I am taking a 14 hour flight and I always feel pretty nervous on planes and cannot fall asleep… I am looking for something that will really knock me out, but that is over the counter… any suggestions?
Yeah Melatonin and Tylenol PM/Benadryl seem to be two popular answers, any one compared the two?
Also, I’ve seen other answers as Valerian Extract… with that and Melatonin being natural remedies, would it be a bad idea to take both of them? Could that have bad side effects?

Melatonin

Is there a side effect of using over the counter sleep aids long term

Yes. They are VERY addictive and can make you drowsy OR very anxious during the day. Don’t do it! Call your physician instead.

I was wondering this cause i’m going to be starting a new job on friday where i have to be at work before 4am and i’m the type of person who is usually just starting to go to sleep at that time and i was wondering what was the best over the counter sleep aid to get one to fall asleep faster

None of the medicines for artificially inducing sleep are safe or even good for health. Sleep is controlled partially by the eyes and partially by the penial and other glands in the head, but there is also sensing system probably in the skin or sense of feeling to know the night and day and control sleep. Otherwise, the people who are unfortunate as not to have the capacity to see would not have been sleeping. All medicine aids for inducing sleep functions above the blood brain barrier (i.e. the Brahmarandhra in the wisdom of Vedas and Upanishads). This area and beyond are the realm of pure Ether in the body. Any substance which fundamentally works in the Head, sleep, memory, mind, thought, brain or intelligence which are not body parts, should be a derivative of Ether or Ether itself. Ether is the most minutest particle of any substance which is conceivable by human mind. These can be found in the lab in the form of amines, hydrocarbons, neurons, and beyond nano particles. Since these have been named with various names, the realization do not dawn that they are one and the same in various forms. Ether manifesting in different forms. Take for example Melatonin as someone has pointed as the best. Its chemical name is N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine. It is an amine, it has methyl-oxygen and acetyle. Methyl, Ethyl and Acetyle or in gas forms Methane Ethane and Ascetyline are the Trimurthi or triumvariate form of Ether. Basically they exist in these three forms apart from the two forms or duality as in Hydrogen and Carbon forming Hydrocarbons. Then comes the single form and further the Zero form if we go into the mathematical equivalence.

So when Melatonin is used, it directly interfere with the capacity of the eyes to differentiate between the day and night and sensing them with accuracy and deceive the penial gland into inducing sleep. In fact the natural process is interrupted and a damage is caused to the penial gland in the long run. Now penial glands are important glands for the development of children from age one to age 14. If you look at that information, you will find that a strong penial gland in the parents have a great bearing on the child going to be born to them in terms of the development of the child. If that is the case, the chances of an autistic child to such parent is a high percentage of chances. You can see that the amines or the medicines that are produced from alkaloids and amines which ending the IN and INE normally clasiffied as, are usually derivatives of psychotropic substances like opium, cannabis, or several kinds of mushrooms charged by the thunderstorms with abundants of Ether which affects the mind and thoughts and brain and creates hallucinations and delusion in the same way as lesser spirits, impure ether like alchohol creates in the head and benumbs the brain, and again as well as the physical presence of Ether in the form of spirits and Ghosts are similar to the mental hallucinations which these substances are capable of creating.

When we interfere with the fire in the body, the digestion goes out, there is problems with liver, splean, circulation of blood and therefore heart and ultimately manifests int he skin also. When you interfere with the water in the body, the shape of the body like obesity, thinness, strength of the body, the emotions, the perspiration, the excretion, the urination etc.etc. are affected. When we interfere with the element Air in the body, the movements of the body, the actions, the joints, the dryness, the lungs, the respiration and ailments leading to paralysis are manifested. When you interfere with Ether, the mind the brain, the memory, the awareness or consciousness, the intelligence, and all that is connected with metaphysical other than the physical body are affected. The powers are effected, the powers of sleeping, the powers of seeing, the powers of thinking, the powers of hearing, the powers of memorizing etc.etc. The fundamental truth to remember is that "Never to interfere with the natural course of the body and mind". We are in this world to create progeny and ensure continuity of the universe. Our actions whatever we do against natural laws are detrimental to the offsprings we have and their sufferings would be directly proportional to our actions as many ailments do have bearing on what kind of efficient and disease free organs and body we possessed before conceiving the child. It may be called the DNA the genetic factor of whatever. But the fundamental truth remains.

PS: I do not say melatonin is bad but its processing is wrong. You cannot expect a "B (-) group blood to be assimilated by a "A+". Similarly the improperly processed Ether cannot assimilate with naturally processed Ether in the body. Since Ether is at the mind level the reactions will be of Pscychic nature or at the mind level. Since mind is not visible to operate upon, one can only surmise and correct. Every doctor is not good at it and the net result would be ……….derrangements at that level. You can call it anxiety syndrome, panic attacks. etc.et.c.etc.

anything with this drug seems to give me restless leg syndrome.i know theres natural sleep aids and other things you can to do to help sleep.im just looking for a really good over the counter sleep aid.

The most effective over the counter insomnia drug is called Doxylamine succinate. There has been studies that show this drug works as well as, or better than, several prescription drugs, including some barbiturates.This drug is marketed as Unisom usually, and you can also buy a generic store brand that usually have a name like ‘nighttime sleep aid’ or something to that effect, It doesn’t cost much either. You need to check the back of the box because Unisom also makes a sleep aid product that uses Diphenhydramine as the active ingredient. You need to look for Doxylamine.

