Sleep Disorders: Wake Up and Smell the Sugar Pill

Millions of people have used Benadryl to lull themselves to sleep. The medication, whose main ingredient is the antihistamine Diphenhydramine, has long been reported to help people fall asleep. Well, here's a little secret that millions probably don't realize: it works by virtue of its placebo effect. That's right: it's all in your head, so to speak.

I got a little riled up the other day when I read a posting online at the Consumerist about the fact 48 percent of doctors admit to prescribing placebos just to "shut you up." The University of Chicago came out with that figure, and the original article appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times. (Just then, I pictured a screaming mad patient with the common cold, which is caused by a virus, begging the doctor to write a prescription for antibiotics.) Placebos, according to the article, included "vitamins, herbal supplements, saline infusions, dummy pills and doses of medicine too low to be effective."

Well, as was the case for the man outraged at getting a placebo, he went in to his doctor's office complaining of poor sleep and walked out with a prescription for the over-the-counter med Benadryl. (He didn't, however, share with the doctor that he'd tried Benadryl in the past to no avail. He didn't realize his prescription was actually for Benadryl until the pharmacist pointed it out.)

Listen up, folks: Benadryl, at least in my circle, is a placebo.

The guy is right in his frustrations. But the comments other people made back at him are wrong! (If you go to the site, you'll find lots of people barking back telling the man that Benadryl is a mild sedative and is found in sleep aids.) I'm tempted to join the foray and dispel all the garbage people are posting now in defense of the Benadryl prescription.

Take note: There is absolutely no clinical data to suggest that Benadryl or its active ingredients will have you fall asleep or stay asleep any longer than a sugar pill. And to add insult to injury, the half life of this medication means you could wake up feeling a bit "hung over," as it has similar effects to alcohol.

The lesson? If Benadryl helps you fall asleep, stick to your story (for the placebo effect!) but don't make it a habit and use it all the time. Go for establishing better sleep habits and speak openly with your doctor about things you've tried for better sleep. You may have a bona fide sleep disorder for which the bedtime bath and Benadryl won't work. Period.

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