Finding the Best Kratom Strain & Dose for Sleep
When finding your optimum kratom strain and dose, you must first identify what sort of sleep disorder you hope to treat. Do you struggle with full-blown insomnia? Or do you have issues falling asleep quickly? Perhaps you suffer from a lack of quality REM sleep?
Kratom is best used to help people who have a hard time falling asleep. If you have no problem falling asleep but find that you struggle to get much quality REM sleep, kratom is not likely to help much.
A kratom dosing calculator is your best bet for the most accurate numbers.
Best Kratom Strain for Sleep: Red Kratom
Red kratom is the best choice for somebody who wants to get a good night’s rest. Red kratom is rich in 7-hydroxymitragynine. This alkaloid is the most potent in terms of its activity in the opioid system.
The opioid system is responsible for causing feelings of relaxation and sedation. Thus, strains that are great at binding to the opioid system are also great for insomnia.
You may want to avoid using all but the smallest doses of red kratom during the day. Otherwise, you’ll be too relaxed and sedated to be at work or school.
Related: Is Kratom An Opioid?
Best Red Kratom Dose for Sleep
Red kratom is likely to help you fall asleep at any dose. Lower doses are still a bit more stimulating than higher doses. If you’re taking just a gram or two of red kratom, you might be able to enjoy an hour or two of focus and stimulation before the typical sedative effects begin to take place.
However, taking much more than that will lead to primarily sedating effects. New users probably won’t need more than 2-4 grams of red kratom to help them sleep.
New users who take a high dose of red kratom (between 4 and 8 grams) will not only have an easy time falling asleep; they’ll most likely have a hard time staying awake.
Higher doses produce a typical opioid “nod,” a pleasant and blissful sensation in which one nods in and out of a dreamlike state.
You’re not quite asleep, but you’re not quite awake. You’re definitely not going to be doing anything productive. Once you come out of the nod, you’ll either fade into a deep sleep or find yourself back at the baseline, ready to get back to your daily tasks.
Regular users might need to use more significant amounts to fall asleep. Start with a lower dose to see how it affects you, then add more if it doesn’t do the trick.
It’s important not to develop a habit of nodding out for recreational purposes, though. This is a dangerous and slippery slope that can lead down the path to addiction.
Second Best Kratom Strain for Sleep: Green
Many people also report that green kratom is too stimulating to allow them to allow for a good night’s rest.
Green isn’t as stimulating as white, though. It’s a bit more forgiving in terms of insomnia. For example, whereas white kratom might cause insomnia even when dosed in the late afternoon, green kratom is unlikely to do so.
This effect also diminishes as your body becomes more accustomed to kratom. Seasoned users often find green kratom perfect for initiating a late-night study session or social engagement that leaves them ready for bed afterward.
Green kratom also has the interesting property of becoming a sedative at higher doses. This can be difficult to predict from strain to strain, but some can be conducive to sleep when taken in large enough amounts.
Best Green Kratom Dose for Sleep
If you use green kratom for sleep, you’ll want to take a large enough dose to activate its sedative properties.
A dose between 4-8 grams is likely to cause an experience that starts off stimulating and then leans into a highly relaxing, possibly sedating experience. The higher the dose, the higher the sedation you will experience towards the end of the burn.
Dosing less than 4 grams provides an experience that generally curves down into relaxing territory, but most people find that it’s not quite enough to put you to bed. If you’re new, you might find that residual stimulation keeps you awake even if your body feels relaxed.
A regular user might take a few grams of green kratom in the evening, enjoy a quick buzz that allows them to finish a late-night assignment, and then find themselves nodding off into a good night’s sleep.
Third Best Kratom for Sleep: Yellow & Gold
Yellow kratom can be helpful for sleep. However, it can also cause insomnia. This is possible because there’s no standard for yellow kratom (or gold, for that matter). Some strains of yellow kratom can have completely different results than others.
Yellow kratom will probably be helpful for somebody hoping to get to sleep at doses around 3-4 grams or higher, but gold kratom can be entirely unpredictable.
Yellow kratom is generally made from red kratom mixed with white or green. The idea is to produce a strain of kratom that provides the pain relief and relaxation of a red strain without immediately sending you to bed.
However, the amount of white or green kratom determines how the kratom will influence you. Sometimes, yellow kratom will leave users feeling stimulated and unable to sleep. In other cases, the burn will lead to relaxation and allow you to fall asleep easier.
Gold kratom is a bit messier. Gold kratom is simply a mixture of different kratom blends and varies from vendor to vendor.
Some gold kratom may be a mixture of mostly sedating red kratom blended with a bit of green. In this case, you’ll have no problem falling asleep. Others may be a mix of green and white, so you’ll probably be counting sheep all night.
Because of the difference, giving a recommended dose for gold kratom is impossible.
White Kratom: Not A Good Choice for Sleep
White strains are exclusively stimulating. They are best used in the morning and have no benefit for anybody hoping to get to sleep.
Most people report that using white kratom at night will leave them tossing and turning long into the wee hours of the morning. Keep your white kratom for the morning and early afternoon.
