There is nothing worse than waking up after a night of poor or no sleep.
Sleep is basically linked to every health benefit out there (Source).
I remember some years ago I was having trouble sleeping through the night.
As we all know, I’ve always been a Morning Moringa drinker.
I had known for a while that Moringa could possibly help with sleep, but I was confused because I normally took it in the morning for energy.
But I thought, what if I just took my Moringa at night instead?
It couldn’t hurt too much as I’m already not sleeping well!
Does Moringa Help With Sleep
Moringa supplies Tryptophan which helps with sleep. Tryptophan helps the production of serotonin and melatonin. These will increase total sleep time, the time spent in deep sleep (REM), and how long this stage lasts. Moringa will help you sleep, while also aiding in you getting a good night’s sleep.
More information on moringa powder, its wonderful benefits, and how moringa will help you sleep is below.
How Does Moringa Help Sleep?
Moringa powder helps you sleep due to its unique amino acid profile. Moringa powder has 18 different kinds of amino acids. (Source)
- Threonine
- Lysine
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Phenylalanine
- Valine
- Methionine
- Tryptophan
- Histidine
- Proline
- Tyrosine
- Aspartate acid
- Glycine
- Arginine
- Alanine
- Glutamate acid
- Serine
- Cysteine
That list is pretty extensive and some of the effects may indirectly affect sleep.
For example, Alanine has been shown to have blood sugar and anti inflammatory properties (Source).
I’m sure if you were having less joint pain, you would have a more restful sleep.
There are a ton of benefits of Moringa powder, but for this article, we’re going to focus on the main contributor of direct sleep effects and helping with sleep deprivation.
We will mostly refer to the bolded amino acid, tryptophan.
What is Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid.
What this means is that our bodies can not produce it on their own.
We have to get this amino acid from our diets.
The main function of this amino acid is to aid in the production of melatonin and serotonin which regulate the sleep-wake cycle. (Source)
Our complete guide to Moringa can be found in the post below:
For many people who are sleep deprived, the problem is simply they do not have enough tryptophan in their diet.
Moringa and Tryptophan
Now, increasing tryptophan levels by eating loads of tryptophan-containing foods may not directly increase your melatonin or serotonin levels, as most tryptophan doesn’t actually go into the brain.
There is a ton of science on this, but basically, it is pretty tough to break the blood-brain barrier – as your body is incredibly selective about what passes through to the brain.
Some nutrients do make it through, like Tryptophan, just not every single mg of Tryptophan you take will be absorbed by the brain.
Increasing the amount of Tryptophan in your diet will take some time to show results.
Several studies have shown that tryptophan does have an impact on the amount of serotonin and melatonin your body produces.
This, in turn, has an impact on sleepiness [Source, Source].
Not only does Moringa have tryptophan, but It also has more of it than most meats do!
Tryptophan Table Resource
Moringa Tryptophan contents versus some very famous foods.
| Food | Amount of Tryptophan (mg) |
| Moringa (100g dried leaf powder) | 425mg |
| Chicken Breast (6oz) | 687mg |
| Leaner Pork (6oz) | 627mg |
| Salmon (6oz) | 570mg |
| Turkey (6oz) | 488mg |
| Milk (16 oz) | 211mg |
When to Take Moringa for Sleep?
To take moringa for sleep, we suggest you make a nighttime Moringa tea without honey or sweetener.
After a long hard day, there is nothing better than slowing down and sipping on a nice tea.
This tea doesn’t have to be complicated, and simple solutions work best.
For a Moringa nighttime tea recipe, we suggest simply boiling the Moringa leaves.
Leave the leaves inside an infuser and pour the hot water into a glass.
Once you see some light green color and the water has cooled, you can drink it.
Many people add honey to their teas for Moringa.
This is a great way to add another super healthy ingredient to add to all the different benefits of Moringa Oleifera.
While we think this is a great option, we usually only suggest this for Moringa which is taken in the morning.
Sometimes a big spike in your blood sugar right before bed can have some side effects. While we have heard that some people sleep better after an influx of carbohydrates, we don’t suggest it and leave it up to personal preference.
For a nighttime tea, we suggest you add lime to your Moringa (has no sugar).
You can simply cut a lime in half and squeeze it into your Moringa nighttime tea.
This combo is both simple and delicious, and a super-easy way to settle into the night.
Relevant Viewing:
Can you take Moringa at Night?
Now, we know that Moringa has a ton of Tryptophan in it, which will help us produce both serotonin and melatonin.
We also know that these are pivotal in the sleep cycle (Circadian Rhythm).
But how does this work?
The way melatonin works is by alerting your body that it is time to rest.
Once taken, studies have shown that increased availability of melatonin will increase PSG measures of total sleep time, the effectiveness of REM, and elongate specific stages of the cycle. (Source)
In simple English, Moringa can help your body produce serotonin and melatonin, which will increase the total hours of sleep, the time spent in deep sleep (REM), and how long this stage lasts.
Not only will Moringa help you sleep, but it will aid in you getting a better night’s rest.
Moringa Before Bed
If you’re struggling with falling asleep or staying asleep, one of the suggestions I always give my friends is to try out a Moringa tea before bed.
It takes about 5 minutes to make a Moringa tea at night, and could potentially change the way you sleep forever.
Besides, growing Moringa leaves is one of the most fun gardening activities that you can do!
Imagine tomorrow you woke up feeling rested at peak mental capacity ready to take on the day.
Not only will Moringa powder help with your poor sleep, sleep apnea, and other short-term sleep benefits.
But a good night of sleep affects everything, such as your immune system and nervous system.
Seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Conclusion – Bringing it all together
We think Moringa Olieferia and sleep are a homerun combo.
There really isn’t anything that this superfood can’t do, however, and adding it to your diet will still have incredible effects on your energy, brain, digestion, etc.
We hope we’ve convinced you to supplement this wonderful plant, and to at least give it a try next week to see how you can get asleep faster and improve your sleep quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does it Take For Moringa to Start Working
Moringa’s long-term effects can take a couple of weeks, but some of the shorter effects can be seen within a couple of hours. This is because the body is able to break down the nutrients within Moringa shortly after ingestion.
Benefits of Drinking Moringa Tea Before Bed
The benefits of drinking moringa tea before bed are increased relaxation, hydration, better overall sleep, and improved dreams. Many of our readers have seen aspects of their insomnia eliminated by drinking moringa tea before bed.
Does Moringa Relieve Stress?
Moringa is one of the strongest superfoods on the planet. One of the key benefits of taking Moringa daily is the reduction of stress and anxiety.
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