Ashwagandha and Melatonin Together: Safe and Effective?

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My daily go-to-sleep quality boosting supplement has been Ashwagandha for years.

It not only improves my sleep, but also significantly reduces stress, and I experience all kinds of higher testosterone-related effects (gym results, sexual health, etc.).

However, some nights I work late or I can’t shut my mind off, and simply can’t fall asleep.

Research led me to Melatonin, which seemed interesting to supplement .

‍I decided to try both Ashwagandha and Melatonin together.

This article is written based on my own experience and the currently known research around both supplements.

In this article, I’m going to give you everything you need to know about Ashwagandha And Melatonin.

In the practical information, I’ll discuss what the compound is, how it works, if it’s safe (who should avoid it), the (possible) benefits, and (possible) side effects.

Practical information about Ashwagandha

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a herbal supplement that can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and has positive effects on testosterone production.

It’s made from a green shrub tree and can be found in parts of Asia and Africa.

The active ingredients in Ashwagandha are the withanolides.

There are three high-quality categories of Ashwagandha supplements available.

The Ashwagandha supplements I like best are from Nootropics Depot. I’ll put a link after the information to an in-depth review for each.

• ‍KSM-66 Ashwagandha, has been deemed the king of full-spectrum Ashwagandha supplements (around 5% withanolides). Review.
• Sensoril Ashwagandha is especially great for balancing stress levels and supporting a healthy sleep pattern because it’s higher in Glycowithanolides (around 10% withanolides). Review.
• ‍Shoden Ashwagandha is a fairly new and highly purified full-spectrum Ashwagandha supplement (around 35% withanolides). Review.

How does Ashwagandha work?

Ashwagandha is a classified adaptogen, which can help us handle stress better.

When taken at night it can help calm the body and reduce anxiety, improving sleep quality.

Ashwagandha can also have a positive effect on testosterone, by increasing the production of the luteinizing hormone.

This hormone triggers testosterone production and supports our reproductive system.

Is Ashwagandha safe and who should avoid it?

Ashwagandha supplements are non-toxic and safe to consume for most healthy adults.

Ashwagandha should be avoided by people with certain medical conditions, such as autoimmune disease, diabetes, low or high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, or stomach ulcers.

Ashwagandha is also best avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

What are the benefits of Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha can help with:

• Handling stress
• Improving the quality of sleep
• Reducing anxiety
• Boosting testosterone (thus improving muscle/ strength/ sexual desires/ mood/ body composition/ etc.)

What are the side effects of Ashwagandha?

In some uncommon cases, Ashwagandha may cause drowsiness, nausea, an upset stomach, diarrhea, or allergies. More research is needed to pin down every possible side effect though.

Practical information about Melatonin

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is the sleep hormone that’s produced in the brain.

It regulates your internal day/ night (24 hours in a day) schedule, called the cardiac rhythm, and helps you sleep.

How does Melatonin work?

The brain produces melatonin in response to darkness.

When there’s (a lot of) light your brain will make low amounts of melatonin, and when it gets dark it will produce a high amount of melatonin.

Melatonin is important because it triggers sleep, makes you feel tired, and eventually helps you go with the Sandman to the dream world.

However, the blue light coming from digital screens can prevent our brains from making enough melatonin, because it signals daytime instead of the necessary darkness.

Melatonin as a dietary supplement is used, for this reason, to fall asleep faster, and sleep better.

Is Melatonin safe and who should avoid it?

Melatonin is generally considered safe for healthy adults in responsible dosages (even found as safe in high dosages) for up to a couple of months.

There’s currently not enough research on long-term supplementation with melatonin, so long-term safety is unknown.

People with an autoimmune disease can best avoid supplementing melatonin.

What are the benefits of Melatonin?

Melatonin can help with:

• Falling asleep faster
• Better quality of sleep
• Increase sleep duration

What are the side effects of Melatonin?

In general, Melatonin doesn’t have any serious side effects.

The possible side effects of Melatonin in (very) high dosages are:

• Nausea
• Headaches
• Feeling dizzy
• Feeling agitated

Is it safe to take Ashwagandha and Melatonin together?

Yes, if you follow the recommended dosages then taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin together is safe.

Ashwagandha extract has been safely used in research for dosages of 1,000 mg for 3 months, but higher dosages (and longer durations) are POSSIBLY safe as well.

Melatonin has been used in research in dosages up to 12mg. However, the recommended dosage falls anywhere between 0.3-5 mg.

What dosage of Ashwagandha and Melatonin should you take?

Dosage of Ashwagandha

I recommend taking a standardized, and well-tested Ashwagandha supplement.

Either KSM-66 Ashwagandha (best-known/ full-spectrum), Sensoril Ashwagandha (sleep/ stress focused), or Shoden Ashwagandha (highest potency/ full-spectrum) fall under these categories.

For KSM-66 the recommended dose would be between 300-600 mg daily.

For the others even less is appropriate, because they contain a higher percentage of withanolides (the active ingredient of Ashwagandha).

