Several years ago, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson shared his relentless work ethic in 2 phrases: The Separation is in the Preparation, and No Time 2 Sleep.
Sorry, Russ. You may be the highest paid football player in the National Football League right now, and a hardworking, compassionate and generous young man, but when it comes to sleep, you’ve got it wrong. You Need 2 sleep!
Arianna Huffington, founder of the successful news website the Huffington Post and author of the books Thrive and The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time has credited getting adequate sleep as the key to her success: “When I get enough sleep, I am better at everything.”
According to Ms. Huffington, Russell Wilson isn’t the only one who devalues the need for sleep. Many Americans consider time spent sleeping as time NOT well spent. However, Amy Myers, M.D., physician and author of the book The Autoimmune Solution insists, “Sleep is medicine.”
How much sleep should you get? According to the Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org), most adults should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night.
Thirteen years ago, my 78-year old father finally had surgery to replace his left knee. In the final year of World War II he injured it while serving on a ship in the Pacific, but it never really bothered him until his early 70s. When the doctor told him he needed his knee replaced, he kept putting it off because of my mother’s progressing dementia. He insisted on taking care of her in their home, and it was only after she passed away that he had his knee replaced.
Rather than have him rehabilitate from surgery in a nursing home, my two sisters and I took turns staying with him around the clock, making sure he took his medicines and did his daily physical therapy. As the sister with a medical background as both an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and pharmacist, I covered his first weeks home from the hospital, driving him to his physical therapy appointments and other errands until he was medically cleared to do it himself.
On his very first night home from the hospital, I noticed that he’d slept for only three hours. Pouring him coffee the next morning, I mentioned it.
“Dad, you only slept for 3 hours last night. Are you SURE you’re not in pain?”
“The pain pills work just fine, Lulu. Three hours is pretty typical for me; I’ve had trouble sleeping for years.”
“Well, we’re going to have to do better than that or you won’t get better very fast. People who don’t sleep well, don’t heal well.”
My father took only two prescription medicines, and at 6 foot-one and 270 pounds, he’d never been very sensitive to pills, so on the way home from his physical therapy appointment that afternoon we stopped at his favorite grocery store to look for something to help him get more shut-eye.
As we headed toward the aisle with the sleeping medicines, I walked slowly so Dad and his walker could keep up with me.
I explained, “Over-the-counter sleeping pills come in two different formulas: one with diphenhydramine and one with doxylamine. The diphenhydramine lasts for about 6 hours and is a little safer in older adults than doxylamine, which can last up to 10 hours.”
We purchased a bottle of 25mg diphenhydramine rather than the 50mg maximum strength, and he tried one of them that night. It didn’t have much effect, so the next night we had him try the maximum dose of two tablets at bedtime. Dad was smiling as I poured him coffee the following morning.
“I slept for five hours straight before waking up. It’s been years since I’ve slept that well. That stuff really made a difference.”
Most over-the-counter (OTC) sleep-aid products contain an antihistamine, either diphenhydramine or its close cousin, doxylamine. But instead of just treating allergy symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing, these antihistamines are sold as sleep aids because they also cause significant drowsiness in most people.
Benadryl® (diphenhydramine) is available as a 25mg tablet or capsule in the allergy section of your grocery or pharmacy. But in the sleep aid section you’ll also find diphenhydramine for sale as Sominex®, Nytol®, and zzQuil® as well as 50mg Maximum Strength Unisom® tablets or capsules.
Tylenol PM® and Advil PM® have a mild painkiller in addition diphenhydramine. Tylenol PM® contains an extra strength Tylenol (acetaminophen) 500mg in each tablet and Advil PM® contains 200mg of ibuprofen.
Confusion, dry mouth, constipation, and urinary retention are common side effects of diphenhydramine and doxylamine and are even more likely if you are also taking a prescription medicine for bladder control, depression or insomnia. Avoid dry mouth, as it accelerates tooth decay and gum disease.
Here are 3 Tips on Taking a Non-prescription Sleep Aid:
- Avoid Alcohol.
Although it may relax you, it can also interfere with you staying asleep. Avoid alcohol entirely if you also take a narcotic pain medicine, even if you take your pain pill several hours before bedtime.
- Try diphenhydramine before doxylamine.
The sleepiness from doxylamine may last up to 10 hours compared to 6 hours for diphenhydramine. A longer-acting sleep aid is not always an advantage, because you can feel “hung over” if the effects of your sleeping pill haven’t worn off by the time you need to wake up.
- Start with half a dose at first.
Always start with half a dose of any new sleeping pill, in case you are sensitive to it. If you’re not sleepy within 30 minutes, go ahead and take the other half.
Sweet dreams!
