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Lower-strength sleep aid for a short run of bad nights. Two tablets, 20 minutes before bed.
Order before 3pm — same-day dispatch (MON - FRI)
~5 min consultation
Secure & confidential · Reviewed by a UK prescriber
Suitable age
18 years +
Max per order
1 pack
Consultation
Yes — free online
Nytol Original contains 25mg of diphenhydramine hydrochloride per tablet, a sedating antihistamine used as a short-term aid for temporary sleeplessness. It works by blocking histamine in the brain, which brings on drowsiness and helps you fall asleep sooner.
The usual dose is two tablets, taken with water 20 minutes before bed. Because the tablets are 25mg, a single tablet can be used where a lower dose is more appropriate, which is often the case for adults over 65.
It is for adults aged 18 and over, and should not be taken for more than 7 days without speaking to a doctor. If your sleep has not settled in that time, the cause is worth looking at properly rather than treating with a stronger sedative.
This is a pharmacy medicine. Complete our free online consultation and one of our prescribers will check that it is safe for you before we dispense it.
| Active ingredient | Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 25mg per tablet |
| Medicine type | Sedating antihistamine |
| Suitable for | Adults aged 18 and over |
| How to take it | Two tablets with water, 20 minutes before bed |
| Lower dose option | One tablet where a smaller dose is more suitable |
| Maximum dose | Two tablets in 24 hours |
| Length of use | Up to 7 days without medical advice |
| Legal category | Pharmacy (P) medicine |
| Consultation | Free online, checked by a UK prescriber |
Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine. It was developed for allergy, but because it crosses into the brain it also blocks histamine there, and histamine is one of the signals that keeps you awake. Blocking it brings on drowsiness.
You should feel sleepy within about 20 to 30 minutes, which is why the tablets are taken 20 minutes before bed. The effect lasts through the night, and for some people a little into the next morning.
It helps you get off to sleep. It does not treat the reason you are not sleeping, which is why it is meant for a short run of bad nights rather than an ongoing sleep problem.
They contain the same medicine at the same total dose. Nytol One-A-Night is a single 50mg tablet; Nytol Original is two 25mg tablets. The practical difference is flexibility: because Original comes in 25mg tablets, you can take one instead of two where a lower dose is more appropriate, which is often the sensible choice for adults over 65 or anyone who finds sedating medicines heavy-going.
Most people feel drowsy within 20 to 30 minutes, which is why you take it 20 minutes before bed. Give it time and settle down somewhere quiet rather than staying on your phone waiting for it to work.
No. It is for short-term use only, up to 7 days without medical advice. The body gets used to sedating antihistamines quite quickly, so they stop working as well, and taking them night after night can mask a sleep problem that needs proper attention.
Some people do, and it is more likely on two tablets than one. Only take it when you have a full night ahead of you, at least seven to eight hours, and do not drive or use machinery the next day if you feel at all slowed down.
No. Alcohol and diphenhydramine both depress the nervous system, and together they make drowsiness, poor coordination and slowed breathing considerably worse. Alcohol also worsens sleep quality in its own right, so it works against what you are trying to achieve.
Diphenhydramine is not addictive in the way that sleeping tablets such as zopiclone or diazepam are. What does happen is tolerance: within about a week the body adjusts and the same dose stops working as well. That is the reason for the 7-day limit, not a risk of dependence.
If your sleep has not settled after a week, a stronger or longer course is not the answer. Poor sleep that goes on is usually driven by something else, such as stress, pain, an unhelpful sleep routine, low mood, or a condition like sleep apnoea. For insomnia lasting three months or more, NICE recommends a talking therapy called CBT-I ahead of any medicine. Speak to your GP, or contact our pharmacy team and we will point you in the right direction.
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