Tongkat Ali is known for its energizing properties due to its adaptogen effects on your hormones, but taking it in the evening or before bed may aid your overall sleep quality.
This article investigates if and how Tongkat Ali can improve sleep quality in healthy active adults and whether you should take it before bed. Additionally, we conducted our own analysis to understand how Tongkat Ali may effect sleep quality if you are exposed to high levels of stress from physical activities such as endurance running.
Our expert’s interview, performance tests and results from clinical trials may be used as a guide if you are concerned about Tongkat Ali’s effects on sleep quality, its effectiveness as a sleep supplement, or if you are diagnosed with insomnia or sleep disorder.
In the weeks leading up to the Berlin Marathon, 46-year-old Syed Shazli, an aspiring sub-4 runner by passion—added one curious habit to his otherwise disciplined routine: 200 milligrams of Tongkat Ali, every morning with a glass of warm water.
Six weeks in, he wasn’t just shaving seconds off his splits, our performance test showed that he was sleeping better, waking sharper, recovering faster.
On his training days, he took 400mg (2 capsules) of Tongkat Ali supplement with 2-hour high-intensity and low-heart cardio runs. Results after four weeks showed improvement in sleep quality score from 37% to 82% based on average sleeping time of 5-7 hours a day.
This pilot study showed you can achieve better sleep quality with the help of natural supplements such as Tongkat Ali despite having less sleeping time at night.
“The hormonal regulation support on cortisol levels and in the endocrine system make Tongkat Ali as a top choice to aid sleep quality” said a certified nutritionist in Oregon, noting that there are “plenty of natural sleeping supplement that are popular in the US to help you sleep better”
Natural sleep aids supplements like melatonin, magnesium, valerian root, or L-theanine, are known for their calming effects to improve sleep quality, but Tongkat Ali is more effective in promoting deep sleep.
The effectiveness of Tongkat Ali as a “natural sleeping aid supplement” in this four-week pilot study on a recreational male athlete showed significant improvement in enhanced sleep quality, sleep latency and deep sleep, leading to more restful nights and improved wakefulness during the day.
From poor sleep to moderately good sleep after taking pure standardized Tongkat Ali showed similar improvements by other male and female trail endurance runners.
According to functional health experts, the adaptogenic properties of Tongkat Ali not only facilitated better recovery post-training but also contributed to reduced stress and fatigue by regulating cortisol levels. In fact, elevated cortisol levels in highly-exposed chronic endurance athletes do not contribute to optimal performance nor promote better sleep.
As we look at these combined benefits of Tongkat Ali, sleep quality contributed a crucial role in Syed achieving his personal best, completing the Berlin marathon in a respectable 3 hours and 55 minutes, after completing six weeks of a highly regimented marathon training plan.
“It felt like my body finally caught up with my ambition,” he said after completing the Berlin marathon, somewhere between mile 18 and a second wind.
Tongkat Ali promotes sleep quality by increasing REM and Non-REM sleep duration and reducing sleep latency (i.e time taken for you to fall asleep). This is contrary to reports that Tongkat Ali disrupts sleep quality in younger adults, or its associated side effects with insomnia.
A 2022 study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science & Vitaminology showed that Tongkat Ali improved sleep rhythms and delta power during the inactive phase of NREM sleep.
Results showed that Tongkat Ali promotes deep-sleep (i.e Non-REM sleep) by lowering the Core Body Temperature (CBT) from the ingestion of amino-acid that happens during sleep.
The same study also found that Tongkat Ali supplementation did not cause any significant alteration (sleep waking) during sleep duration, thus overall improving sleep quality.
| Sleep Quality | Parameters | Does Tongkat Ali improve sleep quality? |
| Sleep Latency | How long it takes you to fall asleep | Yes |
| Sleep Waking | How often you wake up during the night | Yes |
| Wakefulness | How many minutes you spend awake during the night after you sleep | Yes |
Japanese scientists have recently filed a patent for Tongkat Ali to be used as sleeping-improving agent in novel foods to aid in sleeping quality by reducing core body temperature (CBT).
