Does ashwagandha improve sleep, anxiety and testosterone, and what dose works?

Anxiety and Sleep

Langade et al. (2019) conducted a 10-week RCT comparing 300 mg twice daily of ashwagandha root extract to placebo in adults with insomnia. The treatment group saw significant improvements in sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, and total sleep time as measured by actigraphy. Those with comorbid anxiety also showed meaningful reductions on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale¹.

Testosterone and Physical Performance

Wankhede et al. (2015) studied KSM-66 at 300 mg twice daily in young men undergoing resistance training over 8 weeks. The ashwagandha group had significantly greater increases in muscle strength (bench press and leg extension) and testosterone levels, with a concurrent reduction in exercise-induced muscle damage as measured by serum creatine kinase².

Lopresti et al. (2019) found that 21 mg of withanolide glycosides per day (Shoden extract) in overweight men aged 40-70 increased DHEA-S by 18% and testosterone by approximately 15% compared to placebo over 16 weeks³.

Thyroid Function

Sharma et al. (2018) demonstrated that 600 mg/day of ashwagandha root extract normalized TSH, T3, and T4 levels in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism over 8 weeks, compared to placebo⁴. This is a meaningful finding but also a caution: people on thyroid medication should consult their doctor before using ashwagandha.

KSM-66 vs Sensoril: Extract Comparison

The two most clinically studied ashwagandha extracts differ in source material, standardization, and withanolide concentration:

Property	KSM-66	Sensoril
Plant part	Root only	Root and leaf
Withanolide content	~5% withanolides	~10% withanolide glycosides
Typical dose	300-600 mg/day	125-250 mg/day
Primary studied outcomes	Stress, testosterone, strength	Stress, cortisol, cognitive

KSM-66 is extracted using a milk-based process (consistent with traditional Ayurvedic preparation) and is standardized to at least 5% withanolides by HPLC. Most of the testosterone² and exercise performance literature uses KSM-66. Sensoril, which includes leaf material, achieves higher withanolide glycoside concentrations per milligram, meaning effective doses tend to be lower.

Both extracts have demonstrated cortisol reduction and anxiolytic effects in RCTs, but head-to-head comparisons are lacking. Extract choice should be guided by the specific outcome of interest and dose tolerance.

Detailed Evidence by Outcome

Sleep: Langade et al. (2019) reported that sleep onset latency improved by 17 minutes versus 4 minutes in placebo (p < 0.05), and sleep efficiency rose from 75.6% to 83.5% in the treatment group¹. A separate trial in elderly subjects using 600 mg/day confirmed improvements in sleep quality (PSQI) and mental alertness upon waking⁵.

Testosterone and androgens: The Wankhede (2015) trial showed testosterone increases from baseline of 96.2 ng/dL to 120.5 ng/dL in the ashwagandha group, compared to a slight decline in the placebo group². Lopresti et al. (2019) measured a 14.7% increase in testosterone versus 2.8% in placebo (p < 0.05) using a different extract at a lower withanolide dose, suggesting the effect is not exclusive to KSM-66³.

Thyroid: The Sharma et al. (2018) study of 50 subclinical hypothyroid patients showed significant normalization across all thyroid markers after 8 weeks at 600 mg/day. Serum TSH decreased from 5.46 to 4.19 mIU/L (p < 0.001) in the treatment group, while T3 and T4 levels increased toward normal ranges⁴. This finding carries a strong clinical implication: ashwagandha may interfere with thyroid medication dosing and should not be used without medical supervision in patients with thyroid disease.

Dosing Summary

• General stress and anxiety: 300-600 mg/day of root extract (KSM-66) or 125-250 mg/day (Sensoril), taken for at least 6-8 weeks.
• Sleep: 300 mg twice daily (KSM-66) or 600 mg/day root extract, ideally taken in the evening^1,5.
• Testosterone and exercise: 300 mg twice daily KSM-66, combined with a resistance training program, for 8+ weeks².
• Thyroid support: Only under medical supervision. Studied at 600 mg/day for 8 weeks⁴.

Cycling (e.g., 8 weeks on, 2-4 weeks off) is commonly recommended in practice, though no studies have directly evaluated cycling protocols.