Our PURE Zzzs line uses the active ingredient melatonin, which is a hormone that occurs naturally in your body. While each have been shown to be safe and effective, you should choose the product that works best for you and your body.

Don't take ZzzQuil every night. Talk with your doctor if you have questions about how long you can take ZzzQuil and at what dosage. In general, taking this medication only from time to time should keep side effects to a minimum. Talk to your doctor if you think this medication isn't helping you sleep.

From the manufacturer

Melatonin helps your body get to sleep, naturally. But sometimes your body doesn't produce enough, which can cause nighttime waking. PURE Zzzs Back to Sleep has a low dose of melatonin to help ease you back to sleep in the middle of the night, but without the worry of next day fatigue.

Anxiolytics/sedatives/hypnotics (applies to ZzzQuil) depression. Major Potential Hazard, Moderate plausibility.

Despite the lack of data and variability around dosing regimens, with typical use, melatonin is largely considered safe. View Source and is generally well-tolerated in healthy adults. The risk of side effects. View Source is low, but can include mild headache, dizziness, nausea, and sleepiness.

While melatonin is safe to use long-term , she says it's still important to address the root causes of why you aren't sleeping well so you do not have to rely on a supplement.

Even though melatonin is usually safe for most people to take short-term, talk to your health care provider if you are considering taking it daily for sleep issues. Also, if sleep troubles are starting to affect your daily life, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and potential treatment options.

“If melatonin for sleep isn't helping after a week or two, stop using it,” says Buenaver. “And if your sleep problems continue, talk with your health care provider. If melatonin does seem to help, it's safe for most people to take nightly for one to two months. “After that, stop and see how your sleep is,” he suggests.

To summarize, melatonin is a safer choice to treat insomnia than Zzzquil or Tylenol PM. If your insomnia is more moderate, you may want to try Zzzquil, and if you're also dealing with acute pain or fever, then you may want to try Tylenol PM, but be careful to follow the directions and avoid overusing these drugs.

Our original ZzzQuil formula has the active ingredient Diphenhydramine HCL, an antihistamine, while our PURE Zzzs formula has the hormone melatonin. While both lines help you fall asleep, we've provided this drug free alternative to our proven sleep aids line so that you can choose the product that works best for you.

ZzzQuil can cause side effects to the nervous system, which includes your brain and spinal cord. Call your doctor if mild side effects bother you, get worse, or don't go away.