5 Reasons Why Over the Counter Sleep Aids are Popular

Prescription sleeping medication like Rozerem seems promising without the problems of dependence and rebound insomnia. However, people continue to look to OTC sleep aids as alternatives. These may not boast the same effectiveness as prescription sleeping medication and their hangover side effects are infamous. Here are the 5 actual reasons observed why OTC sleep aids are still very popular.

1. It's convenient. That's obvious. The most popular ones are the antihistamines that have FDA's approval for use as OTC sleep aids so you don't have to get a doctors' prescription. It is a recognized fact today that having the occasional or transcient insomnia due to work or lifestyle circumstances is common. OTC sleep aids are recognized to be useful in such situations. The only problem is that some people might start to rely on them out of habit and take them long term instead.

2. There are less surprises. These antihistamines have been around for a long time, much longer than the popular prescription sleeping medications like Ambien and Lunesta. Antihistamines are decades old while non-benzodiazepines like Ambien emerged in the 1990s. Hence, the probability of unknown dangerous side effects is much lower for antihistamine OTC sleep aids.

As it is, doctors are usually wary of new sleeping medications that have not stood the test of time. This is one of the 2 major objections from prescribers that any drug company faces when marketing a new medication. Painful lessons were learnt with the withdrawal of drugs like Vioxx, the painkiller and Avandia for diabetes.

It must be noted however that supplement OTC sleep aids differ from antihistamines. Supplements do not require FDA approval as over the counter sleep aids and hence, long term safety have not been documented all along.

3. The lesser evil. The side effects of OTC sleep aids are deemed the lesser evil. Most people put up with the infamous hangover side effect or have simply adapted how they take the OTC sleep aids e.g. smaller doses or just sleep earlier and longer. Granted these hangovers and other related side effects can be extreme for some people. However, next day drowsiness seems less bizarre than unconsciously sleepwalking on prescription sleeping medications. FDA has recently required that stronger warnings were added to sleeping medications' labels about these side effects that can be life threatening.

4. Cheaper than a can of coke. An OTC sleep aid costs only 30-40 cents compared to Lunesta at $3-$4 a tab. People are happy to resolve their sleeplessness at lower cost and lower risks. Cost is always a major deciding factor if the additional benefits of prescription sleeping medication don't measure up to the price difference.

5. Instant lifestyle. Change is constant and fast for this sleepless 24/7 generation. We want both instant gratification and instant solutions for our stress filled lives. OTC sleep aids are readily pocketed along with our Blackberrys and iPods.

It goes without saying that there is no magic panacea for insomnia. Over the counter sleep aids are best used for the occasional insomnia at recommended doses. You will develop tolerance if used longer than necessary. As with prescription sleeping medications, OTC sleep aids must be taken responsibly i.e. being aware of possible drug interactions with any current medication, resolving the underlying cause of insomnia, etc.

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Sleep Aids Sales Rises

MORE than one in four Americans say they are literally losing sleep over the economic downturn — tossing and turning over personal finances, the economy, job security or health care costs.

Those were the results of a poll released last month by the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit group financed by federal and private sources that include health care companies like Merck, Wyeth and Johnson & Johnson and mattress makers like Sealy.

It is little surprise, then, that some over-the-counter sleeping pills have been doing a brisk business in recent months.

In the four-week period that ended March 22, sales of Advil PM tablets, which combine a sleeping aid with a pain reliever, were up 16 percent compared with the same period a year ago, according to Information Resources Inc., whose totals do not include sales at Wal-Mart. The brand’s year-over-year increases for the previous four weeks were even sharper, rising 33 percent, and were up 26 percent the month before that.

Sales of Tylenol PM, the leading pain-relieving sleeping pill, were up 6 percent year-over-year for the month that ended March 22, according to Information Resources, a market research company in Chicago.

There is plenty of sheep-counting even in the best of financial times. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 30 percent of Americans have trouble sleeping and 10 percent have some form of insomnia; their daytime symptoms include moodiness as well as impaired concentration and memory.

But economic factors do weigh heavily. A survey done by the market research firm Experian Simmons in 2008 found that those with household incomes under $25,000 were 48 percent more likely than the general population to have sleep disorders, and those with no employed adults in the household were 45 percent more prone.

According to a recent report by the market research firm Packaged Facts, the age group most likely to suffer from insomnia are people 55 to 64 years old, who may suffer from arthritis or other ailments and are 26 percent more likely than the average consumer to buy pain-relieving sleep aids.

“Not only does this age group have to deal with the pains of getting old, but they are also most affected by the financial crisis, a huge headache in and of itself,” the Packaged Facts report said.

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In an Advil PM television ad now running broadly — by Grey New York, part of the Grey Group division of WPP — a couple on a camping trip tuck into side-by-side sleeping bags — hers blue with the Advil PM logo, his red like Tylenol PM packaging.

Then, a third pajama-clad actor, holding a lantern outside the tent, announces it is the “middle of the night,” and the woman is shown sleeping peacefully while the man rubs his lower back and neck, grimacing.

“With Advil PM, she’s spending less time lying awake with aches and pains, and more time asleep,” the actor says. “He should switch to Advil PM. Maybe you should switch too.”

Sales of Advil PM, which was introduced in 2006, grew 17 percent in 2008, making it the fastest growing product for Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, whose overall sales for the year were “slightly down,” according to Doug Petkus, a spokesman for the company. The company has done comparative ads that mention Tylenol PM since Advil PM’s introduction, he said.

