The Tea that Helps You Sleep Soundly

And why the sleeping pill habit is harmful to brain health

Photo by David Mao on Unsplash

While slow-scrolling through Substack the other night, I came across a gripping essay on Troubled Sleep by Brandon Tyler about his Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCl) addiction. I was drawn not only to his writing but also by the subject of Benadryl addiction. That’s a new one, and I knew little about its addictive tendencies. Curious to find out how that worked, I continued to read.

It started innocently with Tyler taking antihistamines for allergies and ended up being a full-fledged addiction once he discovered its sedative properties could remedy his lifelong insomnia. Many people keep Benadryl in their medicine cabinet for allergic reactions — you never know when you might need it. But I’m sure many don’t realize that Benadryl is a sedative and has its roots as an antidepressant. At the same time, even fewer know that this habit can turn into an addiction with significant withdrawal symptoms.

Because Benadryl is widely available over the counter in the United States, most people think it harmless and don’t realize it can go from habit to addiction in time — especially in larger doses and long-term use.

Tyler was pursuing a PhD in biochemistry when he discovered the mechanism of Benadryl’s actions:

“It is also habit-forming both psychologically and physically if taken at sufficient quantities for long enough. Withdrawal is unpleasant—headache, dizziness, fatigue, fuzziness, nausea.

These symptoms might be familiar to anyone who is taking an SSRI. There is for this. Benadryl’s active ingredient, diphenhydramine, exhibits a weak inhibitory response in the uptake of serotonin. (a neurotransmitter that contributes to mood regulation) Indeed, Prozac, one of the first SSRIs was developed as a result of experiments and studies on diphenhydramine along these lines in the 1960s. Many early SSRIs descend from antihistamines. You can see the echoes in their structures. In nature, structure is, well, function.”

Eventually, Tyler found a way back to his natural sleep cycles.

The best teas for sleep and neurotransmitters

“Sleep is THE foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors.”

—Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D.

We’ve all been there—trying to get a good night’s sleep, and I know how frustrating it can be. One thing that’s made a big difference for me is a warm cup of herbal tea before bed. My favorite blend combines pure, natural herbs that help me relax and sleep through the night without all the tossing and turning.