I’ve been taking Ashwagandha almost every day for the past two years. At first it was just for stress—I’d had a rough stretch with work and family stuff, and I wanted something natural to take the edge off. It worked really well; my mind felt calmer, I slept better, and I had more steady energy. But about a year in, I started noticing something odd: some afternoons I’d feel shaky, light-headed, and like I needed to eat right now, even though I’d had a normal lunch. It was the kind of low blood sugar feeling I’d only had before when I’d skipped meals or exercised too hard.

I didn’t connect it to Ashwagandha at first. I thought maybe I was just getting older or my diet was off. But then I started paying attention to when it happened, and it was always on the days I took my usual dose in the morning. On days I skipped or took half, I felt normal. That got me curious, so I did what any slightly paranoid person would do: I bought a cheap continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and tracked myself for a couple of months while changing my Ashwagandha dose and timing.

What I saw was surprising. My blood sugar would drop noticeably in the afternoon—sometimes into the 60s or low 70s—on days I took the full dose (around 600 mg). It wasn’t always symptomatic, but when it was, I felt shaky, sweaty, and irritable. When I cut the dose to 300 mg or took it at night instead, those dips mostly disappeared. The CGM graphs were clear: lower dose = flatter curve in the afternoon.

I stopped taking it for a week to reset, and the dips went away completely. When I restarted at 300 mg in the morning with food, the lows were much milder. If I took it on an empty stomach or with a light breakfast, they came back. That’s when I knew it wasn’t just coincidence.

I’ve since talked to a few friends who take Ashwagandha, and two of them have had similar experiences—one even got dizzy enough at work to have to sit down and eat a candy bar. Neither of us is diabetic, and our fasting blood sugar is normal, but the afternoon lows were real. It made me realize that even though Ashwagandha is generally safe, it can have this subtle but annoying side effect in some people.

So I started digging around, not looking for scientific papers or numbers, but just real stories and experiences from people who’ve noticed the same thing. Turns out I’m not alone. Lots of folks report feeling “off” or shaky in the afternoon after taking Ashwagandha, especially if they take it in the morning or on an empty stomach. Some say it feels like a mild hypoglycemic episode—shakiness, cold sweats, irritability, and a desperate need for carbs.

Why does this happen? From what I’ve pieced together from reading and talking to people, Ashwagandha can lower blood sugar a bit. It’s not dramatic like a diabetes drug, but enough that if your body is already sensitive to sugar swings, you might feel it. For someone like me who eats relatively low-carb and exercises a lot, it seems to push me into a low zone sometimes.

I also noticed that timing matters a lot. Taking it in the morning seems to create a bigger afternoon dip than taking it at night. When I switched to evening doses, the lows mostly stopped, and I still got the stress and sleep benefits. Another thing that helped was always taking it with food—never on an empty stomach. Adding a bit of fat or protein (like in a smoothie with almond butter) seemed to smooth out the curve.

I also found that dose makes a difference. At 600 mg I’d get the lows more often; at 300 mg or less, it was rare. Some days I even skip it if I know I’m going to be active or eat light. My body just seems to be more sensitive than average.

I’ve since talked to a couple of people who are in the same boat. One friend who’s a runner says she gets shaky during long runs if she takes Ashwagandha in the morning. Another who works from home says she feels “off” around 3 p.m. on days she takes it. We all agree it’s not a huge deal, but it’s annoying enough to adjust the routine.

The good news is that it’s easy to manage. Here are the things that have worked for me:

• Lower the dose: I went from 600 mg to 300 mg and the lows almost disappeared.
• Take it with food: Never on an empty stomach. Adding fat or protein helps stabilize blood sugar.
• Switch to evening: Taking it at night means the effect is mostly on sleep and not on daytime energy.
• Listen to your body: If you feel shaky or light-headed, eat something with carbs or protein right away.
• Track it: I used a cheap CGM for a couple of months to see my patterns. It was eye-opening.

I still love Ashwagandha—it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tried for stress and sleep. But I’ve learned that it’s not one-size-fits-all. For me, it lowers blood sugar just enough that I have to be mindful of when and how I take it. If you’re someone who already has blood sugar swings or eats low-carb, you might notice the same thing.

I’m not saying everyone will have this experience—plenty of people take Ashwagandha without any issues. But if you do start feeling shaky, tired, or hungry in the afternoon after taking it, don’t ignore it. Lower the dose, take it with food, or switch to evenings. Your body will thank you.

Now my routine is simple: 300 mg in the evening with dinner. No more lows, no more fog, and I still get all the calm and better sleep I want. It’s not perfect, but it’s balanced. And for me, that’s exactly what I needed.