seasickness, and staying awake wouldn’t be a problem, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nightquil-the-best-sleeping-aids-without-prescription/742519.md?page=1)