Dosage of Melatonin

If you’re just looking for a sleeping aid, and don’t have very profound sleeping issues (in which case consulting an expert might be best), then you could start with taking a 0.3 mg dose of Melatonin.

A very high-quality, lab-tested Melatonin supplement from Nootropics Depot has a recommended dose of one capsule of 0.3 mg daily.

Who should avoid taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin?

The people that fit into the following categories should certainly avoid taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin together:

• People with thyroid problems
• People with low or high blood pressure
• People with diabetes
• People with autoimmune disease
• People with stomach ulcers
• Women that are pregnant/ or breastfeeding

Possible benefits of taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin together?

By taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin together, you could get the following benefits:

• Improved quality of sleep
• Falling asleep faster
• Increased sleep duration
• Better able to handle stress and reduced anxiety
• An increase in (free) testosterone levels.
• Improvements in sexual health (libido, erections, performance, etc.).
• Building muscle, and strength faster in the gym.
• A better body composition.
• More energy

Possible side effects of taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin together?

Based on current knowledge about Ashwagandha and Melatonin, the following side effects might occur:

• Drowsiness
• Feeling agitated
• Nausea
• An upset stomach
• Diarrhea
• Allergic reactions

I’ve not experienced any side effects whatsoever.

When is the best time to take Ashwagandha and Melatonin?

The best time to take Ashwagandha and Melatonin is at night between 30-60 minutes before going to sleep, because of its stress/ anxiety lowering effects and ability to improve sleep quality.

Do I recommend taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin together?

Trust me when I say that I like being awake, lifting weights, and crushing goals. But, I love a good quality night of sleep as well.

Taking Ashwagandha and Melatonin before bed together allows me to sleep a lot faster, deeper, and overall feel way more refreshed.

I noticed benefits related to an increase in testosterone as well. I’m stronger in the gym, my body composition is better, and my sexual health is better.

Ashwagandha has the potential to increase testosterone directly, but improved deep sleep (the time most testosterone is released) does this indirectly as well.

The combination of both works for me, and both supplements are/ will stay in my daily supplement stack.

If you’re interested in the benefits and don’t fall into a category that should avoid these supplements, then I can recommend giving these a try.

I take the KSM-66 Ashwagandha and Melatonin from Nootropics Depot because it’s high-quality and lab-tested.

I take 2 pills of 300 mg KSM-66 Ashwagandha and one capsule of 0.3 mg Melatonin daily at night 30-60 minutes before going to sleep.

You can check the Ashwagandha out by clicking here, and the Melatonin by clicking here.

How do I stack Ashwagandha and Melatonin with similar supplements?

I have some other natural compounds in my daily supplement stack, that have similar benefits, and that I take together with Ashwagandha and Melatonin.

Most of these supplements come from Nootropics Depot, but some come from Bulk Supplements.

In my opinion, these are very high-quality, and I like that all of these supplements are lab-tested.

The list below explains why I take each supplement, where you can find them, and for some, I've written an in-depth review as well (I've included the two supplements in this article).

Tongkat Ali

Great for: improving testosterone, increasing strength, a better body composition, better sex life, more energy, and better stress control.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Cistanche Tubulosa

Great for: improving testosterone, increasing strength, a better body composition, more energy, better mood, and improved cognitive abilities (like memory).

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Ashwagandha KSM-66

Great for: improving sleep quality, decreasing anxiety, better stress control, improving testosterone levels/ muscle & strength gains, more energy, and better mood.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Magnesium

Great for: over 300 biochemical reactions in our bodies, better sleep quality, bone- and heart health, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression, etc.

To check it on the site click here.

Fenugreek Powder

Great for: boosting (free) testosterone, better sexual health, boosting performance and results in the gym, lowering blood pressure, and increasing milk production in breastfeeding women.

To check it on the site click here.

Epicatechin

Great for: boosting athletic performance, decreasing/ eliminating muscle soreness, a faster rate of muscle/ strength gain, a better body composition, retaining muscle during off times, improved cognitive abilities, better mood, and possibly improving testosterone.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Longvida Curcumin

Great for: reducing inflammation, reducing pain, improving cognitive abilities (memory/focus), and potentially a better mood/ faster muscle gains.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Maca Root Extract

Great for: improving sexual health, more energy & stamina, better cognitive ability & memory, and alleviating menstruation pain (for women).

To check it on the site click here.

L-Theanine

Great for: better quality sleep, feeling more relaxed, reduced stress/ anxiety/ fear, and improved mental focus.

To check it on the site click here.

Green Tea Extract 45% EGCG

Great for: Improving metabolic function, faster fat loss, better skin, reducing inflammation, and overall health.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Melatonin

Great for: overall better quality sleep, increased sleep duration, and falling asleep faster.

To check it on the site click here.

Also possible to stack with Horny Goat Weed

Great for: sexual health (mainly improved blood flow to the penile tissue), reducing anxiety, better mood, and possibly improving testosterone/reducing inflammation and pain/ more energy.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.