Another option is to try the motion sickness drug called Dimenhydrinate, which is sold under the brand name Dramamine. That stuff is more expensive than the others, and I am not all that impressed with the results.

Those two, and diphenhydramine, are all antihistamines. and you could have the same problem you had with diphenhydramine when using those other drugs. Only one way to find out which one is most effective, and that is to try them and see what happens.

There are worthless herbal medicines such as Valerian root and Kava kava, and you could also try melatonin, but I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for those to work.

I know someone that has trouble sleeping at night and they found an over the counter sleep aid that they really like that help them sleep and they were wondering if long term use of it would cause problems for them.

Diphenhydramine is the most common OTC sleep aid medication - its sold under dozens of brand names, but you most likely know it better as Benedryl - the allergy medication….its an antihistamine.

And people have been known to take it daily for years….

looking for something , i can go to to the local pharmacy , & get over the counter no hassle, something that will knock me out@ night time, cause I seriously cannot fall asleep, & I can’t take it, please don’t tell me to go to doctors & anything to that extent, cause I already have plenty of times, I just want something that will put me out @ night so I can sleep the whole nite no troubles ??

It is so frustrating to not be able to get the healing sleep your body needs, but do you want something that knocks you out or do you want something that works naturally with your body instead of against it? If you want the former then I can’t help you, but if you want the latter you can go to your local pharmacy and buy something called Melatonin. It generally comes in 3mg and 5mg doses. You should take 3mg to 6mg to start, then an additional 3mg to 5mg per hour until sleep is achieved. A study has been done where 500mg was taken daily for five years with no adverse side effects, and while I do not recommend taking this amount, you should be fine if you need to go up to 50mg or so.
In addition to Melatonin, you can drink Chamomile tea. Your local grocery store should carry Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea, or Sleepy Time Extra. You can safely drink this in addition to the Melatonin with good results. Sweeten with local honey and lemon to taste, and *no* table sugar.
As with any medication, you need to exercise caution when using these products. Do not drive, operate machinery, or make potentially life-altering decisions until you know how your body will be affected.
You also need to make sure you are eating good, whole foods, fresh veggies, and reduce your fat intake. Get good exercise daily. Find natural ways to relieve your stress, and when you want to sleep, do so in a dark room rather than falling asleep with the t.v. or other light source on.
If the sleeplessness is temporary, these changes should do the trick. If it lasts more than two weeks then you probably need to see a holistic doctor for further diagnosis.
You can also go to www.naturalnews.com and search insomnia. You will find a wealth of reliable information there.
Good luck and sweet dreams.

Is it bad to take over the counter sleep aids every night like Simply sleep, advil pm, or benadryl? I have been taking them nightly and my stomach has been sick for the past 3 weeks since I’ve been taking them. Do you really think these sleep aides could contribute to sickness? Is it bad to take them nightly?

most probably yes, your stomach may became irritated. However, being an OTC drug doesn’t mean you can take it for a long time.
You should be aware of being dependent on these sleeping pills.

"….Is it bad to take them nightly?"
They should be taken at bedtime

I’m not going to lie here. I’m addicted to Tylenol Pm or any of the over the counter sleeping aids. I can sleep good at night. I take them because I like how my body feels. The drowsiness, and waiting game excites me. I have been taking 2-6 pills during a whole day. I’m sort of depressed now, so the pills helps me escape.

How are these pills harmful.

I would like to commend you on being honest about being addicted to the pills. I think however you should consult a physician about being depressed.

As to the damage of using Tylenol, it has many effects mainly the liver. Please when or if you see your physician let them know about your addiction to tylenol. So that they will be able to fairly treat you

i ripped the sticker off the bottle so i dont remember what the specific drug is for the over-the-counter sleeping aid, but i got it at safeway lol
its too late ive already done it. i hope i wake up in the morning.
Im alive! thanks for al the help you guys.

OTC Pills and ativan won’t cause anything drastic, at most you’ll just be sleepier. Unless you take the whole box…then watch out.

So I never knew there were over the counter mild sleep aids such as "TYLENOL’s simply sleep" until I decided enough was enough with my forever on-going insomnia. JUST FOR THE RECORD!!! It’s not a pain reliever, it is not TYLENOL (Acetaminophen) it’s the same as BENADRYL (Diphenhydramine). For more technical information on this drug please go here:

http://www.tylenol.com/product_detail.jhtml?id=tylenol/pain/prod_ss.inc&prod=subpss#

Anyway, I went through periods of taking it every night, tried to stop and noticed I sleep so much better with it. I just sleep better when I take this. I can go to bed at a decent time and without it I’ll be up till 5/6am. So what if I take it every night like say for the rest of my life? Is that bad? Will I do harm to my liver and other organs in the long run? I already have been using the stuff for like two years. Should I stop now & just live a life without a good night’s rest? Am I just an addict?
Even though I feel fine and I’m healthy as a horse?

What will eventually happen is that it will stop working for you, that’s what happens with all sleep aids, over the counter and prescription. They work for awhile, then eventually your body becomes immune to it at that dose and you would have to increase the dose for it to be effective. But of course increasing the dose isn’t really an option because that can be dangerous. My friend started using a similar product to the one you use, and when it stopped working she went to another one, then another, and so on. She even started using some prescription sleep aids, and eventually all of them stop working. It’s really best to stop this and maybe have a sleep study done to see why you are having trouble sleeping. I know it’s not easy when you don’t get much sleep, I’m not much of a sleeper myself. But it really is best to not resort to sleep aids unless it’s only every once in awhile.