Can Kratom Help You Sleep Peacefully?
Did you know that a third of American adults don’t get as much sleep as they should?
A number of factors can influence our ability to sleep soundly at night, including lifestyle choices, aging, medical conditions, and stress.
If you’ve been struggling to sleep peacefully, you might be wondering if there is help out there for you. There are a number of popular sleep supplements on the market, including products that include things like melatonin, magnesium, and valerian root.
Some Americans, though, use a plant product known as kratom to help them sleep. Is kratom good for battling sleep issues, though, or do the potential negatives outweigh the benefits? Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.
Why Is Sleep Important?
When you sleep, your body and mind have the opportunity to recharge. When you don’t sleep enough, your brain isn’t able to function properly and your immune system isn’t as capable of staving off diseases.
Lack of sleep has been linked to a number of chronic diseases and conditions. These include:
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Depression
- Obesity
When you don’t get enough sleep, it can also lead to mistakes at work, motor vehicle crashes, and an increased risk of injury. Prioritizing good sleep can drastically improve your quality of life.
What Is Kratom?
Kratom is a tropical evergreen tree that is native to Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
This plant has been used as a part of herbal medicine in its native countries since at least the 1800s. In these countries, kratom is used to:
- Boost energy
- Relieve musculoskeletal pain
- Increase sexual desire
- Increase appetite
- Stave off exhaustion in manual labor
- Welcome guests and as a part of ritual worship
In the last ten years, it’s become increasingly popular in the western world in order to self-treat health issues as well as to use recreationally.
Kratom is a unique substance in that at low doses it has stimulating effects and at higher doses produces effects that are similar to opioids.
People frequently use kratom for:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Muscle aches
- Pain
- Opioid addiction and withdrawal
- High blood pressure
- PTSD
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
Some studies have also found that this plant has immunity-enhancing, anti-inflammatory, and appetite-suppressing effects. At this point, though, there is a heated debate about whether or not kratom is safe to use, as it can potentially come with unpleasant side effects and can create withdrawal effects when used regularly.
Will Kratom Help You Sleep Peacefully?
Some people also use kratom to help them sleep at night. There are different strains of kratom that can have different effects, with some being more stimulating and others more relaxing. On top of that, the maturity of the leaf (designated by its vein color), as well as the dosage, can impact whether the plant is energizing or calming.
Higher doses of kratom will be more soothing and less stimulating. Strains such as red Bali, Indo kratom, and red Borneo are popular choices as sleep aids. Strains that you will want to avoid if your goal is to fall asleep include Thai kratom, super green Malay, and Maeng Da kratom, as they tend to be stimulating and energizing.
You can learn more about the types of kratom powders here.
Kratom to Sleep Better: The Dosage
It can be tricky to find the ideal dose when you are using kratom to sleep better. Everyone is different, so there are no set dosages that work in a one-size-fits-all type of way.
There is also concern that using kratom regularly can be addictive. For that reason, it’s a good idea to be very cautious about utilizing this as a nightly sleep aid.
It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about kratom and dosage before you start taking it. They will be able to warn you about potential side effects and drug interactions that you should be aware of.
How to Sleep Better: Additional Tips
There are a number of things that can impact your sleep health, and you might find that making some changes to your sleep environment or lifestyle can help you get better sleep.
Here are some tips for what you can do to get higher-quality sleep:
- Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
- Avoid sleeping in, even on the weekends
- Expose yourself to bring sunlight first thing in the morning
- Spend some time outside when the sun is out
- Let natural light into your workspace or home
- Use a light therapy box if necessary
- Avoid bright screens for an hour or two before bed
- Don’t watch TV late at night
- Make sure the room is dark when you sleep using a sleep mask, blackout curtains, and covering up electronics that produce light
- Get exercise during the day but not too close to bed
- Limit nicotine and caffeine
- Avoid drinking alcohol before bed
- Practice relaxation exercises such as meditation, yin yoga, or deep breathing before bed
Supplements aren’t the only way to improve your sleep. It can be a good idea to try some lifestyle changes before you start adding substances to your routine. It’s possible that there’s an easy fix to your sleep problems once you break bad habits and build new ones.
Sleep Is Essential to Your Health and Wellness
There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning only to find that you didn’t get a good night’s sleep. While some people use kratom to help them get better sleep, it’s important to be aware of the potential side effects of long-term use of this substance. It can also be a good idea to run an audit on your life and consider whether or not lifestyle changes or new bedtime habits could help improve your quality of sleep.
Did you find this article on using kratom to sleep peacefully interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for the more fascinating and informative content!
