Can i take nyquil to help me sleep

You may recognize this blackout effect from another common substance: alcohol. That's because anything sedative—including both alcohol and antihistamine-containing sleep aids—can cause "disorders of confusional arousal," notes Alex Dimitriu, M.

Another potential and ironic side effect of some antihistamine-containing OTC sleep aids is less-than-great sleep. Lack of REM sleep can affect your memory, mood, cognitive performance, and even cell regeneration, so this can be pretty problematic. Antihistamine-containing OTC sleep aids often don't actually help you sleep longer either, notes Dr. Stahl says antihistamine-containing OTC sleep aids aren't considered an "addictive" substance, it's possible to get into the habit of needing them to sleep if they're overused, she explains.

And over time, they can become less effective at helping you snooze since your body easily builds up a tolerance to the medication, making your sleepless situation worse. So it's one thing to take a dose of NyQuil when you're sick and having a hard time sleeping. But taking an antihistamine-containing OTC sleep aid just to sleep better is unlikely to produce the desired result, says Dr.

Other side effects of antihistamine-containing OTC sleep aids can include dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, and balance and coordination problems, among others. And while antihistamines, in general, are a fairly common medication, there can be potential downsides to taking them regularly long-term. For example, research published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who took a standard dose of "first-generation antihistamines" which can include diphenhydramine—the one found in AdvilPM—among other types of antihistamines approximately once per week over a year period were at an increased risk of dementia.

One detail that made Cummings' story so scary was that it seems she'd never have found out it happened if she hadn't checked her security camera. After all, not everyone has security camera coverage all over their house. Luckily, though, there are some other smart ways to keep an eye on any unusual nighttime activity if you're taking an antihistamine-containing OTC sleep aid. So, looking at texts, internet activity, and calls might also be helpful, he says.

Experts agree that taking an OTC antihistamine-containing sleep aid like NyQuil every night isn't a great idea.

But if you need help sleeping occasionally, here's how to use OTC antihistamine-containing sleep aids safely. Tell your doctor if you're using them. One of the biggest reasons to do this is because OTC antihistamine-containing sleep aids can interact with other substances you might commonly use—like alcohol and marijuana, says Dr. N ever drive after taking them. So, hands off the wheel post-NyQuil. When our body is exposed to allergens, our body reacts by releasing the materials called histamines that directly attack your body and immunity.

Antihistamines help get rid of these chemicals and reduce the symptoms of allergies. In addition to that, antihistamines are responsible for helping relieve running and congested nose. They also help with persistent coughing and sneezing, which ultimately helps relieve the symptoms of common cold and flu. When combined, all three ingredients help NyQuil relieve the short-term symptoms of cold and flu. However, for stronger and more persistent infections, stronger and more effective medicines are used.

In case of a strong bacterial infection followed by a high fever, your healthcare provider may even prescribe you an antibiotic. Earlier we detailed the key ingredients of NyQuil.

Out of three, doxylamine stands out the most. All antihistamines are known to have soothing effects which ultimately result in feeling more sleepy and drowsy. In that sense, doxylamine will help you sleep easier and more comfortable, while your body is fighting off the ailment. Dextromethorphan is also partially to blame for sleepiness and drowsiness.

Aside from cough soothing effects, it can also produce dissociative hallucinogenic traits. However, they are not so prominent in NyQuil which makes it safe to use, but not abuse. NyQuil is good at treating viral and bacterial infections. Furthermore, its effects are only short-term. NyQuil is genuinely considered safe, but if used daily and long-term, you could end up developing an addiction to it, and the inability to fall asleep peacefully while consuming it.

With that in mind, not only abusing NyQuil is bad as goes with every other medicine it can also produce unwanted side-effects which we will detail below.

Just like with every medicine, using NyQuil has some potential side-effects. Abusing the mentioned medicine can lead to even more side-effects. Taking NyQuil can either cause you to have shorter, but deeper sleep, or longer sleep.

It all depends on individual factors, like how you react to the medicine. There are many natural sleep remedies that have been found to work for people who have trouble sleeping if you want to give something other than medicine a try.

Other than that, speaking directly with your doctor about your restless nights is always a smart place to start. Email wellness huffpost. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes.

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