Pain medications aren’t the only OTC offenders here. Other secret sleep disruptors hiding in your medicine cabinet include popular headache medicines, decongestants, and even cold & flu aids. If you’re curious to know what they are, read on, because here we’ve listed just some of the OTC medicines you shouldn’t put in your body around the same time you’re fluffing your pillow. And if you’re in desperate need of better sleep, make sure you’re fully up-to-speed on these 10 Genius Tricks for Falling Back Asleep in the Middle of the Night.
This popular decongestant can work wonders for your sinuses and help you fight back a cold, but it’s not so great for catching zzz’s. One key ingredient in Sudafed for relieving nasal congestion is pseudoephedrine. “Pseudoephedrine will often make it difficult for people to both go to sleep and stay asleep,” says Kerr.
“This is a popular solution for headaches. However, Excedrin contains caffeine, which is obviously a stimulant that makes your brain more alert,” says Alex Savy, a certified sleep science coach and the founder of Sleeping Ocean. “Naturally, this can reduce one’s sleep quality and makes it hard to fall asleep, especially if the pill was taken a few hours before bed.” There are good alternatives for Exedrin users, however. “If you have a headache at night, take the remedy that does not include caffeine that can cause jitters and keep you wide awake. At night, it is best to choose from aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen because these do not contain caffeine,” says Lynell Ross, the founder and editor of Zivadream. Yes, this popular cold and allergy medicine is well-known to make you sleep, but don’t be fooled into thinking you’re getting good-quality sleep. “Benadryl is favored by many users thanks to the drowsiness effect it has on one’s body. Now, while feeling drowsy really can help you fall asleep faster, Benadryl won’t do your sleep quality any favors,” Savy says. “This medicine forces the brain to spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep. This means reduced sleep quality. And when you wake up after eight hours of slumber, you will be likely to feel like you’ve had only five.”
“As harmless as it may seem, NyQuil can also affect one’s sleep and reduce its quality,” says Savy. “While it can make some people feel drowsy, others may experience nervousness or can feel more active after taking the medicine, which may disrupt their sleep (if the medicine is taken in the evening).” ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Though not technically over-the-counter, more than 20 million Americans take these ubiquitous drugs that are used to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure. (A few examples include Lopressor, Toprol, Tenormin, and Betapace.) But they’ve got a long history of disturbing sleep. “Beta-blockers may cause nightmares and nighttime waking,” says Wayne Ross, a senior researcher at Inside Bedroom. By slowing the secretion of melatonin, the body’s hormone devoted to regulating your internal clock, beta blockers have been known to promote chronic insomnia. If you need to take beta blockers, consider taking melatonin supplements. A study published in Sleep found the beta blocker users who availed themselves of melatonin before bed had a much more restful night’s sleep. And for more amazing sleep advice, don’t miss these 50 Tips for Sleeping Better Tonight, According to Experts.
