I don’t have difficulty sleeping, but I do have difficulty getting to sleep at a reasonable time. Being an asshole freelancer, I don’t have to worry about waking up early in the morning for an arduous commute and eight hours with my ass in a cubicle. This frequently leads to sessions of article writing or game playing that stretch on to four in the morning.
All sleep is not created equal: if you fall asleep during daylight hours, you will be less rested than if you sleep at night. Because daylight sleep is inferior to nighttime sleep, you also run the risk of oversleeping and all its associated problems. I take both melatonin and 5-HTP to help me sleep, but they don’t help when it comes to falling asleep at the right time.
Never fear, ashwagandha is here.
This helpful, tea-smelling herb supposedly has a whole bunch of benefits, but the biggest one for me is that it helped me restore my normal sleep cycle. If you have a hard time falling asleep at a reasonable time, I recommend trying ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha: Anti-Anxiety, Pro-Restfulness
According to Pill Scout, ashwagandha is another name for the plant Withania somnifera and works by acting on GABA neurotransmitters, reducing anxiety and increasing motivation and libido. While I didn’t really notice any change in sex drive or motivation, I did notice that in conjunction with suntheanine and some other anti-anxiety supplements, I felt a lot calmer and less nervous.
The big thing I noticed from taking ashwagandha in the morning is that I became noticeably more tired around 10pm forward, encouraging me to finish my work early and get to sleep around midnight or 1am. I’ve tried taking both one capsule a day and two (according to the bottle’s directions), without any noticeable difference in my anxiety levels and sleep habits.
The other important thing about ashwagandha is that it needs to be cycled, as your neurotransmitters become acclimated to its effects. I’ve tried both a 4 days on/3 days off and a 5 days on/2 days off cycle, and the former did a better job at keeping my body from developing a strong tolerance. Your mileage may vary.
Overall, I’d recommend ashwagandha capsules as an effective sleep aid for insomniacs, as well as for people looking to lower their anxiety levels.
Click here to buy NOW Foods Ashwagandha Extract.
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