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When Is The Best Time To Take Ashwagandha?

When Is The Best Time To Take Ashwagandha?

While ashwagandha supplements can be taken at any time, there are several reasons why taking them later in the day might be advantageous.

One of the main benefits of ashwagandha is its ability to lower cortisol. Normally, when you wake up cortisol levels are higher and in the evening they start to lower. But, many people experience stress throughout the day and maintain higher levels of cortisol going into bedtime. 

Lowering cortisol levels in the evening is desirable for several reasons. Cortisol, often referred to as the "stress hormone," is a hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress or perceived threats.

While cortisol plays a crucial role in the body's stress response system, elevated levels of cortisol in the evening can have adverse effects on sleep, mood, and overall well-being. Here's why you want cortisol to be lower in the evening:

  1. Promotes Relaxation and Sleep: Cortisol naturally follows a diurnal rhythm, with levels being highest in the morning to help wake you up and gradually decreasing throughout the day. By evening, cortisol levels should be lower, signaling the body to prepare for rest and relaxation. When cortisol remains elevated in the evening, it can interfere with the natural sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

  2. Facilitates Restorative Sleep: During sleep, the body undergoes essential processes for repair, rejuvenation, and memory consolidation. Elevated cortisol levels can disrupt these processes, impairing the quality of sleep. By lowering cortisol in the evening, the body can enter a state of relaxation more easily, allowing for deeper, more restorative sleep.

  3. Balances Mood and Emotional Well-being: High cortisol levels in the evening can contribute to feelings of anxiety, irritability, and heightened stress. Lowering cortisol promotes a sense of calmness and emotional balance, helping to alleviate stress and promote a positive mood.

  4. Supports Digestion and Metabolism: Chronically elevated cortisol levels, including in the evening, can disrupt digestive processes and metabolism. High cortisol has been linked to increased appetite, particularly for sugary and fatty foods, which can lead to weight gain and other metabolic imbalances. By allowing cortisol levels to decrease in the evening, you support healthy digestion and metabolic function.

  5. Prepares for the Resting State: Lowering cortisol in the evening is part of the body's natural progression toward the resting state. By reducing cortisol levels, the body can shift its focus away from the "fight-or-flight" response associated with stress and prepare for recovery, repair, and regeneration during sleep.

In summary, lowering cortisol levels in the evening promotes relaxation, quality sleep, emotional balance, optimal digestion, and prepares the body for rest and rejuvenation. Managing cortisol levels within a healthy range throughout the day contributes to overall well-being and supports the body's natural rhythms.

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