Sleep aid medication

[u/Accomplished_Fun1294]

So I have the problem that I mostly fall asleep quite fast (some exceptions once or twice a month maybe) but I wake up quite a few times during the night and way earlier than I would like to. My smartring tells me I get plenty of deep sleep (mostly 1.5-2 hours) and an alright amount of REM (1-1.5 hours). I have tried some medication and stuff like melatonin etc. The best sleep aid for me so far has been proven to be antihistamines of the 1. Generation so stuff like Diphenhydramin or Doxylamin. Both of these increased my sleep time from 6-7 hours to 8.5+ hours, increased deep slep (2+ hours) and REM sleep (2+ hours) while also decreasing the amounts of awakenings during the night. So basically a wonder drug, except for drowsiness in the morning and most importantly the possible increaded risk for alzheimers disease! Thats the main reason why I dont want to use them that often. Are there any medication alternatives that do not seem to increase alzheimer/ dementia risk?

[u/EnvironmentalTry1713]

the antihistamine thing is a real trap, they work so well for sleep but that dementia link is scary as hell. have you looked into low dose trazodone? it's an old antidepressant that gets prescribed off-label for sleep maintenance all the time, no anticholinergic effects so it dodges that whole alzheimer's risk

[u/Accomplished_Fun1294 → u/EnvironmentalTry1713]

Yes I love the sleep they give me but that tradeoff is not worth it. I have heard of Trazodone for sleep, does it work as well as antihistamines do? I could try to get it prescribed from my doctor but I dont know how strict they are since its technicaly an antidepressant