Top 3 Medicinal Mushrooms for Sleep

For many of us, restful sleep can feel like an elusive necessary luxury. 

While experts recommend between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for adults, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 35% are not getting enough sleep on a daily basis. Around 40% of people report falling asleep during the day unintentionally at least once a month. This means more than a third of Americans are chronically sleep-deprived, and it's taking a toll on our lives. 

Some benefits of sleep are obvious: ample energy, a clear head, and a good mood. But its advantages go far beyond helping us feel like we woke up on the right side of the bed. Quality slumber supports healthier eating habits, weight management, heart health, hair and nail health, a strong immune system, improved memory and learning, and sharper focus. The sleep cycle is also when our skin renews and repairs itself, so deficient rest can contribute to signs of aging. In addition to potentially showing on our faces, an ongoing lack of sleep can put us at higher risk for most health concerns and even result in a shorter lifespan. 

While pharmacy shelves are stocked with OTC and prescription sleep aids, many can cause us to feel groggy, interrupt natural bodily rhythms, and leave a number of other side effects in their wake. In some cases, they come with the danger of being habit-forming. 

Wondering how to increase deep sleep naturally? Even natural sleep support like melatonin, while considered generally safe, can have potential side effects and is not suitable for long-term use. Luckily, the fungal kingdom is rich with natural melatonin alternatives. Could medicinal mushrooms hold the key to deeper, more restful sleep, without the risky side effects of other drugs?

Medicinal Mushrooms for Sleep

According to clinical research and traditional wisdom alike, the bioactive compounds in functional mushrooms have the ability to safely and naturally deliver real benefits for rest, relaxation, and quality sleep. Our top three: reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps.   

1. Lauded as an answer to longevity and tranquility in ancient Chinese texts, reishi mushroom has long been looked to for a variety of wellness benefits including relief for insomnia. With a history rich in promoting rest and relaxation, it’s no wonder reishi mushroom has become a celebrated darling of the natural sleep-support world. 
2. Modern science has explored the potential of reishi as an alternative sleep aid, and found promising evidence in the treatment of insomnia, for prolonging sleep times, and as a method of improving sleep patterns.
3. Chinese researchers conducted an analysis in 2021 on the impacts of reishi mushroom on insomnia-related sleep complications. Their findings established the mushroom as a potential complementary therapy for those suffering insomniatic symptoms, such as deficiencies in sleep quality and quantity. And, they noted, reishi achieved these sleep-improving effects without the unpleasant side effects common to drugs intended for the same purpose. 
4. Earlier research out of Asia, in a 2011 study, examined the effects of reishi mushroom extract on the sleep outcomes of freely moving rats. Extract taken from fruiting bodies of the fungus was given orally to the animals, who were observed for three days. On the third day, measurements were taken to assess the impact of the treatment. The findings: While the mechanism that allowed it to do so was unclear, reishi significantly increased total sleep time, further supporting reishi’s power as a sleep-aid alternative. 
5. Another 2021 study out of China looked at the tranquilizing effects of reishi on mice, observing that mice receiving an extract from the mushroom experienced increased levels of sleep-promoting chemicals in the brain. Sleep patterns, it appears, were improved in the mice through processes involving gut bacteria and pathways associated with the neurotransmitter serotonin. 
6. It seems ancient practitioners of medicine were onto something, with science having demonstrated reishi’s potent ability to both induce and sustain a state of tranquility.   

1. To support rest and relaxation, take reishi as part of your evening wellness routine as you begin to wind down and prepare for sleep. 
2. Try these reishi mushroom gummies for sleep, and see what all the centuries-long fuss is about. 

• Lion’s Mane 

1. This shaggy mushroom is famed for its ability to sharpen focus and promote mental clarity, but does lion’s mane help you sleep? According to numerous lion’s mane clinical studies, yes. 
2. During a four-week study with female graduate students in Japan experiencing anxiety and sleep disturbances, participants were given a supplement containing the lion’s mane bioactive compound hericenones. Researchers observed improvements in both anxiety levels and quality of sleep, with conclusions pointing to the potential of lion’s mane compounds to have a balancing effect on both the body and mind. 
3. Other studies have noted the mushroom’s ability to reduce stress and improve mood and nocturnal rest. Lion’s mane has also been shown to positively impact levels of neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA, all involved in sleep quality, and of which imbalances are associated with insomnia. Additionally, the compounds in this fungus may play a role in improving deep REM sleep. 
4. If you’re looking for natural sleep support that offers a mood boost and bolsters concentration as well, lion’s mane has you covered.       

1. After breakfast and into the early afternoon is generally recommended as the best window of time for taking lion’s mane.
2. Try mixing a dose of lion’s mane tincture into your morning coffee or afternoon tea.  

• Cordyceps militaris 

1. While this unusual fungi may be depicted in nightmare-adjacent media (The Walking Dead, we’re looking at you), and is perhaps more commonly known for its impacts on energy and athletic performance, there is ample evidence to suggest that cordyceps could be your ticket to dreamland. 
2. Cordyceps, in fact, has been used in the treatment of insomnia for hundreds of years. The bioactive in cordyceps thought to affect sleep is cordycepin, a compound resembling the nucleoside adenosine, a chemical that occurs naturally in the human body and impacts sleep-wake cycles. 
3. In a study conducted by Korean researchers, animals administered bioactive compounds from the cordyceps mushroom experienced reduced sleep-wake cycles and increases in the NREM stage of sleep (non-rapid eye movement, slow wave sleep, characterized by delta waves). During NREM sleep, bodily processes slow, blood pressure drops, memories consolidate, and the body achieves a restful state of repair. NREM carries us from light sleep into deep sleep. Overall, the study’s subjects demonstrated greater sleep times with less wakefulness, resulting in the conclusion that cordycepin shows promise as a useful therapy for those experiencing sleep disturbances. 
4. In another study, out of Beijing, researchers explored the effects of cordyceps on the quality of sleep in individuals with depression. Interestingly, while it was found to be safe and without side-effects, it was not observed as an effective sleep support for depressed individuals. Luckily, if you’re experiencing depression, sleep-supporting reishi and lion’s mane are both known to exhibit antidepressant properties.  

1. To experience full benefits for both boosted energy and restful sleep, Cordyceps should be taken in the morning. Avoid taking cordyceps before bed. 
2. Check out our favorite cordyceps products here. 

The sometimes dizzying pace of modern life can at times make rest seem like a scarce commodity, but we hope you’ll give yourself the permission to prioritize restorative shuteye and its many rewards. And when you do, the peaceful lull of these time-tested mushrooms will be waiting to carry you off to dreamland. Rest well.