https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgMoFTBX6EQ

ZzzQuil OTC Sleep-Aid

I was particularly interested in researching sleep aid medication because I have personally struggled with insomnia for most of my life. I have tried medical and nonmedical treatments including stress reduction, screen light shifting apps, melatonin, Benadryl (same active ingredient as ZzzQuil), and more. I am particularly sympathetic to the issue of sleeplessness because I know firsthand how detrimental to your health and wellbeing it can be. I also always want to be a conscious and critical consumer, particularly when it comes to medications. For these reasons I wanted to delve further into popular Sleep Aid medication, and ZzzQuil is the brand I have heard of and seen the most advertisements for. I remember seeing this add when it was airing years ago and I found it to be quite appealing. It simply shows people sleeping soundly in many different situations, and then shows a girl with bed-head waking up looking well rested and content. The video is warm and comforting looking, and quickly draws the viewer in.

ZzzQuil is a product line within the company of Vicks, which also makes cold and flu medication. Vicks has been making products since the 1890s and gained massive popularity in 1919 with their production of Vicks VapoRub which still sells today. The Vicks legacy, according to the website, “is about more than just cold and flu medicine. It’s about giving families the opportunity to continue life-even on sick days-for more than 100 years” (1). The pharmacist Lunsford Richardson began the company in 1890 when he took over his brother-in-law’s retail drug business (2). In 1985 the brand was then sold to Procter & Gamble (2). Procter & Gamble is a massive American consumer goods corporation, which recorded $83.1 billion in sales in 2014 (3). Procter and & Gamble own other massive and well-known brands such as Tide, Bounty and Crest (3).

The ad opens to a scene in which a bottle of ZzzQuil sits on a bedside table, and man is asleep and snoring, very obviously in deep sleep. It then cuts to another man sleeping, this time while hugging a pillow with a content look on his face. Then a woman is pictured as she drops her arm and falls into a deep sleep, her mouth open and relaxed. Here there is a cutaway to a simple purple background and a picture of the ZzzQuil bottle, and the words: “Introducing ZzzQuil Sleep-Aid” Next we see a couple sleeping very heavily with their faces squished together. Then we see another man with his arms over his head also snoring. The purple screen returns with the words: “It’s not for colds. It’s not for pain. It’s just for sleep.” Now we see a young girl sleeping with messy hair, and the words: “Because sleep is a beautiful thing.” She sits up as light comes into the room and birds chirp. She looks content and well rested.

The intended audience of this ad is American adults, primarily middle aged. Most of the people shown in the video were single men, however there was one couple and two single women as well. The youngest looking person was show last and she was shown in the best light waking up with a smile. The ad seems to say: “you can wake up fresh and beautiful if you use this medication too.”

The active ingredient in ZzzQuil is diphenhydramine HCL, which is an antihistamine. Histamines are the body’s reaction to allergies and they also promote wakefulness. Diphenhydramine HCL reverses the effects of histamines decreasing allergic reactions and promoting drowsiness. This is the same active ingredient present in Benadryl, a drug promoted as an allergy medication with drowsiness as a known side effect.

Some possible side effects of Diphenhydramine HCL include dysphoria, hallucinations, heart palpitations, dizziness, anxiety, and disorientation. Maximum drowsiness affect occurs after 2 hours, and can last for up to 7 hours. One important piece of information that is not stated in the ad is that you should be able to sleep for at least 7 hours after taking it. The drug may still be affecting the body when a person wakes up if they do not take this into account. It can be very dangerous for a person to drive for instance, with diphendydramine HCL still affecting their system and causing drowsiness and disorientation.

The ad states that the medication is a “non-habit forming sleep-aid” with fine print stating that it is for occasional sleeplessness. This is deceptive and easily misunderstand able section. It is not made clear that it is has limited habit/abuse forming capabilities, and that this is only true when used as directly. Stating that it should be used for occasional sleeplessness only in the fine print is neither prominent nor specific enough to be acceptable. Many people will see the ad and believe it is safe to take every night. While the drug has limited potential for addiction, it can be used recreationally in harmful ways, and it can create a psychological dependence simply because a person comes to believe they can no longer sleep without it.

The ad uses calm, nursery like music to evoke the idea of sleeping like a baby. It pictures many different people sleeping deeply and very soundly. The people look incredibly comfortable and are all getting rest. Finally they show a young girl waking up looking rested and beautiful. The ad then says: “because sleep is a beautiful thing,” invoking the idea that you and your life will be more beautiful with the addition of ZzzQuil. The visual imagery is very calm and comforting, like you would hope your sleep would be. The morning is depicted as bright and beautiful, with the sun shining and birds chirping. The opening also placed the bottle of ZzzQuil in the foreground for emphasis before focusing on the people sleeping.

My overall opinion of this drug is that if used sparingly, it has very little potential to cause harm. I have used this drug in the past (under the brand of Benadryl) for occasional sleeplessness and have found it to be beneficial. The emphasis must be on sparingly however, because there is not enough evidence to show if the drug is safe to use long-term daily and whether it causes dependence. In conjunction with other healthy sleep habits such as turning off devices a few hours before bed, practicing stress reduction, and keeping the room dark and cool, ZzzQuil may be a safe and effective addition for sleeplessness on occasion. I believe that sleep plays a vital role in health and that once in a while we all face trouble falling asleep. If not relied on, ZzzQuil may be a beneficial drug.

1. Vicks History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2017, from https://vicks.com/en-us/vicks-history

2. (2017, September 19). Retrieved November 02, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicks

3. Procter & Gamble. (2017, October 26). Retrieved November 02, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procter_%26_Gamble