Anyone tried OTC sleeping pills?

[OneTonNoodles]

I'm having trouble sleeping and it's making me crazy.

Is Nytol the best option?

They do work but go easy on them. Take the exact recommended amount when you're already settled in bed for the night and don't make a habit of it.
Speaking from bitter very long term experience I've only recently escaped.

Sorry to hear that. Was that the non herbal version?

Nytol one a night work well for me.

They aren’t perfect but at least I can get to sleep even if I still wake up after a few hours!

I find own brand is just as good, but I can see how they become addictive. I love the feeling they give me and I have to be very careful. Melatonin gummies also help me a bit. Not at the same time mind you.

Sominex is another option, usually works for me.

Nytol did work for me but I'd feel groggy in the morning, so not ideal and I'd have to take it early enough to offset that.

If it's a long-term problem, see a doctor - it could be something simple like perimenopause.

Short-term, sominex 'works' but is more of a knock-out sleep, and can leave you feeling very dopey the next day.

I recommend Melissa Dreams (lemon balm) especially if you have anxiety.

Piriton tablets help me. They're anthistamines. You take one and it only lasts 4 hours. If I take them in the day time I don't feel drowsy at all. If i can't sleep at night I go to bed take one, read for a bit then lie down with my eyes shut but not try to sleep. I try and think of stories in my head and keep them going for as long as possible. If I try to sleep it won't work! Sometimes even with not trying to sleep it won't work so I will pick up my phone and go on my sudoku app. I start with the easy ones and everytime I go complete one go to the next level until it gets so hard my brain is tired enough to let me go to sleep,

I found it amusing that when I purchased Nytol the pharmacist was apparently obliged to inform me that they may make me drowsy. Unfortunately she was wrong, they did nothing.

Sominex have been great for me, I’ve always had a deep snooze with promethazine. It helps with anxiety too. Don’t underestimate the strength of them though make sure you take them early enough and you aren’t driving first thing in the morning!

Nytol did nothing....try Phenergan, hay fever tablets, same ingredients as sominex but a fraction of the price...pharmacy will ask a few questions...i sometimes only take a half or a quarter and they work well.

I do have a sudden onset of anxiety which is contributing to it so the suggestions have been helpful. Thanks.

Can be a godsend when suffering chronic insomnia, but really easy to form an addiction. Would not use more than 2 nights in a row, and would limit to once or twice a week as well.

the hangover effect is real - do not expect to wake refreshed and energised. I would only use on weekends when I could recover as needed. I tend to buy mine in the US when I visit, and anti motion sickness tablets as well as melatonin work best for me.

not ashamed to use sleep aids when I really need to break a pattern / sleep at any cost, but they are such a sorry version of a good nights sleep. Worth working through more sustainable solutions. Finding a white noise that worked for me has been game changing. A weighted blanket and good bedtime hygiene have also helped.

Phenergan. I use them a few times a week as I have quite bad insomnia.

This has only been since I started the menopause - I take hrt etc and it hasn't helped with that.

I'd take half though as it works and sometimes I've felt dopey or needed to sleep way too long.

See you are suffering from anxiety- I have similar. I still have bad nights, but more good than bad due to

• meditation apps like headspace help teach strategies when anxiety strikes, including middle of the night waking and not being able to resettle
• white noise - ocean sounds specifically work for me, but it can be really personal
• A rigid routine for bedtime that includes an earlier lights off which means more flexibility if I have sleep issues

I take Tesco herbal sleep aid which are very good. They're cheap, so worth a go.

HRT helped with night sweats but did nothing for insomnia. But I was then prescribed Mirtazapine which has been the best thing ever. I've (mostly) slept well since. If it could be perimenopause, do see a doctor.

Sominex/phenargen will do the job, but it's not really restful sleep. You can feel drowsy the next day.

Supplements - 5HTP is supposed to be good, as is Melatonin. Not tried them personally.

Herbal - lavender, hops, chamomile and lemon balm are good. I like a chamomile tea, or Melissa (lemon balm) tablets.

Be cautious taking valerian, in some people it can trigger nightmares! More likely if you already have bad dreams, or are already sleep deprived.

I'm about to try CBD drops as I'm anxious about an upcoming event. The ones I've got are mixed with hops and lemon balm, so I'm hopeful <fingers crossed>

The older antihistamines are usually quite good for helping with sleep. The hospital prescribed me some once when my eczema was really bad. I think it was called Vallergan but not sure it was a while ago. They said take one or two so I happily took two that night, tried to get up for work the next morning but I just couldn’t stay awake and had to phone in sick. It was about 8pm that evening before I managed to get up for food then back in bed asleep until the next morning. I took a much smaller dose after that but they definitely helped me sleep.

Go pound land and get antihistamines its all that the expensive sleeping aids contain

I use Sominex every so often (a few days at a time about twice a year) if my insomnia has gotten so bad that I’m struggling to function and need to break the pattern. They make me drowsy without knocking me out and I feel much better the next day having had a proper sleep. The only issue I have is if I wake up during the night I can still find it difficult to get back to sleep again then.