What is the best nonprescription sleep medication?

Mary J Wanna

Cyanide.

I usually take Benadryl. Lord knows it makes you sleepy when you’re just taking it for allergies.

Exercise may work.
Here are a couple of sites with suggestions:
5 natural ways
41 tips

I have tried a dietary supplement called melatonin that seems to work for me. It is non prescription.

Benadryl helped neither my insomnia nor my allergies. And I had my hopes up. Sometimes a few days on an Rx for sleeping will break the cycle. I use exercise, D3, B complex, calcium and Milo (a breathing hotwater bottle).

Advil PM

Advil PM is just Advil with Benadryl in it…just so you know.

try watching Mayberry re runs on late night cable television.

Even better… Little house on the Prairie syndication snore

No cable here in hicksville. (Hi, Jean).

Melatonin. Available at heath food stores, 5 mg dose, useful during long airline flights as well as when you just can’t fall asleep at home. (Hi, Gail!)

Another vote for melatonin.

Self-hypnosis.

Like Jack, hypnosis. Check out Travis Fox

It worked wonders for me. I no longer have to take a sleeping pill at night

Thanks for the back-up, Comedian; you’ve been added to my Will.

I had a friend once tell me, “Insomnia isn’t worth losing any sleep over.”

Kava if you can get it where you are. I get it from the local supermarket already ground in 100g bags. It’s a great relaxant, first your tongue goes numb then your legs. Or Doxylamine Succinate which is an antihistamine that acts as a calmative and sedative. I get it in an over-the-counter pain reliever called Mersyndol.

@Jack: Thanks. What do I get?

A book

ew

Valerian

not to be a downer, but I was just looking at this article about valerian:

“Dr. Andy Oxman, a senior scientist at the Norwegian Knowledge Center for the Health Services” conducted a clinical trial on the use of valerian root as a sleep aid, with the following conclusion:

“Then, the results were announced on the TV show and published: Valerian had little or no effect on sleep. Some who maintained they had the supplement actually had the placebo and vice versa.”

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/health/nutrition/07Best.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin

Thanks for posting that. I took valerian years ago, and it seemed to help me. I guess it was all in my head! I stopped taking it because the smell/taste was nasty..eww!!

melatonin

Chamomile tea. It’s amazing.

Melatonin mixed with Benedryl or Valerian Root works great.

And yes, the combo is safe, as long as you don’t take more than 1 suggested dose for each medicine (2 benedryls 25mg + 1 melatonin 3mg OR 1 melatonin 3mg plus 5 to 9 valerian root capsules)

@Zen: Camomile tea is also wonderful for powdery mildew on plants.

Melatonin, sublingual.