A Popular Stress Supplement May Have A Bigger Role After Menopause
You can do everything "right" and still find yourself wide awake at 3 a.m. after menopause.
Sleep can become restless, hot flashes can interrupt the night, and body fat may start settling differently even when your routine hasn't changed.
That's enough to send anyone looking for extra support. Ashwagandha has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine and is now commonly marketed for stress and sleep.
But in a recent randomized clinical trial, researchers tested whether the herb could also help with some of the changes that come with menopause.
About the study
Researchers recruited 66 women ages 45 to 65 who had gone through menopause. They randomly assigned them to take either 600 milligrams of ashwagandha root extract or a placebo daily for 12 weeks.
The researchers tracked sleep quality, menopause symptoms, body composition, and quality of life. They also measured bone density to look for early changes. Neither the women nor the researchers knew who received ashwagandha until the study ended.
Three women dropped out, leaving 63 who completed the trial.
Sleep improved, along with several menopause symptoms
Women taking ashwagandha experienced a significant improvement in sleep quality over the 12 weeks, while the placebo group saw only a small change.
Menopause symptoms also improved significantly more among women taking ashwagandha than those taking the placebo. Quality of life improved across several areas as well.
Body composition shifted slightly. Body-fat percentage decreased in the ashwagandha group while edging up in the placebo group. Bone density, however, was similar between the two groups. Since meaningful changes in bone health take longer to develop, 12 weeks may simply be too short to detect an effect.
The supplement was generally well tolerated, and no serious side effects were reported.
What the findings mean
The study was small, with all of the women coming from one center in Amritsar, India. That makes it harder to know whether the same results would hold up in a larger, more diverse group of women.
The 12-week timeline matters, too. It's long enough to capture changes in sleep and menopause symptoms, but not enough to tell us much about longer-term changes in body composition or bone health.
The trial also doesn't explain exactly why ashwagandha might affect these areas and if benefits are consistent and last over time.
How to support your health after menopause
Ashwagandha is only one potential piece of the puzzle. Whether or not you decide to try it, you can support the same areas this study focused on with a few evidence-based habits:
- Prioritize sleep: Keep a consistent sleep and wake time, make your bedroom cool and comfortable, and talk with your healthcare provider if night sweats or insomnia keep disrupting your sleep.
- Build and maintain muscle: Regular resistance training can support muscle, strength, and healthy body composition as you age. Aim for strength workouts two to three times per week, adjusting the frequency and intensity to your experience level.
- Support your bones: Weight-bearing exercise and resistance training can help maintain bone strength. Make sure you're also getting enough calcium and vitamin D through food and supplements when appropriate.
- Address troublesome symptoms: Hot flashes, sleep problems, and mood changes are common, but you don't have to simply live with them. Talk with your healthcare provider about evidence-based options, including whether menopause hormone therapy or other treatments are appropriate for you.
- Be selective with supplements: If you're considering ashwagandha, ask your healthcare provider about it first, particularly if you take medication or have other health conditions. This trial used 600 milligrams of a specific root extract, and other products can contain different extracts and concentrations, so the results can't automatically be applied to every ashwagandha supplement.
The takeaway
Ashwagandha may have more going for it than its reputation as a stress supplement suggests, with this small trial pointing to benefits for sleep, menopause symptoms, and body fat.
Consider it an interesting lead, not a final answer, until larger studies can confirm the effects.
