How Mushroom Capsules Help You Sleep
If you’ve ever spent the night tossing and turning, you know how it feels to wake up the next morning feeling tired and cranky. Eventually, the harmful effects of not getting enough sleep can take a toll on your physical and mental health.
Getting quality sleep can improve overall health and wellbeing. Specifically, good sleep can boost mood, improve brain performance, increase energy, and more. Unfortunately, though, many people suffer from sleep disorders.
While prescription drugs can help with sleep issues, many are addictive and come with unwanted side effects. Therefore, more people are turning to natural alternatives. Did you know that medicinal mushrooms for sleep can be an effective replacement for sleeping pills?
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How Mushrooms for Sleep Can Help?
Medicinal mushrooms have an impressive list of health benefits, including increased energy, and enhanced immune system, along with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. While most mushrooms positively affect overall well-being, each species boasts different therapeutic properties.
Several mushrooms are considered adaptogens, which means they may help reduce the effects of stress on the body. Moreover, they help promote relaxation and restful sleep. Adaptogens work to bring the body into better balance, thereby giving the body the power to adapt and handle mental, emotional, and physical stress. This is especially useful for getting a good night’s rest.
Therefore, mushrooms with adaptogenic properties may improve sleep quality. In addition, the active compounds present in certain species may also have sleep properties. Some of the most effective mushrooms for sleep include reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps. We will look at each of these in more detail below.
Reishi Mushrooms for Sleep
Reishi mushroom has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years to treat insomnia. It has incredible calming properties and may believe it can promote deep relaxation. Reishi is commonly praised for its sleep-boosting abilities, whether due to a decrease in stress or the mushrooms’ calming effects on the central nervous system to relax the muscles.
A 2012 study observed an “increase in sleep time and non-rapid eye movement sleep” in test subjects administered an 80mg/kg dose of reishi extract for three consecutive days.
Similarly, an earlier rodent study found that reishi decreased sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) and increased total sleep time and non-REM sleep time.
Lion’s Mane Mushrooms for Sleep
Typically, the lion’s mane is associated with focus and productivity. However, its unique effects on the brain may also help improve sleep. Lion’s mane promotes NGF (nerve growth factor), which helps the brain produce more neurons for better focus and memory, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which supports mood, cognition, stress resistance, and sleep.
More specifically, it seems the lion’s mane may support natural rhythms of sleep and wakefulness. As part of a Japanese study, college students were administered lion’s mane extract before bed for four weeks. At the end of the study, the students reported a reduction in stress and insomnia.
Cordyceps Mushrooms for Sleep
Cordyceps are touted for their energy-boosting effects and are often used to improve fitness levels. So, you might be surprised to hear that it could also improve sleep quality.
Thanks to the presence of an adenosine analog called cordycepin, cordyceps can help reset our circadian rhythm. This is the cycle of hormone release that regulates our sleep and wake cycles.
An Asian study explored the effects of cordycepin in rats to see if it improved natural sleep. Researchers discovered that it increased non-rapid eye movement in the subjects. According to the study authors, findings suggested that cordycepin may be helpful for “sleep-distrubed” individuals.
Why Use Mushroom Supplements for Sleep
Most mushrooms in their raw, natural form don’t taste particularly nice – some are bitter and repulsive. Plus, trying to prepare and cook raw mushrooms is not exactly convenient. Therefore, mushroom supplements have become increasingly popular. These include powders, teas, gummies, capsules, and more.
Mushroom capsules are one of the easiest ways to use mushrooms for sleep because they can be taken in the same way you would take a sleeping pill. Simply sip one with a bit of water before bedtime. The other advantage of capsules is that they contain a pre-measured dose of mushroom extract. This means that you know exactly how much you’re consuming, and there is no need to measure out a dosage like you would with powders.
Moreover, this makes capsules useful when using mushrooms for sleep, which typically requires regular nightly intake to be effective.
VidaCap is one of the top-rated mushroom supplement brands on the market, so be sure to check out their collection of capsules. It’s important to shop from reputable brands that use
high-quality ingredients to ensure the best possible effects.