Nearly two decades ago, Tylenol PM was the upstart, challenging Excedrin PM, which introduced the first nighttime pain pills in 1969. In 1992, the year after Johnson & Johnson introduced Tylenol PM, a judge dismissed a lawsuit by Excedrin PM claiming that its new competitor’s use of “PM” and its packaging constituted a trademark violation.

Representatives from both McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the Johnson & Johnson division that makes Tylenol PM, and Novartis Consumer Health, which makes Excedrin PM, declined requests for interviews.

Packaged Facts estimates the entire over-the-counter sleep aids market for 2008 at $604 million, and painkilling sleeping pills account for 61 percent of that ($370 million). Leading the nighttime analgesics market is Tylenol PM, with a 50 percent share, followed by Advil PM (23 percent), store brands and other private labels (19 percent) and Excedrin PM (7 percent), according to Packaged Facts.

The active ingredients in most over-the-counter sleeping pills are antihistamines, like those in allergy pills. Sominex, Advil PM, Tylenol PM and Excedrin PM all contain diphenhydramine — the same active ingredient as Benadryl, an allergy medicine. (Benadryl describes diphenhydramine on its label as an “antihistamine” while the sleeping pill labels describe it as a “sleep aid.”)

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Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the sleep disorders program at Northwestern University, says she has had patients for whom over-the-counter pills have been effective, but she added that the medicines were not risk-free and discouraged using them more than occasionally.

“If you take something like Advil PM intermittently when you have pain and can’t sleep, that’s a reasonable approach,” Dr. Zee said. “But I don’t think there really have been long-term studies to look at their safety and efficacy when taken on a long-term basis.”

In a 2005 report about insomnia, the National Institutes of Health cited “significant concerns about risks” of such antihistamine sleeping pills, including “residual daytime sedation, diminished cognitive function and delirium, the latter being of particular concern in the elderly.”

For those lying awake worrying about money, meanwhile, one way out of their financial predicament might be to develop solutions for people lying awake worrying about money.

Packaged Facts projects that sleeping aids — not just medication but a host of products including herbal supplements, travel aids like neck pillows, sound machines and sleep masks — will continue to grow as much as 10 percent annually through 2013.

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Over the Counter Sleep Aids - What you need to know

Are you suffering from insomnia? Or are you having trouble getting sleep, or staying asleep? If yes, read the article entitled Over-the-Counter Sleep Aids: Learn about OTC Sleep Aids - What you need to know to get your sleep cycle back on track by Edith Brent. Read the article below.

If you regularly find yourself having trouble getting to sleep, or staying asleep, then you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. These disorders are broadly covered under the term 'insomnia' but the truth is that every single one is different. Many people search for quick answers, but do over the counter sleep aids provide you with what you need?

Often, these sleep aids come in the form of sleeping pills. There are a number of different types available without prescription. They are very easy to take, cheap to buy, and you won't have to worry about seeing a doctor.

However, the main problem with these over the counter sleep aids is that they are drugs that can leave you feeling very groggy the next day. Although they do help you to get to sleep, you may still feel tired and find that your sleep patterns don't get back on track.

In fact, these sleeping pills come with a number of side effects. They use antihistamines, which have a number of side effects including a dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, constipation and more.

The great news is that not all over the counter sleep aids come in the form of sleeping pills. Why not try some herbal remedies? There are a number of options available in health food shops which can include teas and aromatherapy.

It's also important to remember that your sleeping condition may be a symptom of something more serious. This is why you should always see a doctor for advice.

Sleeping pills can be useful occasionally, but finding sleep aids that really work is crucial to maintaining the right cycle of sleep.

It's important to learn how to find the right treatment for insomnia, one that does not rely on drugs but that really gets your sleep cycle on track. Check out the top sleep aids for chronic insomnia and try using one that isn't based on medication.

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Best Over the Counter Sleeping Pills

Are you on the lookout for the only over the counter sleep aids which can transform your restless nights into peaceful sleep each night? If you are like lots of others who are suffering from sleep defects like sleeplessness then you can find an easier way to eliminate these problems through the use of trustworthy sleeping tablets. If yes read the article below written by Tracey Walker

I know the market is so much crowded with these sorts of medicines that it becomes virtually a headache for us to find the perfect one. Read further to know how you can get the most trustworthy sleeping aids without getting scammed. There are some sleeping aid brands like Tylenol Pm, Unisom and Sominex which uses antihistamine. This ingredient is also employed in all allergy drugs.

So when you use these kinds of tablets then you're feeling sleepy and knackered when you wake up in the morning. Natural over the counter sleeping aids are the best sorts of pills to try when you suffer from sleep aberrations. They don't possess any kind of side effects as in the case of above types of medical pills. One more type is sleeping tablets prescribed by your medical specialist.

These are more susceptible to complications like depression, loss of memory and daydreaming. They're actually more powerful as compared to other kinds of tablets and that's the reason why they create immediate results but also provides more complications. Now I am not telling you to duck your health practitioner for pharmaceuticals but if if you can go for natural over the counter sleeping pills. They're having few side effects in comparison to the tablets prescribed by your physician.

I know how difficult and unpleasant it is to not having sleep for consecutive days. I will feel your discomfort and suffering due to those sleep-deprived nights. So instead of living in this with this problem, I advise that you to try the natural over the counter sleeping aids which can make your restless nights peaceful and happy.

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