Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a plant species in the genus Withania and is a tall plant with purple or green flowers and a red fruit. This plant is mainly found in India and the rest of South Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean and it plays an important role in the traditional Indian herbal medicine of Ayurveda. The root of the Ashwagandha plant is ground into powder or made into a supplement.
The herb has no narcotic effect but it helps reduce your stress, gives you more vitality and helps regulate your sleep-wake rhythm.
To help your body recover, B vitamins and magnesium are essential. This helps you get back to your optimal energy levels.
How does ashwagandha work?
Each of our cells contains DNA. When a cell divides, it is important that the DNA remains intact. This is why we have 'telomeres', which protect our DNA from damage. When we are young, these telomeres are long. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. The shorter the telomeres get, the slower your cells divide. Because ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that calms the adrenal glands and thyroid, it helps keep telomeres long [5]. This stops premature ageing and is important for the condition of our skin, heart, insulin action, muscle mass, hormonal balance and bone density. To help your body recover, magnesium and zinc are essential.
How does Ashwagandha help against insomnia?
Ashwagandha has a number of different effects that benefit your sleep, such as:
- It helps you relax and reduce stress
- It has good antioxidant properties
- It promotes digestion
- It helps repair damaged brain cells
Ashawagandha study For the study, 60 subjects with insomnia were randomly divided into a supplement group (40 subjects) and placebo group (20 subjects). The supplement contained 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract and was given twice daily for 10 weeks. A so-called sleep actigraphy was used to record sleep duration and quality.
In both the supplement group and the placebo group, participants came to sleep faster after five and 10 weeks, but after 10 weeks, participants in the supplement group slept in significantly faster than subjects in the placebo group.
Sleep efficiency also improved significantly under the influence of supplementation with ashwagandha. This was not the case in the placebo group. The root extract also led to significantly better sleep quality and a decrease in anxiety. A root extract of ashwagandha has the potential to improve sleep quality naturally and safely.
