Shilajit, Sleep and Stress: What the Evidence Shows
Shilajit is sometimes described as calming or good for sleep. We found no human trial of shilajit for sleep quality, insomnia, anxiety or perceived stress. The research that exists is in rats subjected to chronic stress and in slices of mouse brain tissue. This article sets out what those studies found, what they cannot tell us, and which treatments do have trial evidence for sleep and stress, so you can see what the gap looks like.
In this article
Key takeaways
- No human trial measured shilajit's effect on sleep, insomnia, anxiety or stress. The findings are in rats and in mouse brain tissue.
- In a rat model of chronic fatigue induced by 21 days of forced swimming, shilajit at 25, 50 and 100 mg per kg reversed behavioural changes and anxiety-like behaviour and modulated corticosterone, a stress hormone, and mitochondrial markers.
- Patch-clamp work in mouse brain slices found shilajit activated glycine and GABA-A receptors, which the authors interpret as inhibitory, sedating activity. That is a cellular mechanism, not a sleep result in people.
Chronic stress in rats
A 2012 study used a standardised processed shilajit (dibenzo-alpha-pyrones 0.43%, DBP-chromoproteins 20.45% and fulvic acids 56.75% by weight) in a rat model of chronic fatigue syndrome, induced by forcing rats to swim for 15 minutes a day for 21 days. Rats were treated with 25, 50 or 100 mg per kg for 21 days before the stress procedure. Shilajit reversed the stress-induced increase in immobility and decrease in climbing, attenuated anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze, reversed the fall in plasma corticosterone and adrenal gland weight (indicating modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), and prevented mitochondrial dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex (Surapaneni 2012).
It is well-controlled animal work, but a forced-swim fatigue model in rats does not equal burnout, work stress or insomnia in humans, and the doses were scaled to rats.
Mouse neuron studies
Two electrophysiology studies from the same research group examined shilajit on neurons in mouse brain slices:
- In substantia gelatinosa neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis, shilajit produced concentration-dependent currents that were partly blocked by a GABA-A antagonist and totally blocked by strychnine, a glycine receptor antagonist. The authors interpret this as inhibitory activity through chloride channels and suggest shilajit contains sedating ingredients for the central nervous system (Yin 2011).
- In preoptic hypothalamic neurons, shilajit-induced currents were almost completely blocked by strychnine, suggesting shilajit contains ingredients with glycine-mimetic activity that could influence hypothalamic neurophysiology (Bhattarai 2016).
These are recordings from brain tissue bathed in shilajit solution. They do not show that anything reaches those neurons after you swallow shilajit, nor that sleep changes. The glycine receptor is also involved in many processes besides sleep.
What is missing in humans
We searched PubMed records on shilajit and related names (about 145) and found no randomised or open-label human study with sleep, insomnia, anxiety or stress as an outcome. The shilajit trials in humans measured testosterone, muscle and fatigue-related strength, skin and collagen markers and bone. A claim that shilajit "reduces cortisol" or "improves sleep" in people is therefore not supported by a human result we could find.
What has trial evidence for sleep and stress
- CBT for insomnia (CBT-I). A 2015 meta-analysis of 20 randomised trials (1,162 adults with chronic insomnia) found sleep onset latency improved by about 19 minutes, wake after sleep onset by about 26 minutes and sleep efficiency by about 10 percentage points, with no adverse outcomes reported and benefits that appeared to be sustained (Trauer 2015). A 2024 component network meta-analysis of 241 trials (31,452 participants) describes CBT-I as the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia (Furukawa 2024).
- Ashwagandha. Meta-analyses of randomised trials report lower stress and anxiety scores and a small to moderate improvement in sleep, with low certainty evidence and liver-injury case reports to weigh. See our ashwagandha guide.
- Magnesium. A meta-analysis found a modest reduction in time to fall asleep in older adults, with low certainty evidence. See Shilajit vs Magnesium.
If you have trouble sleeping most nights for more than a few weeks, or feel persistently anxious or low, speak to a GP. In Australia you can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time.
Evidence summary
| Claim | Strongest evidence found | Key caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Improves sleep or insomnia | None found | No human trial located |
| Reduces stress or anxiety | None found in humans | Rat anxiety-like behaviour only |
| Modulates stress hormone axis | Animal Surapaneni 2012, rats | Forced-swim fatigue model |
| Acts on inhibitory receptors | In vitro Yin 2011; Bhattarai 2016, mouse slices | Not shown in intact humans |
Lab results, batch #1093
Know what you are taking
Composition varies between shilajit products. Batch #1093 had heavy metals independently tested by Eurofins Food Australia, and the results are public.
Read the batch #1093 reportA lab report describes one batch. It does not show that a product treats or prevents any condition.
FAQ
Does shilajit help you sleep?
Not shown. No human trial measured sleep. Mouse brain slice studies suggest it activates inhibitory receptors, which is a mechanism and not a sleep result.
Does shilajit lower cortisol?
In a rat chronic stress model it reversed a stress-induced fall in corticosterone. We found no human data on cortisol.
Is shilajit a sedative?
The authors of one mouse study described sedating ingredients based on receptor activity. No human sedation data exist. If you take sedatives or medication affecting the nervous system, ask a doctor or pharmacist before using it.
What is the best-evidenced treatment for insomnia?
CBT for insomnia is recommended as first-line for chronic insomnia and showed clinically meaningful benefits in meta-analysis.
References
- Surapaneni DK, Adapa SR, Preeti K, et al. Shilajit attenuates behavioral symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and mitochondrial bioenergetics in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;143(1):91-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.06.002. PMID: 22771318.
- Yin H, Yang EJ, Park SJ, Han SK. Glycine- and GABA-mimetic actions of shilajit on the substantia gelatinosa neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis in mice. Korean J Physiol Pharmacol. 2011;15(5):285-289. DOI: 10.4196/kjpp.2011.15.5.285. PMID: 22128261.
- Bhattarai JP, Cho DH, Han SK. Activation of strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors by shilajit on preoptic hypothalamic neurons of juvenile mice. Chin J Physiol. 2016;59(1):39-45. DOI: 10.4077/CJP.2016.BAE361. PMID: 26875561.
- Trauer JM, Qian MY, Doyle JS, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015. PMID: 26054060.
- Furukawa Y, Sakata M, Yamamoto R, et al. Components and delivery formats of cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia in adults: a systematic review and component network meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 38231522.
Findings above are drawn from published abstracts; full texts were not reviewed. This article is general information, not medical advice. Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14.