Are you struggling with getting to sleep at night? Most people experience insomnia from time to time, but some remedies that are purported to help you get more rest may not work — and could even be harmful.
Here’s what experts have to say about alcohol, allergy medications, sleep trackers and apps, cannabidiol, and prescription sleep medication.
A glass of wine or shot of whiskey may help you relax before bed and allow you to fall asleep faster. The problem is, you probably won’t stay asleep: “Alcohol makes sleep more fragmented, so you wake up more often during the night,” says Jamie Zeitzer, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences (sleep medicine) at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
Research suggests that while drinking alcohol may shorten the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep, it will ultimately disrupt your quality of sleep in the second half of the night. The reason: It’s likely that many of the brain systems and neurotransmitters associated with sleep–wake regulation are also influenced by alcohol, according to a study that examined how alcohol consumption and binge drinking are associated with sleep quality over a period of 36 years.
Alcohol can also worsen obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that causes pauses in breathing while you sleep and can result in poor sleep and extreme daytime fatigue, says Sheila Tsai, MD, professor and section head of sleep medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver. Weak muscle tone in the upper airway can cause sleep apnea, and alcohol further reduces muscle tone, which can make sleep apnea worse, Dr. Zeitzer adds.
Over-the-counter allergy medicines like Benadryl contain diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that’s used to treat sneezing, runny nose, hives, watery eyes, and other cold or allergy symptoms. Diphenhydramine is also known to cause drowsiness.
Though you may be tempted to use allergy meds as a sleep aid because of this effect, evidence suggests that these medications don’t significantly improve sleep. Therefore, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s current clinical guidelines do not recommend using diphenhydramine to treat insomnia.
Plus, antihistamines like diphenhydramine can cause annoying side effects such as dry mouth,
daytime drowsiness, and dizziness. And in older adults, they can cause dangerous side effects, including confusion and blurred vision.
Sleep apps and trackers like WHOOP and Apple Watch may sound like helpful tools to improve sleep, but for the most part, they only tell you how well you slept (or didn’t), as opposed to pinpointing possible reasons for your insomnia.
“If they were able to give more targeted feedback, then they would become useful,” Zeitzer says. For example, it might be helpful to learn that your bedroom was too hot, or that you exercised or ate too late in the day.
While sleep apps are used to screen for various conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and periodic limb movement disorder, most of them do not demonstrate enough evidence to support their claims, notes one article.
CBD, an active ingredient in cannabis (aka marijuana), is known for its calming effects, and there is some research that has examined whether it can help people with insomnia.
One clinical study published in January 2025, which looked at individuals with insomnia, found that some formulations of CBD helped improve sleep quality, specifically by increasing deep sleep and rapid-eye movement sleep.
Another systematic review found that CBD may be beneficial for alleviating the symptoms of insomnia, but it also noted that future research is necessary.
Moreover, most CBD products haven’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To date, the agency has
approved only one CBD drug, Epidiolex, which contains a purified form of CBD and is used to treat a few specific seizure conditions. Any other CBD product that claims to treat diseases or offer therapeutic uses technically qualifies as an unapproved new drug, and cannot be distributed or sold. The FDA cautions people against buying and using CBD products, as they haven't been proven safe or effective.
If you’re dealing with insomnia, prescription sleep medications can help you fall asleep. However, they’re not meant to replace good sleep habits,and most are not intended to be used indefinitely.
For one thing, many prescription sleep medications come with dangerous side effects. “I encourage people to limit their use of prescription sleep aids, which have been associated with various side effects, including sleepwalking, next-day grogginess, falls, and increasing airway collapsibility with sleep,” says Dr. Tsai.
Prescription sleep aids also come with a risk of dependency. “While most prescription sleep aids don’t have significant potential for physical addiction, people can become psychologically dependent on them fairly easily,” says Phil Gehrman, PhD, professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Eventually, you may feel like you can’t get to sleep without medication.
Some people may also notice that, over time, the sleep medications become less effective, or that they require higher dosages to be effective, Tsai adds.
“They are generally recommended only for short-term use, one month or less,” Dr. Gehrman says. For help with maintaining a good sleep routine during a time period of temporary stress (a common cause of insomnia), prescription sleep aids may be a good short-term solution, he notes. But remember, as goes for all prescription medications, they should be used only under the direction of your doctor.
Stress, shift work, noise, a sleeping environment that’s too hot or too cold, and exposure to bright light (like your smartphone or laptop) too close to bedtime can all disrupt a healthy
sleep schedule, as can the use of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or recreational drugs.
While most people get short-term insomnia from time to time, if you struggle with sleep at least three nights a week for a minimum of three months, doctors would classify your insomnia as chronic, which can raise your
risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Insomnia is also closely related to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
Consult your primary care physician or a sleep medicine doctor if your sleep problem persists and is affecting your work, school, mental health, or personal relationships, says Tsai.
Rachel Green
Rachel Davis
Derek Schulz
Sophia Martinez
Dr. Amara Okafor