If you've ever had trouble sleeping before, chances are you've considered getting yourself a sleeping pill of some kind.  This is due, largely in part, to the fact that these medications are heavily advertised.  Often times, you'll see these products being plugged on late TV.  This makes perfect sense really, as folks watching TV at 3AM would probably rather be sleeping...  Now, there are really essentially two different types of sleep aids available.  One type is available only through a prescription.  These drugs, such as Lunesta and Doral, are designed for men and women who have serious sleeping disorders.  The other type of pill is available for sale to anyone.  We generally refer to these products as over the counter sleep aids.

The over the counter sleep aid is not meant for people with more serious sleeping problems. This type of pill works great for those of us that experience temporary insomnia though. There are a few situations where temporary sleeping problems seem to come up. One is related to illness. People who are in pain often have trouble sleeping. This is really unfortunate because said people need sleep in order to heal. For men and women in this situation, a doctor will often prescribe some kind of a sleeping pill to ensure the patient gets some rest. Another common use of over the counter sleep aids comes up when we travel. If you've ever flown through multiple time zones on a long haul flight, chances are your internal clock was thrown off quite a bit. OTC sleeping aids can help us get back into a normal routine quickly.

Two Types Of Over The Counter Sleep Aids

So, if you're looking for a temporary fix to your sleeping woes, you basically have two choices.  The most common forms of these meds are known as diphenhydramine.  Common brand names that you'd probably recognize include Nytol, Sominex and Sleepinal.  The other type of OTC sleeping aid is doxylamine.  Unisom and Nighttime Sleep Aid are two of the more popular products that use this drug.  All these products are quite similar.  They're basically a combination of antihistamine and sedative.  If you have allergies to anything, you probably know that an antihistamine can cause drowsiness.  This is the sensation you'll feel when taking one of the pills outlined above.  One thing about these pills is that a tolerance is typically developed quickly by the user.  This means that the pill, if used too often, will be less and less effective over time.  Because OTC sleep aids should only be used in certain situations, this usually doesn't come up.

There are a few side effects to these products as well.  The most common one seems to be drowsiness.  This is all well in good if you want to get to sleep.  The problem is, these drowsy feelings often continue into the next day as well.  This can effect your driving, working and socializing abilities.  You may want to discontinue use or at least lower the dosage if this side effect doesn't go away.  Constipation and dry mouth are other common symptoms that OTC sleeping aid users experience.

So what's the best over the counter sleep aid?  This is a really tough question to answer.  Now while these products are available to everyone, it's still a good idea to consult a health care professional before using one.  There are also a ton of good resources online to help you out.  Read some reviews, check out a few product sites and make an informed decision.  You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for reading and sweet dreams!