best OTC sleep medication (for traveling)

[Anonymous]

I'm not familiar with all the options, but know I'll need something for a very long flight soon. Besides melatonin, what OTC pill do you recommend to help zonk you out?

[Anonymous]

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or Gravol (dimenhydrinate). Cheap, easily available pretty much anywhere, few side effects for either. Short half lives, meaning you shou,don't feel groggy the next day. Having been a. Nurse in a previous life, docs often issue a standing order for one or the other as a sleep aid (facility dependent).

Taking half of either is usually effective for most people as a sleep aid.

FWIW, a lot of the new sleep aids are just beefed up versions of these.. Packaged prettily and charging you more. Just get the generic version of either.

[Anonymous]

I take the generic version of Simply Sleep. I think it's the same formula as Benadryl.

[Anonymous]

Melatonin.

[Anonymous]

Benadryl. I'm an insomniac and my doc said it is safe to take a few times a week.

I'm not a fan of melatonin. If you choose it, make sure it isn't the "natural" kind (made from a cow's brain: that can't be a good idea). The vegan one also freaks me out, but for different reasons.

[Anonymous]

Hyland's Calms Forte.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hyland's Calms Forte.

Check the ingredients because some people are allergic to them.

[Anonymous]

Benadryl. I've also used valerian root, an herbal you can get in pill form at Whole Foods or health food stores. Both of them make me groggy for a long time, though. If I take either of them at night, I wake up groggy if I take them too late.