Co-Authored By:
Although antihistamines seem sedative, they impair the process of reaching deep sleep stages and would potentially make the patients “REM sleep” deprived. Higher cortical functions such as cognition, attention, and memory are rapidly affected by REM sleep deprivation.
Likewise, people ask, do antihistamines disrupt sleep?
Antihistamines Drowsiness is a common side effect of antihistamines, which are used to ease colds and allergy symptoms. But even if antihistamines help you fall asleep faster, they may negatively affect your sleep quality.
Moreover, does Benadryl interfere with REM sleep?
That can definitely occur with Benadryl just as with other hypnotic agents like Ambien,” Alapat said. While antihistamines may help you to fall asleep, overall sleep quality is usually not very good, he said. “Using Benadryl or any antihistamine for sleep has no long term benefit,” Alapat said.
Drug-induced nightmares and vivid dreams are most commonly reported with first-generation antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) (which are often found in over-the-counter sleep and allergy medications). But some newer antihistamines may affect the brain, too.