11 February 2024 , 10:26
759
0
Getting a good night's sleep is vital to our health - and an ancient herb could help you drift off.
If you have trouble sleeping, you've probably done your fair share of research into products and supplements that claim to be able to help you get the slumber your body needs. But there's one lesser-known ancient herb that could be the key to improving your sleep - and it could also help reduce feelings of anxiety.
Ashwagandha is a shrub plant that is widely used as a supplement nowadays and has been claimed to have an array of important health benefits, including giving people better athletic performance and improved sleep. It has also been said to help with conditions including anxiety and infertility, although stronger studies are needed in these areas.
Ashwagandha is said to have stress-reducing properties (Getty Images)The herb, also known as withania somnifera, plays a crucial role in Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine in India. It is renowned for its calming properties due to it being rich in withanolides, a natural compound believed to create a therapeutic effect on the body, Gloucestershire Live reports.
You can buy ashwagandha supplements for as little as 10p per pill from MyProtein or 27p each at Boots, but what exactly are the health benefits of the ancient herb and how does science back up the claims?
England star Joe Marler reflects on lowest point after fight with pregnant wife
The main health benefit that prompts people to take ashwagandha is its ability to reduce stress levels. The herb is classified as an adaptogen, meaning it can help the body cope with stress. In studies, ashwagandha has been shown to reduce the body's stress hormone, cortisol, thereby helping to relieve symptoms of anxiety in some people.
Several clinical studies and trials support the use of ashwagandha for anxiety relief, including one 60-day study of 64 people with chronic stress levels. In the test, it was revealed that those who took ashwagandha extract reported a 69% average reduction in anxiety and insomnia, compared to just 11% in the placebo group.
But it's not just stress levels that ashwagandha can help with. It has also been reported to improve cognitive functions including memory, task performance and attention by protecting against oxidative stress in the brain, as well as significantly improving the maximum oxygen output of athletes to increase athletic performance.
Its stress-relieving properties can also help people get a better night's sleep, particularly if they are kept awake by insomnia, and there is even some evidence to suggest it could increase testosterone levels and libido and could have some potential benefits for male fertility.