Warning - may cause drowsiness. (Nytol Herbal Tablets)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Nytol Herbal Tablets
Date:	26/07/09 (352 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A natural sleep aid

Disadvantages: Doesn't solve problems.

I have been a poor sleeper all my life. I would like to take this opportunity to say sorry to my Mother for having to put up with me. - especially as a 12 year old, when I suffered severe insomnia, dropping to sleep at about 5am each night/morning. In those days, there was no such thing as all-night TV, so I had nothing to occupy myself during my midnight hours, so my poor Mother heard more than her fair share of "Muuuum, I can't sleep. Muuuuum I still can't sleep". Eventually, my GP put me on sleeping pills (at the age of 12!!!) which caused different problems, and as a result, I have seen sleeping pills as the very last resort ever since.

I have tried almost everything to help me sleep better - going to bed early, going to bed later, not eating after a certain time, not drinking alcohol, drinking alcohol (!), doing gentle exercise, doing more vigorous exercise, having milky drinks, sleeping with the window open, a blackout blind, no clock in my room, blah, blah, blah but still I don't sleep well.

One of the problems I have is that I am a "thinker" and I just cannot switch off. I live by brainstorming and mindmapping, and therefore it means that my brain can go off on a tangent linking several things together and running itself wild! Unfortunately, my brain doesn't seem to realise that there is a time and a place for brainstorming, and 2am is NOT IT!

I seem to fall asleep reasonably well at a reasonable hour - after all, I am tired beyond all reasonable belief - but I then wake up anytime from midnight onwards, and just can't seem to get back to sleep.....until about 5am, which gives me a whole hour before my alarm goes off for work. GAH!!

There have been a couple of times that I have gone to my GP as a last resort and asked for help, when my sleeplessness got to be more than just a problem I have to get on with, and was given drugs.....the problem was that although they made me sleep, it was not quality sleep, and I would wake up with a very hungover feeling and a heavy head. Not much fun - the effects of a hangover without the pleasure that usually preceeds such a hangover! I therefore stopped taking my pills very early on.

Now, when things get really bad, I take Nytol for a few nights. The idea is to get my brain to relax a bit, let it get naturally tired, and then to help me stay switched off until 6am....without being knocked out, and hungover when I wake up.

Nytol have been making over-the-counter sleeping tablets for some time now. There are two different types - herbal, and non-herbal. The non-herbal ones are in a blue box - normal strength can be bought off the shelf, the stronger ones are behind the pharmacy counter. These are made with an anti-histamine. So if you are the sort of person that feels drowsy when you have a hayfever tablet, you will know the sort of effect you will get from the blue Nytol box.

The herbal version, however, is in a green box, again on the shelf, and there are 30 tablets in a blister pack inside. The tablets are a blend of hops, valerian and passion flower - all of which have sedative and calming properties.

Simply take two tablets with water, about an hour before you go to bed. Do not take more than this, and do not take more if you wake up during the night. You should find that as you wind down towards bedtime, you are feeling nicely tired, and as you drift off to sleep, your mind switches off sufficiently for you to sleep through.

I find that these provide me with the right balance....I sleep better, but still wake up naturally at my usual 6am, so I don't have that feeling of enforced sleep, and enforced wakening.

The idea is, that a few days (or nights) of taking these breaks the no-sleep cycle, and so I can stop taking them, allowing my body to continue with its new sleep pattern for a while (before the stress of everyday life eventually leads me back to over-thinking again!).

Of course, you can take just one of these tablets instead of two, which is a good way of bringing yourself off them if you are worried about just stopping.

Which brings me onto the subject of addiction - these are widely assumed to not be addictive. But of course anything can be addicted if we come to rely on it. If you tell yourself you simply cannot sleep without the aid of these tablets, you will become reliant on them, and you will become addicted to them. They are not intended for long term use, but for a short term re-adjustment. Please do not keep taking them just because you think they are not addictive.

Of course, all these products come with the necessary risk warnings, and advice - do not drink alcohol whilst taking these, do not take them if you suffer from depression, if you are taking particular medicines, such as propanolol, and seek medical advice if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. In fact, if in doubt, speak to your GP or your pharmacist before taking these.

30 tablets gives you enough to take for 2 or 3 weeks, and if you are still not sleeping by then, you should see your GP (or discover the world of game shows on cable tv!).

Finally, they do tell you that they "May cause drowsiness"......well, I jolly well hope so! Othewise I have wasted my £4!!

Summary: Sweet dreams.....