The only way that white kratom could be useful for sleep is if it helps you exert tons of energy during the daytime. If you take white kratom in the morning and turn into a complete powerhouse of (wo)manpower throughout the day, you’ll probably be exhausted enough come night time to fall right asleep.
Risks & Side Effects of Dosing Too High
It’s entirely possible to dose too high on kratom. Dosing too high leads to side effects and can increase the risk of addiction and dependence. Chronic, high-dose kratom consumption is sure to cause problems that can be difficult to overcome (more on that later).
Overdoing it with any kratom can lead to specific side effects, including:
- Addiction and withdrawal
- Brain fog
- Changes in appetite
- Constipation
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dizziness and confusion
- Emotional changes (emotional blunting, apathy)
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Vomiting
The higher you dose, the more likely you will experience these symptoms. If you’re responsible, you should have no problem reducing your usage as soon as you notice side effects like these.
How Much Is Too Much White Kratom?
For white kratom, any dose is too high for somebody who wants to go to sleep. All it will do is add some adrenaline-fueled energy into your search for somnolence.
Since kratom tends to produce more sedating benefits as the dosage increases, it might be tempting to down massive doses of white kratom in hopes of becoming sedated.
You won’t become sedated enough to fall asleep, but you most likely won’t be as stimulated as you would at a standard dose. It’s more of a mixture of brain fog and adrenergic stimulation muffled by mild opioid receptor activation.
How Much Is Too Much Green Kratom?
If you’re using green kratom to get to sleep, then you may find yourself walking a fairly thin line. Since green is usually stimulating, you’ll need to take a higher dose to experience sedation.
Unfortunately, it’s pretty easy to step over the line from comfortable sedation into nausea and discomfort. Even the recommended high-end dosage of 8 grams can be a bit too much for new users.
The best solution is to start slow and work your way up. If you need a good night’s sleep and don’t have time to mess around figuring out your dosages, you should skip green entirely and use a red strain.
Otherwise, pick a night when you can risk getting a rough sleep (for example, a weekend when you’ve got no plans in the morning).
Start with a dose slightly higher than that which you know produces stimulation. Allow the effects to wear off before concluding how the amount affects you.
Remember, green kratom isn’t supposed to cause immediate sedation. In some instances, it can cause sedation right away, but this generally requires taking very high doses that will be pretty close to the threshold of nausea and queasiness.
If eight grams of green kratom isn’t causing sedation, you’ve either got a high tolerance or low-quality kratom. If you have a high tolerance, you should rely on red kratom for your sedation; otherwise, your need for a high dose of green kratom will end up jacking your tolerance further.
If you have low-quality kratom, then you should switch up your source.
How Much Is Too Much Red Kratom?
If you use red kratom for sleep, then you’re in luck. The red stuff requires the smallest dosage compared to any other type. However, this also makes it relatively easy to overdo it.
As with green kratom, you want to start with as little as possible. A two-gram dose is enough for some people to manage their anxiety.
Because red kratom contains such a high concentration of 7-hydroxymitragynine, it’s more likely to cause symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and lightheadedness. Abate these symptoms by lying down, which is what you’re probably planning on doing before falling asleep anyway.
Nonetheless, these symptoms indicate you’ve taken a higher dose than your body can handle. Even though you’ll most likely fall asleep like a baby once your head hits the pillow, you should reduce your dosage to a level that doesn’t make you feel sick.
Weighing Out Your Dosage
When you first receive a bulk bag of kratom powder, you might wonder how on earth you’re supposed to weigh out a certain dosage. If you’ve ordered an ounce, you can’t simply split the bag’s contents into 28 one-gram piles and work from there, can you?
Of course not. Use a scale or purchase pre-weighed capsules if you want to be particular about your dosage. “Eyeballing” kratom dosages are complex and risky but possible. Veteran users may be able to guesstimate the weight of a dose within a few hundred milligrams.
Weigh Your Dosage
Scales are handy tools for people who use kratom powder. Some would say they’re essential for anybody who wants to be responsible with their habit.
As you become familiar with the plant, you will be able to develop a healthy relationship with it. Measuring your dosage means that…
- You’ll know exactly how much of which strain produces the desired effect.
- You’ll also know precisely how much kratom begins to cause side effects.
- You can taper down if you ever develop a dependence.
- You’ll learn how much kratom you can consume per day/week/month without becoming physically dependent.
In other words, using a scale and measuring your dosage is the most important thing for a responsible kratom user.
Two primary devices can weigh kratom: a digital scale and a balance.
1. Digital Scales
Nowadays, digital scales are much more popular than balances.
They often have a bright, backlit LED display that will tell you the weight of your kratom. These are adjustable, and the TARE function allows you to reset the scale’s weight to 0 after placing a container on it so that you can measure your kratom directly into a storage jar, a spoon, a cup, etc.
The more sensitive the scale, the more accurate the reading will be. However, since kratom doses are in the range of grams, you won’t need a supersensitive milligram scale. Milligram scales allow you to weigh things as light as 0.001 grams and are better suited to those measuring out potent chemical drugs.
