The normal person requires 6 to 9 hours a sleep a night. Many things can disrupt a person's sleep; i.e. medication, cramming for tests, alcohol, anxiety, the aging process, etc.). While it is always a good idea to examine the reasons for insomnia, so one can eliminate root causes, sometimes a common anti-histamine, if used intermittently and only for a short duration, may also be helpful.
Temporary Insominia (i.e. difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, AND not lasting longer than 6 months AND not causing functional difficulties during day time hours) may be treated with Benadryl. The dosage should be 25 mg to 50 mg and never more than 100 mg during a 24 hour period. NOTE: In some patients, benadryl may increase urinary and/or ocular retention, so those patients who have problems with benign prostatic hypertrophy or glaucoma should NOT take benadryl.
One can develop a tolerance for benadryl, so this drug should not be taken on a long term basis. The literature indicates that tolerance can build up as rapidly as two weeks, or as long as two months. Taking the drug intermittently will prevent tolerance to the sedative effects of Benadryl.
Refer to the National Sleep Foundation's Web Site for non-pharmacological approaches to insomnia
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