Benedryl and Sleep

[Amebix]

Hi,

If you take benedryl as a sleep aid, is the sleep as restfull as it would be if you fell asleep naturally? Whats a good dose to make sure you sleep the night through?

Thanks.

 

[Rondeau]

i take OTC sleep aid which is 50mg of diphenhydramine (pretty much benadryl). works well, but take it 45 minutes before you plan to fall asleep. take a shot with w/ it for good measure . also i have REALLY vivid nightmares on this stuff. like i had one i was being dragged off my bed and being tied down by gnomes just like the lillipucians haha. i actually enjoy the nightmare part. lemme know if you get the same response.

and in my experience the sleep is very restful and satisfying.

 

[deadricbloodgod]

I actually had this exact same question because I don't have access to benzos atm. Then I got some ambien and completely forgot about this but not I'm out lol.

My main concerns with taking DPH is how it affects REM sleep and waking up groggy(someone said this). Through some quick research I got this. There was more info but the sites didn't look entirely reputable.

From this thread:
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=28159

Many drugs (Alcohol, Opiates, anti-cholinergenics...) inhibit REM sleep, which is crucial for many bodily functions and a feeling of being well rested.

a few years back, my doctor had me take benadryl as a sleep aid because I had a vengeful multi year insomnia and she didn't want me hooked on prescriptions. I would strongly recommend against it. Every time I took it, I'd have horrid dreams, and my sleep itself would be less restful. Getting up in the morning was even more of a chore than normal.

And this from a article on benadryl uses for those with trouble breathing while sleeping because of allergies.

While some people take the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy relief medication to help them sleep, the prolonged use of it can disturb REM sleep cycles.

Perhaps someone can pull out some scientific research or some shit, or even some experiences. Wish I had some laying around right now

 

[vvViolet]

for me, using Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to get some sleep works quite well. about a third of the time i wake up a bit groggy but it's nothing a little caffeine can't help ya shake. besides, once you get moving around, the grogs shouldn't last any longer than an hour or so. in regard to dosing, i would start at 50mg. like Rondeau said, taking it about 45 minutes before you plan on falling asleep is the way to go. also, from my personal experience, diphenhydramine is a wacky drug. for instance, i'll take it just as i described above and then be in bed thinking "why haven't i fallen asleep yet?" next thing i know, it's the next morning. moral of the story: wait until you become familiar with its effects before you decide to re-dose because, in my experience, it can really knock you out in a flash. i find diphenhydramine to feel much less natural and much more "chemical" in doses higher than 50mg. nevertheless, i find it to be a very good sleep aid. lastly, keep in mind, unisom also puts out a sleep-aid that uses doxylamine succinate as its active ingredient. very similar to diphenhydramine. it's a more gentle drug (it sort of just whisks you away to sleepy town) though it lacks some of the punch of diphenhydramine. hope this all helps. good luck with your sleep!