Have you tried just a Tylenol or aspirin? The first two are just another name for Benadryl which my doctor has warned me to no longer take unless absolutely needed.

Zzzquil has worked for SO. I use benadryl,but only if I have allergy symptoms too.

amylou Zzzquil is the same medicine as Benadryl. Look at the ingredients on both and you will confirm this. This is one of the reasons people overdose on OTC medications because they do not read and understand what they are taking.

Well, good for me I never take both.

To add to the above advice, avoid all multi-ingredient OTC medications. Almost every med is available as a single ingredient. Much safer to do it that way. Why take a "painkiller PM" type thing if you don't need the painkiller?

The reason I suggested the painkillers is that is what my doctor suggested I try when I was having a problem sleeping. One of the things they do beyond painkilling is to relax the muscles. Not something to take every day but then none of the sleep aides are supposed to be taken every day because besides damaging your health they become ineffective.

I've heard people say that they take Tylenol at bedtime for pain plus Tylenol PM for sleeping. That's close to a liver-damaging overdose. Tylenol is VERY toxic. Know what you are taking and why and don't confuse the ingredients.

I never post on this site, but I read it often and wanted to add a suggestion. As a longtime insomniac I have found the best OTC (for me) is Unisom Sleep Tabs - with Doxylamine not the gel pills that are Benadryl like the ones listed above. These pills can be broken into smaller portions so you can take only the amount you need that will not leave you groggy the next day. My doctor approved of these pills and said she recommends as they are non-habit forming and have no side-effects.

Unisom Sleep Tabs - with Doxylamine is still an antihistamine so if someone would take antihistamines for allergies along with these they could have an accidental overdose as sushipup mentioned. Since I am over 65 my doctor has cautioned me to avoid antihistamines as there is a relationship to some of them to various forms of dementia. I do still take them of various types for seasonal allergies but am careful to see if other things work first.

bostonoak - I think that the OTC meds you have mentioned are all forms of antihistamine. Before you try anything, make certain that you are not extremely sensitive or allergic to antihistamine - I am. You might already know this as it apparently is more commonly pointed out in the U.S. (I am Canadian) and I had to figure it out for myself - and also see an allergist.

I hope you find something that works for you. My dream in life is to sleep - and also to be able to take an antihistamine/decongestant when I have a cold!

Professional insomniac here...

I swear by Advil PM. I know what's in it, but for some reason the combination of the two together are very, very effective. Benadryl alone doesn't make me sleepy...

I've tried melatonin with no luck. I also am trying magnesium citrate--the jury is out on that. I also recently make my own edibles...not going into detail with that but it absolutely works.

Note: Depression/anxiety made me very very tired, but unable to go to sleep. So check all the underlying causes. Obviously I have to live with the depression so I'm having to treat the insomnia...

Good luck to you...see you at 2 am :(

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-940/melatonin