Can ashwagandha fight insomnia? Original paper

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It robs the body of the rest it needs, and if it persists, it can lead to depression and anxiety. Alternative medicine is becoming increasingly popular to treat this disorder. Ashwagandha, an herb commonly used in Ayurveda, is said to improve sleep, ease pain, lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and quench inflammation. Animal studies have shown ashwagandha to promote sleep, but there are few human studies on its effect on insomnia.

In this 8-week randomized controlled trial, 80 people were separated into four groups: people with no sleep issues given ashwagandha; people with no sleep issues given a placebo; people diagnosed with insomnia given ashwagandha; and people diagnosed with insomnia given a placebo. The ashwagandha daily dose was 600 mg (300 mg twice daily). The primary outcome was sleep onset latency (the time it takes to go from complete wakefulness to sleep). The secondary outcomes were total sleep time and mental alertness upon waking. Outcomes were measured at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.

The two ashwagandha groups saw a decrease in sleep onset time, an increase in total sleep time, and improvements in both sleep quality and mental alertness upon waking. Overall sleep improved in both ashwagandha groups, but especially the insomnia one.