Adaptogens for sleep: Achieve the miracle of a good night’s rest

How can adaptogens help with sleep?

As Homer says in The Odyssey, "There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep." Hopefully, these words of ours will help you achieve high quality sleep so you can wake up feeling rested and energised. In this article, we're going to be talking about adaptogens.

At its most basic level, an adaptogen is a compound which can intervene in the stress reaction and alter it.

When we talk about stress, we're usually referring to the kind of anxiety or feelings of upset created by problems at work or at home. We all know just how detrimental anxiety can be to our ability to sleep soundly. But the term can also mean an environmental factor which causes stress to your body. Pollution and cigarette smoke are good example of this second type of stress.

.Fortunately, adaptogens can help us deal with both emotional and physical stress. This has a positive effect on our ability to sleep well.

Adaptogens affect the stress hormone, cortisol

If you've ever felt the bottom of your stomach drop out after hearing bad news, or felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you are already well-acquainted with cortisol.

Cortisol is the hormone our bodies release during times of stress. It can be very helpful - for example, alerting us to threats and dangers around us - but it can also cause problems if it is released inappropriately. For example, while the 'fight or flight' response would have been useful when facing a bear back in our caveman days, it is less helpful when we're trying to deal with an unexpected work project.

Adaptogens help regulate the release of cortisol, and prevent it from doing long-term damage.

However, cortisol is also deeply connected to our circadian rhythm. This is our body clock, which tells us when to sleep and when to feel awake. Usually, we have a main release of cortisol in the morning, which gradually diminishes throughout the day. By nighttime, we should be feeling calm, collected and ready for sleep.

Unfortunately, many things in modern life can throw our circadian rhythms off, including blue light from screens, toxins from our food, other types of artificial light, irregular working schedules, and so on.

All of these things, as well as other types of stress, interfere with how cortisol is released over the course of the day.

This is where adaptogens can help. Not only do they potentially help balance cortisol within our bodies, they can also help us regain an overall equilibrium. That means that we gradually return to our natural rhythms.(1)

Beyond that, specific adaptogens enhance high-quality sleep in their distinct ways. Let's look at some of the best adaptogens for sleep.

1. American ginseng

Panax quinquefolius, or American ginseng, is probably not the ginseng you pick up at the market to cook with. However, you can cook with this type of ginseng in the same ways.

Most importantly for our purposes here, American ginseng is rich in GABA, or Gamma Amino Butyric Acid. This acid influences circadian rhythms. Moreover, it can also be neuro-protective after sleep deprivation has occurred.

For instance, a study looked at how the brain and body responds to 72 hours without sleep. The participants experienced anxiety-like behaviour, as well as neuro-inflammation and oxidative stress, in addition to other effects.

After American ginseng was taken, both behaviour and negative effects on the brain were reversed.

Another study observes that taking American ginseng may help to maintain sleep cycles as well as acting on fatigue.(2)(3) However, some other people have also reported that American ginseng intensifies existing insomnia.

Many types of ginseng have been used as sleep remedies in indigenous cultures and healing systems for thousands of years. However, we need further studies into American ginseng to confirm its effects.

It's also important to consider the potential side effects of taking American ginseng, which can include diarrhea, headaches, nervousness, and itching after taking the herb. In some more serious cases, people have experienced severe skin reactions, liver damage and serious allergic reactions. There is also potentially dangerous interaction with the medication warfarin (coumadin).

Expert advice should be obtained before taking American ginseng alongside medication for depression or diabetes. In addition, caution when taking American ginseng is wise for individuals with diabetes or who are suffering from existing hormone-sensitive conditions or schizophrenia, pregnant women, and those planning surgery in the near future.

2. Ashwagandha

WIthania somnifera, or ashwagandha, has the clue right in its name: 'Somnifera' means sleep-inducing in Latin.

This adaptogenic herb may be effective at a long list of things, but sleep is right up near the top. Ashwagandha may help with sleep in many different, multilayered ways. For instance, a proposed study plans to look at those suffering from non-restorative sleep, or NRS.

While NRS is a subjective experience, it is widespread enough to deserve real thought and attention. NRS refers to people who feel that, while they have slept, their sleep does not leave them feeling restored or recovered. Thus, they remain tired throughout the day.

This type of sleep difficulty is said to cause more functional impairment than difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and is also tougher to treat.

Because ashwagandha is successful at treating many symptoms and markers which feed into NRS, the authors of the study feel that the herb could successfully treat NRS.(4) Although obviously we need the study to actually be carried out, this does give us some insight into the unique potential of ashwagandha for sleep.

Related reading

Ashwagandha benefits and uses

What are adaptogens and their health benefits?