Ashwagandha for Sleep and Anxiety

Ashwagandha, also known as winter cherry and Indian ginseng, is an herb that has been used in Ayurveda for a long time. It belongs to the Solanaceae family and is classified as a "Rasayana" or rejuvenator, which is believed to help maintain health, rejuvenate the body, and enhance longevity. Ashwagandha contains significant phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, steroidal lactones (withanolides, withaferins), saponins, and glycol-withanolides. These compounds give Ashwagandha a wide range of pharmacological effects, including anxiolytic, hypotensive, sedative, immunomodulatory, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anabolic, antifungal, hematopoietic, and cardiorespiratory enhancing properties. Ashwagandha root extract is also used as an adaptogen and antioxidant.

Protocols Studied in Research

Ashwagandha Based Supplement for Anxiety/Mood and Insomnia Support [1][2][3]

Protocols:

• Option 1: Take ashwagandha root extract as a supplement for 8 weeks.
• Option 2: Take capsules containing full‐spectrum ashwagandha root extract 300 mg, twice daily with milk or water for 10 weeks.
• Option 3 (for sleep issues): Take 120 mg of standardized ashwagandha extract once daily for 6 weeks.

Outcomes:

• In both healthy subjects and those with insomnia, ashwagandha supplementation led to significant improvements in key sleep parameters. Specifically, there was a notable reduction in sleep onset latency (SOL) and improvements in sleep efficiency (SE), total sleep time (TST), and wake after sleep onset (WASO) (with p values ranging from <0.0001 to 0.04).
• Insomnia patients experienced statistically significant benefits: SOL decreased (e.g., from approximately 33.94 to 29.00 minutes, p = 0.019), and SE improved (e.g., from about 75.63% at baseline to 83.48% after treatment).
• Anxiety levels—as measured by HAM-A scores—were significantly reduced (p < 0.05), with improvements also noted in mental alertness (p = 0.01) and overall sleep quality (p < 0.05).
• In a study of 144 subjects, the treatment group showed a 72% increase in self-reported sleep quality compared to a 29% improvement in the placebo group (p < 0.001). Activity monitoring further confirmed improvements in sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and sleep latency.
• Quality of life (QOL) scores improved significantly across physical, psychological, and environmental domains (p values ranging from <0.01 to <0.001).

Research Interpretation: Summary and Conclusion

Studies on ashwagandha supplementation consistently demonstrate significant improvements in sleep quality, anxiety reduction, and overall quality of life. Whether taken as a full-spectrum extract or a standardized dose, ashwagandha has been shown to decrease sleep onset latency and increase sleep efficiency and total sleep time, with significant reductions in wake after sleep onset. Additionally, anxiety levels—measured through clinical scales—improve markedly, contributing to better mental alertness and overall well-being.

In simple terms, ashwagandha appears to be an effective natural remedy for enhancing sleep and reducing anxiety, thereby boosting quality of life in both healthy individuals and those with insomnia.

Publications

[1] Langade D, Kanchi S, Salve J, Debnath K, Ambegaokar D. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Insomnia and Anxiety: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study. Cureus. 2019 Sep 28;11(9):e5797. doi: 10.7759/cureus.5797. PMID: 31728244; PMCID: PMC6827862.

[2] Langade D, Thakare V, Kanchi S, Kelgane S. Clinical evaluation of the pharmacological impact of ashwagandha root extract on sleep in healthy volunteers and insomnia patients: A double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Jan 10;264:113276. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113276. Epub 2020 Aug 17. PMID: 32818573.

[3] Deshpande A, Irani N, Balkrishnan R, Benny IR. A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults. Sleep Med. 2020 Aug;72:28-36. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.03.012. Epub 2020 Mar 21. PMID: 32540634.