Milligram scales would be useful for anybody trying to measure an accurate dose of some of the insane kratom extracts like the OPMS.
Regular kratom, however, doesn’t require such sensitivity. Even if your scale is off by a few hundred milligrams, the difference in effects isn’t going to cause health problems or an overdose. It would be different if you were attempting to weigh out a dose of, say, morphine, where 10 or 20 milligrams can mean the difference between pain relief and an overdose.
2. Balances
Balances are the classical method of measuring weight. A balance is a weighted scale consisting of two evenly-weighted plates connected by a rod balanced over a fulcrum.
You place a weight on one of the plates and then add material to the opposite plate until the two plates are equal in height. For example, placing two one-gram weights will bring the scales into perfect balance when you add exactly two grams of kratom to the other plate.
Balances can be incredibly accurate as long as the weights are properly-made. However, they are limited in their function and capacity since you can’t adjust the size of the weighing plates without replacing the whole balance.
Balances can also be made relatively simply by attaching two same-sized surfaces to a rod or pole and then balancing it over a pointed object.
3. Use Pre-Measured Capsules
If you want to save time, you can purchase kratom in premade capsules, which generally contain somewhere between 500-1000 mg of kratom powder.
Capsules allow you to dose easily, but they are limiting because you can only adjust your amount in increments by the weight of the capsule.
Capsules are also generally more expensive than buying bulk powder. What you save in time and effort you make up for in the product cost.
Tips for Finding Your Perfect Dosage
Here are some other tips on finding the ideal dosage for your particular body type:
- Remember that red kratom is primarily a sedative. Some people find that it puts them to bed in doses of as little as one or two grams. This is the exception rather than the rule, but it doesn’t hurt to try out small doses like these your first couple of times with red kratom powder.
- Take your time. Don’t expect to find your ideal dosage right away. Kratom discussion forums like Reddit often refer to the “sweet spot,” the dosage level that provides maximum relief with minimal side effects. Many people don’t realize their sweet spot until they’ve become familiar with kratom.
- Experiment with different strains and vendors. Vendors can vary significantly in the quality of their kratom. Remember that just because two vendors may have a product listed as “Red Borneo,” they may actually be selling two completely different products.
Related: 10 Best Kratom Vendors of 2023
The Importance of Using the Lowest Possible Dose
Kratom is a physically addicting substance, but it is not inherently dangerous or destructive. However, it does mean that you would be wise to be cautious and responsible with your usage. One of the best ways to do this is to use the minimum effective dose, starting very low and working your way to what works, half a gram at a time.
If you’re going to be using kratom daily (which we greatly discourage unless totally necessary), then you’re probably going to end up dependent regardless.
Imagine that someone could find relief with a small three-gram dose but starts with six or seven grams.
Their body might respond well to three grams, but they wouldn’t know that. They would have set the bar at least twice as high as it needs to be.
From that point on, a dose of three grams might seem underwhelming, whereas if they had only used three grams for the first time, it would be more than enough. A six-gram dose would seem like overkill.
By neglecting to start small, you can set yourself up for a dependence much more intense than it needs to be.
How to Lower Your Dose If You’re Using Too Much
If you use kratom every day or even every couple of days at obscenely large doses, your body becomes dependent on it.
This physical dependence means that your body becomes reliant on kratom to produce the necessary neurotransmitters and hormones to function. Without the kratom, it struggles to function optimally, having “forgotten” how to create these chemicals on its own and causing many unpleasant physical and mental symptoms called withdrawal.
Lowering your dosage gradually in a process known as tapering allows your body to readjust slowly.
In some cases, you can eliminate withdrawal symptoms. People with long-term habits will likely still experience some withdrawal symptoms, but they’ll be much less intense.
A proper taper will leave you feeling somewhat tired and somewhat uncomfortable. You should not, however, experience full-blown withdrawal.
Reduce your dose by 5 to 20 percent until you stop using kratom.
- If you’ve been using high doses for an extended period, you’ll want to gradually reduce your amount by about 5 to 10 percent at a time.
- If you’ve only been using it for a couple of months, you should be fine reducing your dose by 20 or even 30 percent at a time.
Continue to use the reduced dose until your body adjusts to it. At this point, you’ll start to feel similar effects as you did when you were taking your previous dose. This is when you know it’s time to drop down another level.
Conclusion: Now You Know How to Find the Best Kratom Dose for Sleep!
Finding the best kratom dose for sleep is a personal endeavor. Your ideal dose will be different than somebody else’s. The only way to figure out the best dose is to experiment and work your way up from a small dose gradually.
Keep in mind that certain rules will help you determine the ideal dose quicker. Red kratom is far more likely to help you fall asleep, and large amounts of kratom will induce sedation better than low doses.
Measure the amount with a scale or by purchasing premade capsules; never use more than you have to. If you develop a physical dependence, make sure that you gradually taper yourself off kratom to avoid severe discomfort.
