Can’t Sleep? Try These 12 Remedies
By Suzy Cohen, Lifescript Pharmacist
Between the shaky stock market, plunging home values and unemployment, there’s plenty to keep you awake these days. Don’t let the constant toss-and-turn ruin your health. Here are 12 remedies that’ll help bring on the zzz’s. Plus, test your sleep smarts with our quiz…
It’s 2 a.m. and you’re still awake. You’ve tried reading, watching TV, maybe even downed a cocktail or two – nothing works.
Sound familiar? It’s not just a matter of not feeling rested. Without enough sleep, you’re likely to gain weight, eat unhealthy food, smoke and skip exercise.
Whether you’re sleepless in Seattle, St. Louis or Salem, you have lots of company: According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, more than a quarter of Americans are losing sleep over financial worries.
Read on for a list of the most common (and strange) remedies that can help you wake up refreshed. (As always, check with your doctor before using any of these.)
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Sleep Aids
1. Nytol or Sominex (Diphenhydramine)
These two popular over-the-counter remedies contain antihistamine, an ingredient usually for allergies.
They relieve sneezing, itchy eyes and other allergy symptoms, but the active ingredient – diphenhydramine – also makes you sleepy. So the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved these drugs as sleep aids.
Who’s it for? People who worry about becoming addicted to prescription drugs. They don’t require a doctor’s visit, and they’re often cheaper than prescription drugs.
Watch out: Too much of these drugs will cause side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention and blurred vision.
They can also cause headaches and daytime dizziness, so don’t drive if you feel “fuzzy.” Men with enlarged prostates should avoid them because the drugs may inhibit their ability to urinate.
