[Scienceisgood]

Hey Guys;

Well, I am having trouble sleeping sometimes and am starting to get tired in the middle of the day (possible explanation could be hay fever). So, I was wondering if there are any sleeping pills I can buy in the UK (without a prescription basically).

If not, can you recommend a good thing to help me get to sleep which I can purchase please? (or pretty much knock me out for a few hours)

[Jubba]

http://www.boots.com/en/Nytol-16-Caplets_11325/

Try your local Pharmacy

[Daniel_R]

Ask your GP for Hydroxyzine then your killing 2 birds with 1 stone. its very easy to get just ask for it.

[hannah_dru]

Yes you can, there are various different ones available like Nytol, Boots Sleepeaze or herbal ones.

[beccafairy]

you can buy melatonin tablets from some health stores, melatonin is just a natural chemical that occurs in the body which makes you go to sleep, but sometimes you need a top up haha.

[cl_steele]

you can buy things like Nytol etc. over the counter however i've heard mixed success stories for these things, if you want the proper stuff you can only get it via prescription and from what ive heard Dr's are somewhat loathe to give out these due to the possibility of addiction etc.
An easy option is a night-cap though, works a treat

[daydreamnation]

5-htp. look it up.

[Bellissima]

yes, local pharmacy... i use tesco farmacy... they're called sleep aid or something... the bummer is i can only use them occaisionally

[PlanetTea]

(Original post by Scienceisgood)
Hey Guys;

Well, I am having trouble sleeping sometimes and am starting to get tired in the middle of the day (possible explanation could be hay fever). So, I was wondering if there are any sleeping pills I can buy in the UK (without a prescription basically).

If not, can you recommend a good thing to help me get to sleep which I can purchase please? (or pretty much knock me out for a few hours)

Night Nurse is good. But be very careful, you don't want to start taking sleeping pills every night.

[King Kebab]

Yeah, go to your local chemist.

[.Scout.]

You can get them from Boots/Superdrug however, I would only use this as a last resort as you don't want to become dependant on them.

First, make sure you don't eat after 9pm and certainly no caffeine.I did this and I found that I was able to fall asleep much easier. Plus, make sure you're in a routine. If you eat and then go to sleep at the same times each night it should too become easier to sleep.
If you're getting tired in the middle of the day maybe you need to look at your eating habits and try and eat food that release energy.

[Swi1ch]

As a general rule of thumb, if you're having severe difficulties sleeping, you're not getting anything strong enough to deal with it without a prescription. Whether you get anything worth having from your doctor depends on the doctor.

[pomme de terre]

(Original post by daydreamnation)
5-htp. look it up.

that can sometimes have the opposite effect tho

[moya]

A good pharmacy will just tell you to go and see a doctor, as no amount of sleep pills will fix your problem, unless...why not buy those anti-histamines which also make you tired? Wouldn't taking it before bed help with the hayfever which would then help you sleep directly? I actually know nothing about hayfever so I don't know when you are supposed to take the medications.

[jimbo139]

yes, there are lots of over-the-counter sleeping medicines available, as well as some you can get on prescription from your GP. But sleeping tablets are a quick-fix, and although they're sometimes useful I'd suggest you try other approaches first.

If you are already taking sedative anti-histamines, this may cause you to be tired during the day - if you find them essential, you could try changing the time you take them so that the sedative effect helps you sleep at night rather than making you sleep during the day.

Even if you're tired, try not to have a nap during the day as this disrupts your diurnal rhythm and makes it much harder to sleep at night.

Also try to cut out caffeine and other stimulants from lunchtime onwards

Make sure you don't do mentally demanding or anxiety-inducing work in the hour or so before bed, as this will often leave you mentally buzzing and unable to relax and get off to sleep

Instead, try having a bath, reading a book, listening to calming music, or meditating to ensure you are ready to go to sleep at the appropriate time.