Ashwagandha is an adaptogen with many potential benefits. Adaptogens are plants that support your body’s physiological response to stress and have been linked to lower stress levels and improved sleep.
Taking Ashwagandha at the right time is vital to use it most effectively.
In This Article
Taking Ashwagandha at night (for better sleep)
Other possible benefits of Ashwagandha
When Is the Best Time to Take Ashwagandha?
The Ashwagandha plant has been in use for thousands of years in Ayurveda, this is due to the roots and leaves of the Ashwagandha plant (botanically referred to as Withania somnifera) having stress-relieving effects.
Generally speaking, there’s no best time for everyone to take Ashwagandha, and it can usually be taken at any time. However, depending on how you want to use Ashwagandha (usually for either stress relief or better sleep), you’ll most likely want to take it at a specific point in the day.
Taking Ashwagandha in the morning (for stress reduction)
One thing to bear in mind with Ashwagandha is that its effects are not always immediate, and it can take between two days to two weeks to feel the full effects. In general, the effects of Ashwagandha take a little bit of time to kick in.
Due to this slightly delayed reaction, you may consider taking Ashwagandha in the morning after eating breakfast. Consuming Ashwagandha on an empty stomach isn’t usually a problem, but it can cause mild stomach discomfort in some people.
Taking Ashwagandha at night (for better sleep)
To take advantage of the gradual effects of Ashwagandha to promote better sleep, you should take it before sleeping.
One popular way of consuming Ashwagandha for this purpose is to combine Ashwagandha powder and milk. Taking Ashwagandha at night may also be the better option if you prefer to take Ashwagandha on an empty stomach, or if you get stomach discomfort when taking it in the morning.
The most important thing is to figure out a time in the day when you can take Ashwagandha consistently to reap the greatest benefits.
What are the benefits of Ashwagandha?
Most of the benefits of Ashwagandha come from its being a potent adaptogen. The unique properties of adaptogens boil down to this: they help the body regain equilibrium and balance from stress.
Adaptogens can be herbs, mushrooms, roots, and other plant-based substances that have been used across cultures for thousands of years.
Modern literature is beginning to recognize the benefits of adaptogens and Ashwagandha in particular. With that said, here are some benefits of Ashwagandha (backed up by research).
Ashwagandha lowers stress
As you might expect, Ashwagandha can help reduce stress levels, both from the impact of cortisol and your “perceived stress” which means how you feel internally about your current stress levels.
Ashwagandha has many pathways through which it achieves this effect, such as our stress response system, and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis which is a communication system between our adrenal glands and brain that impacts how our physiology deals with stress.
Some clinical studies have shown that Ashwagandha by itself can help restore the health of our adrenal glands by reducing cortisol.
Ashwagandha may improve sleep
There is a decent amount of clinical evidence to show that Ashwagandha has some potential to improve sleep.
A study in 2019 studied the effects of Ashwagandha on 58 people, in comparison to the placebo it both reduced the effects of cortisol and improved sleep quality when adjusted for the control.
Generally speaking, there needs to be more research to come up with conclusive findings, but there is enough research data to suggest that Ashwagandha can be of some benefit to improving sleep.
Other possible benefits of Ashwagandha
There is ongoing research into other benefits of Ashwagandha, but much more is needed to thoroughly understand and verify these - here are some of the ongoing areas of scientific inquiry:
- Ashwagandha may improve cardiovascular endurance in healthy adults.
- Ashwagandha may improve the adaptive response to strength training and subsequent recovery.
- Ashwagandha may positively impact cognitive performance.
How long does it take to feel the benefits of ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is not something you can take once and get an instant effect - this is possibly due to how adaptogens work, it takes some time to get the full effect.
Modern research seems to indicate it can take up to several weeks to start seeing benefits from Ashwagandha, however, this depends entirely on the individual and their unique physiology. To start seeing maximum benefits it may take around ten weeks or more.
It’s important to note that the time it takes to feel a benefit is greatly dependent on the individual - in some cases, people start to feel an effect immediately, in others, it takes a little bit of time. If you take Ashwagandha and start to feel calmer and more relaxed, this is a generally recognized sign that it’s working.
How do I take Ashwagandha?
The form you take Ashwagandha in can be important - there are all kinds of products on the market, but it’s not well regulated so it can be hard to know exactly what you’re getting.
The most common way of taking the supplement is in capsule form, but gummies are very convenient and becoming increasingly popular. Generally speaking, when taking any new compound (such as Ashwagandha) start with a small dose to see how it affects you first.
NextEvo offers Ashwagandha gummies that are convenient to take and have a pleasant taste.
Ashwagandha side effects
Ashwagandha has been categorized as safe for most people, very high doses may lead to stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and vomiting. There aren’t any known interactions between Ashwagandha and medication, but use caution if you are on any medication.
You must follow the dosage instructions that come with the packaging and contact a health professional if you have any concerns.
Always research any products you are purchasing, poor quality products have been known to cause liver problems - but this isn’t the ashwagandha, and is instead down to contaminants in unregulated products.