Tongkat Ali lowers your core body temperature (CBT) during sleep which helps you sleep longer and improves overall sleep quality.
For athletes taking standardized potent Tongkat Ali root extract regularly (daily for four to six weeks), you can expect measurable and significant improvements within 30 to 50% in your overall sleep quality indicated by the Sleep Score (taken from your wearables such as Garmin or Suunto).
Yes you may consume Tongkat Ali just before you go to sleep or bedtime. But it is best to take Tongkat Ali 15 minutes or 5 minutes before going to bed. And more importantly, do not to take high doses of Tongkat Ali before bed if you have mild insomnia or if you are sensitive to alkaloids, caffeine and other stimulants.
For average adults and seniors, the boost of testosterone and cortisol regulation support from Tongkat Ali that happens during your sleep will help you to achieve better sleep quality, thus helping you to wake up feeling fresh and energized the next morning.
To improve your sleep, take 1 capsule of Tongkat Ali (200mg or less) 15 minutes before going to bed. This allow Tongkat Ali to digest during your sleep and you will wake up fresh, energized and without any brain fog. Please ensure you have 6-8 hours of sleep to get the full effects of Tongkat Ali.
Tongkat Ali is an adaptogen herb with stimulant properties that will not make you sleepy, dizzy, nausea or drowsy.
If you are feeling sleepy right after taking Tongkat Ali means you are either too tired due to your long day, lack of stamina (which should be addressed through regular cardio exercises). However, you may experience a state of “deep sleep” (i.e undisturbed sleep) which helps boost your energy level in the early morning, indicated by a clear-headed energetic wake-up call the moment you are up from bed.
Tongkat Ali may cause insomnia (i.e difficulty in sleeping) on some adults after several hours of taking Tongkat Ali. If you are naturally highly sensitive to caffeine, alkaloids and other insomnia-inducing substances, it is highly recommended to avoid taking high doses of Tongkat Ali after 8:00pm.
As Tongkat Ali boosts your energy levels (physically and emotionally), you may want to remain calm by doing Whim Hof breathing techniques and stop any form of physical and mentally draining activities before bed (eg: switching off your phone, away from your laptop).
Related article : When to take Tongkat Ali optimally for best results
Tongkat Ali root extract is gaining popularity more than Aswhagandha as a sleep-improving ingredient due to its calming cortisol and balancing testosterone support, which in most cases aid both deep sleep and wakefulness.
Tongkat Ali is now viewed as a sports performance supplement that works equally effective as a recovery post-workout supplement, mainly to promote better rest, sleep and rebalance the hormones in your endocrine system after hard training. It is also best known for its calming effects during rest state without disrupting or causing any emotional numbness after your sleep (unlike Ashwagandha).
The best time to take Tongkat Ali is 15 minutes before going to bed to ensure that you sleep well, or right after your cardio or weight exercises. A 200mg capsule is the best before bed, or after an hour of hard training to aid your recovery sleep, but be mindful not to take with other herbs such as Ashwagandha.
It is best to consult your healthcare professionals if you have chronic sleeping disorders, severe insomnia or other medical conditions associated with mental health before consuming Tongkat Ali.
Naressa Khan contributes regularly on AKARALI and is part of the global Tongkat Ali research team. As a writer and journalist, Naressa specializes in nutrition, health supplements, and natural wellness. With this approach always in mind, she explores fact-based and scientific evidence of topics related to health, herbs and natural wellness.
Our articles are third party reviewed by our panel of experts and medical advisors to ensure the facts are accurate and credible. These are validated against multiple source references which include but not limited to research studies, peer-reviewed journals, pre-clinical studies, clinical tests and other credible publications.
Our panel of medical advisors and experts are highly experienced in their individual fields. However, they do not provide any medical advice or recommendations arising from content published in this article.
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