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Deadlines and full days have made my last two weeks very busy. And for someone with a Type A personality, this means the odds of getting a good night sleep I’m not in favor at all. So, I broke out my trusty bottle of melatoninwho popped five milligrams of a sleep hormone supplement several nights in a row in hopes of catching some z’s.
With fewer Americans getting the recommended eight hours of sleep and more of them saying they need more sleep, each April 2024 Gallup pollI am just one of many helping the sleep aid market grow $130 billion. Part of that market includes sleep supplements such as melatonin, as well as herbal ones ashwagandha. While I took the first one when I feared an impending insomnia attack, I know many people who have taken melatonin nightly for years (unfortunately for them, it may bad idea). And a friend of mine swears by the anxiety and stress-relieving benefits of ashwagandha that it helps her fall into a quick sleep.
But when pitted against each other, which one do we really take to help us sleep—and should we even take it?
What is melatonin and ashwagandha?
Melatonin a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain that regulates our circadian rhythm. By acting as our body’s internal clock, it helps us know when to sleep (thanks to higher levels at night) and when to wake up (thanks to lower levels in the morning). We can add more melatonin to our system in hopes of improving sleep through natural or synthetic versions of it in tablets, gummies, etc.
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, an herb that helps regulate the stress hormone cortisol. It comes from a shrub that grows in Africa and Asia, but you can often buy it as a capsule, powder, or tea. Research shows it improves brain function and lowers inflammationadditionally helps reduce stress and anxiety—which enables a good night’s sleep.
Is melatonin or ashwagandha more effective for sleep?
Research is mixed on how well melatonin and ashwagandha supplements we can knock out the night. A January 2022 study published in National Library of Medicine found that melatonin positively affects sleep quality. But a study published in the same year as Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found “weak” evidence for the use of melatonin for sleep disturbances.
As for ashwagandha, various studies it is known to have a small, but significant effect on improving sleep, especially when taken for eight weeks in a row and in insomnia sufferers.
When deciding between the two, “the key is to note whether the primary problem is falling asleep or staying asleep,” says Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who specializes in treating conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic COVID and who writes From Boring to Fantasticwhich addresses sleep disorders.
For those who have trouble sleeping, he says luckusually he recommends starting with 5 mg of one of the best melatonin supplements. For those who wake up in the middle of the night, he recommends continuous release of higher doses of melatonin. To reap the sleep benefits of ashwagandha, he says the supplement needs at least 5% potency, good quality, and a 600 mg dose. He added that the two would go well together.
If insomnia is the main issue, he usually starts with a continuous release of 10 mg of melatonin, adding other treatments if necessary. If there is severe fatigue during the day, then he adds high potency ashwagandha to help both FORCE and insomnia.
“Melatonin is most effective in helping with sleep, but also helps with nighttime acid reflux, along with antioxidant, immune, and neuroprotective benefits,” he says. “Ashwagandha helps with sleep as one of its moderate ingredients, but also helps with energy, cognition, stress, and other functions. Melatonin and ashwagandha improve sleep as well as energy.”
Is melatonin or ashwagandha safer for sleep?
Because sleep medications can cause so many problems, Teitelbaum wants to start with natural, safer alternatives like melatonin and ashwagandha. While one is not necessarily “safer” than the other, you should make sure they are certified by NSF Internationalwhich confirms the purity of the supplement’s ingredients. And, like most things in life, it should be used in moderation because there are risks in taking too much.
Although ashwagandha is safe for adults, according to the NIH, its side effects can manifest as diarrhea, drowsiness, headache, and stomach upset. Melatonin can also cause nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches Cleveland Clinic. You should not take it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. While its short-term use is okay, little is known about its long-term use—although we can psychologically dependent of melatonin, because some experts believe that its effectiveness lies in a placebo effect.
Teitelbaum says it makes sense to use either intermittently during times of stress or insomnia, or even indefinitely. But there is little known about the effects of long-term melatonin use, so it’s best to run your specific sleep problems to a specialist who can help you figure out a game plan for the night. Many experts agree that it’s important not to rely on any one supplement as a cure-all for your sleep problems.
Jennifer Martin, a psychologist and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said before luck he never recommends sleep supplements—instead, you should focus on improving your sleep hygiene. And Dr. Ana Kreiger, medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, meant by luck that supplements are best used in conjunction with improving your evening routine.
That might look like a dark and cool room, a routine with a regular bedtime and wake-up time, limiting light before bed, and learning “how to reduce stressors and underlying anxieties that can affect sleep,” Kreiger said.
As with any change in our health routine, it is always important to talk to your doctor first to find out the best way to solve your sleep problems and which supplement is right for you, if any.
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