Best Kratom for Sleep? What the Evidence Says

Kratom has not been tested as a sleep aid in a clinical trial, so no strain or dose is proven to help you sleep. People do report using it for sleep. But sedation isn’t the same as good sleep, and stopping regular use often causes insomnia.

This page covers what we know, what we don’t, and the risks to weigh first.

Does kratom help you sleep?

There is no clinical trial of kratom for insomnia in PubMed. What exists is self-report.

• In a survey of 161 kratom users, 43.1% said they used it for sleep (Covvey et al., 2026).
• In a survey of 421 users, whole-leaf powders were reported to give more pain relief, energy and better sleep than other products (Hill et al., 2025).

Surveys show what people say they feel. They don’t show that kratom improves sleep.

Why can kratom make sleep worse?

Kratom’s main alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, are partial opioid agonists. Regular use can cause dependence and withdrawal. A review lists insomnia among the withdrawal symptoms (Bin Abdullah, 2020).

So a night-time habit can turn into a reason you can’t sleep without it. In a survey of 2,061 kratom users, 25.5% met criteria for kratom use disorder, and withdrawal was one of the most common symptoms (Hill et al., 2024).

In a study that tracked 357 daily-life users, the problem cases usually centered on avoiding withdrawal (Smith et al., 2024).

Which strain is best for sleep: red, green or white?

No one knows. Red, green and white are vendor labels.

In a survey of 644 users, people described different effects for each color. Lab tests of the products found no significant difference in alkaloid content between colors. The authors say marketing and expectation may drive what people report (Huisman et al., 2023).

Names like Red Bali or Red Maeng Da don’t tell you the dose you’re getting.

What is a safe dose of kratom for sleep?

No validated human dose for sleep has been established. Don’t use a number from a vendor or a forum as if it were one.

What are the risks?

FDA says kratom is not lawfully marketed as a drug, dietary supplement or food additive. It has warned consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures and substance use disorder (FDA).

Other risks to know about:

• Alcohol and sedatives: FDA says deaths linked to kratom usually involved other drugs. Don’t mix kratom with alcohol or other sedating substances.
• Drug interactions: in a trial of 12 healthy adults, kratom tea raised blood levels of midazolam, a drug cleared by the CYP3A enzyme. Combining kratom with other drugs cleared this way could cause serious interactions (Tanna et al., 2023).
• Pregnancy: FDA is aware of newborns with withdrawal signs after prolonged exposure to kratom before birth.
• Contamination: FDA has warned about kratom products contaminated with Salmonella or concerning levels of heavy metals.

Some states and cities ban or restrict kratom, and rules change. Check your local law.

If you take any medicine, ask a pharmacist or doctor before using kratom. Don’t stop prescribed medicines on your own.

What helps with sleep instead?

Start with habits. UCSF Health’s sleep hygiene guide recommends:

• Wake up at the same time every morning.
• Don’t spend extra time in bed.
• Skip caffeine in the evening, even if it doesn’t seem to bother you.
• Fix noise and heat in your bedroom. White noise or earplugs can help.

If you’ve had trouble sleeping for weeks, see a doctor. Insomnia can have causes that a supplement won’t fix.

You can also read our mulungu guide or our overview of what kratom is. If you decide to buy kratom anyway, see our kratom vendor guide for which vendors show third-party lab results.

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