Getting a good nightssleepis paramount to your health.
So, how bad is this really?
Heres what you oughta know about taking an antihistamine to fall asleep.
andresr/Getty Images
The main ingredient in that fast-acting antihistamine is diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPH).
The sleepy part is really just a side effect listed on the box.
(The nature of this relationship is not well understood.)
Heres how doctors feel about using DPH to help you fall asleep.
Its very attractive to people because its an over-the-counter medication, says Dr. Rapoport.
Its [seen as] a quick and dirty way to fix your insomnia.
But, OK, how bad is it in a pinch?
But there are a couple things doctors want you to be aware of first.
it’s possible for you to alsobuild up a tolerance to DPH fairly quickly.
[Antihistamines] tend to stop working, Dr. Rapoport says.
The body adapts to them.
This means you will need to take an increasingly higher dose to achieve the same effect.
Higher doses mean a greater risk of side effects, like next-morning sleepiness.
But only one is indicated for helping you fall asleep.
Although Benadryl lists marked drowsinessas a potential side effect, it is not indicated for sleep on its packaging.
ZzzQuil products, on the other hand, have the exact same active ingredient.
(Except for one that only has the active ingredientmelatonin.)
When reached for comment, Procter & Gamble, the makers of ZzzQuil, emphasized these instructions.
So, why is one drug marketed as an antihistamine and one marketed as a sleep aid?
It comes down to how over-the-counter drugs are regulated by the FDA.
As long as a medication conforms to one of these monographs, it can be marketed as either one.
Also, as Dr. Pelayo points out, different drugs contain additional ingredients that are listed as inactive.
Its easy to think an inactive ingredient doesnt do anything, but thats not true.
Drugs containing DPH can exacerbate certain underlying conditions you may have, likeasthmaand sleep apnea.)
Treating that condition can in turn help relieve the insomnia.
If your sleeplessness has no apparent cause, then its called primary or idiopathic insomnia.
The good news is that its very treatable, Dr. Pelayo says.
A therapist can help you identify and change thoughts and behaviors that may be affecting your sleep.
There are even therapists who specialize inCBT for insomnia.
Check in with your doctor for more suitable options.
Update: This post has been updated to include additional information about drug monographs.
