If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep it might seem like a no-brainer to reach for the medications you take when you are sick and have to get rest. But what happens if you’re not sick – should you still be taking something like Nyquil as a sleep aid?
One of the concerns about using Nyquil, if you’re not battling a cold or flu, are the ingredients. The main component is Doxylamine Succinate, an antihistamine that induces drowsiness and also relieves a runny nose and sneezing. Nyquil also contains 10 percent alcohol. To compare, beer is about 4-6 percent alcohol and wine can average about 12 percent. Since Nyquil already contains those ingredients that are designed to put you to sleep it might seem like it should be ok, but many experts say using the medication for sleepless nights is not advised.
According to Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “’When used as directed, Nyquil does not present substantial risks, even with repeated use. It is better to stop using it for sleep-inducing purposes.’ So, while using Nyquil as directed is thought to be safe, taking it in ways that are not recommended can be dangerous.”
One of the side effects from using Nyquil to sleep is that you may become psychologically addicted to it, disrupting normal sleep patterns and thus making it harder to fall asleep. You may even find that instead of getting sleepy, you feel jittery and anxious. Either way you’re still wide-awake staring at the ceiling. There are other options you can try, including listening to relaxing sounds. You can find many of these sounds by downloading the Rain Rain app.
Keep Nyquil in your medicine cabinet for when you’re dealing with a cold and know there are safer ways to deal with insomnia and other sleep issues.