You're not the only one who has had trouble sleeping, waking up groggy in the morning, or feeling like your mind won't "switch off." Ashwagandha is one of the most talked-about natural ways to improve sleep, lower stress, and support overall health. Millions of people are looking for non-drug sleep aids.

But does ashwagandha really help you sleep? How does it work? And is it the best choice for you?

Let's look at the research in more detail.

What is Ashwagandha?

For more than 3,000 years, Ayurvedic medicine has used ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) as an adaptogenic herb. It has been used for a long time to help:

• Lessening stress
• Clear thinking
• Power and health
• Function of the immune system
• Balance of hormones

But in the last few years, one benefit has gotten a lot of attention: the possibility that it could help people sleep better.

Research Shows How Ashwagandha Helps You Sleep

1. It lowers cortisol, which is the hormone that makes you stressed.

Hormones, not your body, are one of the main reasons you can't sleep well.

Your body stays in "alert mode" when cortisol levels stay high at night because of stress, anxiety, overthinking, or an irregular schedule.

Several studies on people have shown that ashwagandha can lower cortisol levels by a lot, which:

• Helps you fall asleep faster
• Helps you sleep deeper and less often
• Helps keep the body's circadian rhythm in check

A randomized clinical trial from 2019 found that people who took ashwagandha extract for 8 weeks had a 27.9% drop in cortisol levels and a big improvement in their overall sleep quality.

2. It Helps Calm the Mind (GABA-Like Effects)

GABA is like your body's "calm the mind" neurotransmitter. A lot of sleep aids, even herbal ones, work by affecting GABA pathways.

Withanolides are chemicals in ashwagandha that act like GABA in a mild way. They help:

• Stop your mind from racing
• Less anxiety at night
• Make people feel relaxed

This is why a lot of people say that ashwagandha helps with sleep by "calming but not sedating."

3. It might help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.

Sleep latency is the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep.

Sleep efficiency is the percentage of time you spend in bed that you are actually sleeping.

According to a study from 2020, people who took 300 mg of ashwagandha extract twice a day had:

• Better sleep quality
• Less time to fall asleep
• Less waking up in the middle of the night
• More overall satisfaction with sleep

This means that ashwagandha may help you sleep better and longer.

4. It helps the nervous system.

Chronic stress keeps your sympathetic nervous system (the part that helps you fight or run away) working. Ashwagandha seems to help the body switch to parasympathetic mode (rest-and-digest), which makes it easier for the body to relax on its own.

• This is especially helpful for people who think too much.
• People with stressful work environments
• Students
• People who have trouble sleeping at night

Does Ashwagandha make you sleepy?

Not really, and that's a good thing.

Ashwagandha doesn't make you sleepy or knock you out like melatonin or prescription sleep drugs do.

Instead, it works by fixing problems that make it hard to sleep:

• Stress
• Cortisol levels that are not right
• Mental fatigue
• Overactive nervous system

This means that the sleep you get is more natural and restorative, not drug-induced or "groggy".

How long does it take for ashwagandha to help you sleep?

People who sleep better usually see improvements within:

7 to 14 days: noticeable calming and less stress

4–8 weeks: sleep gets better in a deeper and more consistent way.

This makes it perfect for people who want long-term, lasting help with sleep.

How much ashwagandha do you need to take?

A standardized root extract of 250–600 mg/day is used in most sleep studies.

A common dose is 300 mg to 600 mg per day (root extract).

Take half in the morning and half at night, or all at once at night.

It's best to eat it with some food

Find extracts that have between 2.5% and 10% withanolides (the most studied forms are KSM-66 and Sensoril).

Who Should Not Take Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is usually safe, but some people should not use it or should only use it in small amounts. These people are: pregnant or nursing women

• People with hyperthyroidism
• People who take thyroid medication or sedatives
• People who have autoimmune diseases (see a doctor)
• If you fall into one of these groups, always talk to a professional.

Things to Look Out For

Side effects are uncommon, but they can happen.

• Some mild stomach pain
• Sleepiness (in people who are sensitive)
• Headaches
• Stools that are loose (with high doses)

If you feel sleepy during the day, change the time you take your medicine to the evening.

Should You Take Ashwagandha to Help You Sleep?

Pick Ashwagandha If:

• Your sleep problems are caused by stress
• You have trouble with anxiety at night
• You can't "turn off your mind."
• Your cortisol levels are out of whack (you feel wired but tired).
• You want a natural choice that doesn't make you sleepy.

Don't take Ashwagandha if:

• You need to fall asleep right away.
• You are sensitive to adaptogens.
• You have health problems that make it unsafe for you to do this.

In short, ashwagandha is best for people who have trouble sleeping because of stress, an imbalance of cortisol, or mental tension. It's not for people who need a strong sedative.

The Bottom Line

Ashwagandha is not a sleeping pill, but for a lot of people, it works even better.

One of the best natural sleep aids on the market today, it can help control stress hormones, calm the nervous system, and help you relax mentally. It doesn't put you to sleep like sedatives do; instead, it helps your body reset and sleep more naturally.

If you're tired of tossing and turning because you're stressed out or thinking too much, ashwagandha might be the natural sleep aid you've been looking for.