When L.L. Cool J
has a hard time coming down after a big show, a passel of
women in Angora sweaters massage his temples and fan his bottom.
If that doesn't work, his personal assistant can always run
over to Puffy's house for a "rapper's little helper." For
the rest of us, insomnia is a solitary affair. Let one of
these sleeping aids be your companion.
*PRICES
ARE APPROXIMATE; ITEMS CAN BE FOUND AT MOST DRUGSTORES.
MELATONIN
any brand will do, about $5-$10 for 25 doses*
When my 6-year-old brother learned the word "theory," he
started applying it to every concept of life: "My theory
about being hungry is you just eat. My theory about school
is you just sit there. My theory about books is you just
read them." Well, my theory about melatonin is you just
sleep. This stuff really works. Melatonin gets in sync with
your natural sleep cycle. So, if you're used to going to
bed at midnight, a dose of melatonin at 9 isn't going to
have a huge effect. But take one at 11:45 pm, and you're
guaranteed a restful, thorough eight hours.
SIMPLY SLEEP
$4.99 for 12 doses*
Since Tylenol PM got so popular--it was declared today's
drug of choice in US magazine--the makers decided
to market a drug that ditches Tylenol's pain-relief formula
and just focuses on the PM part. But these little blue pills
aren't all that to everyone. Both Tylenol PM and Simply
Sleep reliably bid you a potent goodnight, inducing a dreamless,
motionless slumber, but they can leave you feeling oddly
hollow the next day. They contain the active ingredient
diphenhydramine HCI, one of the strongest somniferous agents
on the over-the-counter market. Pharmacists recommend products
with this ingredient for severe insomnia cases; they can
leave the merely restless in a Snow White post-poisoned-apple
state.
UNISOM
$4.29 for 16 doses*
After Melatonin, Unisom is my favorite sleeping aid. Found
next to Tylenol PM and Simply Sleep in the drugstore, Unisom
employs a different active ingredient--doxylamine succinate.
This one is soporific but not slamming, rendering most users
less groggy than Tylenol poppers. (Unisom Extra Strength
does include diphenhydramine HCI.) I recently took a Unisom
sleeptab at 8 pm, knowing I had to rise early the next day.
Within a half-hour, I was peacefully resting. When the alarm
went off at 5:45 am the next morning, I was able to get
up effortlessly, and I felt refreshed all day. The only
downside was that because my sleep was so sound, I woke
up with one of those excruciating earaches you get from
lying in the same position all night.
VALERIAN
any brand will do, about $5-$10 for 30
doses, $8.99 for capsules*
Hangovers wouldn't be so bad if you could just sleep through
them. But alcohol hates morning sleep--especially if you
have any post-party anxiety about the events leading up
to the hangover. Valerian, a natural drug made from the
dried rhizomes and roots of the garden flower, is a wonderful
bedside companion. Long used as a sedative and antispasmodic
tonic, valerian soothes without delivering a Valium kick.
For some, it's not strong enough to counter fitful nights
but can lull you back to dreamland on hazy mornings. Just
stick to the capsule form; the tincture, which must be added
to water or juice, smells and tastes rotten enough to raise
the bogeyman.
HYLAND HOMEOPATHIC INSOMNIA
$6.49 for 50 doses
at Fred Meyer Nutrition Center, various locations
Hyland's Insomnia seems to be an unfortunate case of truth
in advertising. Despite upping the dosage to three tablets,
I found myself dealing with middle-of-the-night bathroom
visits and emergency bowls of cereal at 4 am. Usually, it
takes a few violent prods to wake up my boyfriend. After
he took this formula, though, it seemed that if I just stared
at him really hard, he'd open his eyes.
ORIGINS SLEEP PERCHANCE TO DREAM PILLOW MIST
$20
for 3.4 fluid ounces at the Origins counter, Nordstrom,
Meier & Frank
Have you ever let a fabric that wasn't 100-percent cotton
or silk touch your skin? Have you ever washed your hair
with Pert Plus? Have you ever scarfed a bag of Cheetos?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, Sleep Perchance
to Dream is not for you. Sorry, you're just not precious
enough. The new Sensory Therapy line from Origins also includes
a sleep-enhancing milk bath and relaxation gel. The products
are fragrantly delicious but hardly stack up next to drowsy-making
drugs. Pillow Mist does include aromas of lavender, valerian,
vanilla and neroli--an essential oil distilled from orange
blossoms--which are natural relaxants. Like wearing cute
pajamas or sleeping on fresh sheets, a spritz of lavender
can make your stay in bed more pleasant, but it's not going
to put you under.
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Willamette Week | originally
published October 20,
1999
|
