"Psychedelics are non-specific amplifiers."
Dr. Stanislav Grof
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Does Microdosing Mushrooms Make You Tired?
Why The Answer May Surprise You
Does microdosing mushrooms make you tired?
It is a valid question.
Especially if you are just starting your microdosing mushrooms journey, you want to know what to expect before you commit.
You certainly don’t want to chance a microdose on a big day where you have lots of things planned—especially if you have heard the buzz that microdosing is the ultimate hack for productivity and creativity.
Even the science shows that psilocybin "lights up" the neurology, creating new connections across the brain.
So, one would naturally think it would energize you, right?
The answer, unfortunately, is a muddy one...
It depends.
It depends on a lot of factors, ranging from your biology to your spirit.
The body scan: Why does microdosing mushrooms make you tired?
You see, the mushrooms give you what you need...not necessarily what you want.
This is the golden rule of working with the mushrooms.
If you are:
- stressed
- sleep-deprived
- sick, or
- just overall run down
...chances are you will feel tired after a microdose.
I have experienced this firsthand, especially during times of deep grief.
There is a fascinating mechanism at play here.
Psilocybin quiets the Default Mode Network (DMN) in the brain—the part of us that houses the ego, the "to-do" lists, and the neurotic chatter.
Fatigue isn't always physical; it is often somatic. Psilocybin suppresses the Default Mode Network (DMN) in the brain, allowing suppressed emotions to surface. Processing these emotions in the background burns a tremendous amount of glucose and mental energy, leading to "psychogenic fatigue."
You see, once that rigid ego structure is released or softened, we can no longer convince ourselves that we can just "fight through it with enough caffeine and willpower."
When the ego steps aside, the body speaks.
If your body is screaming for rest, the mushroom will amplify that voice.
Um, no...
You cannot outrun your own exhaustion when you are working with this medicine.
That’s what I love about mushrooms...
They don’t let you hide from yourself.
On the other hand, if you are doing relatively well in your life and you are:
- healthy
- minimally stressed, and
- get plenty of sleep and rest (who are you people, anyways?!?)
...you might find that microdosing gives you an incredible amount of energy.
I have also experienced this flow state, where work feels effortless and ideas spark like electricity.
Now, to make matters even more confusing, I have also experienced:
- a burst of energy
- clarity
- focus and
- presence
...from microdosing when I am feeling tired and run down...
The point here is...microdosing mushrooms can be a wild card.
There is a growing sub-group of microdosers who have switched their regimen from morning to right before bed (the "Nightcap Protocol").
They claim the drowsiness helps them sleep deeply, and they wake up with the "afterglow" benefits without the daytime lethargy.
In one study, approximately 26.6% of participants reported negative effects. Among these, physiological discomfort (which includes fatigue and body load) was one of the most frequently cited complaints.
Microdosing psychedelics: personality, mental health, and creativity differences in microdosers (2019)
The "Museum Dose" Mistake
Many solopreneurs and biohackers report that while they feel a burst of creativity in the morning after a dose, they experience a "crash" that is significantly heavier than a caffeine crash around 4 to 5 hours after ingestion.
They often describe this as a "heavy body load" that makes them want to lie down immediately.
Fatigue is often a sign of missing the "sweet spot."
If a user takes slightly too much (e.g., 0.3g instead of 0.1g or less), they enter a limbo state often called the "Museum Dose."
This is where the brain is too sedated to focus on work, but not high enough to trip, resulting in a heavy, lethargic "body load."
Environmental factors
Does microdosing mushrooms make you tired from environmental factors?
Another massive factor that matters when it comes to microdosing is the origin of your medicine.
Did you grow it yourself?
If your medicine was grown by you, for your own healing, and you intentionally infused your mushies with healing energy, you will likely experience a different type of vitality than if you received your mushies from a stranger.
This is why I advocate for growing your own medicine.
Mushrooms are over 92% water, and as such, they are highly conductive and absorbent.
There have been studies and demonstrations, such as those by Dr. Masaru Emoto, suggesting that water holds memory and responds to consciousness.
Emoto’s experiments showed that water exposed to positive words and intentions formed beautiful, symmetrical crystals, while water exposed to negativity formed chaotic structures.
Since mushrooms are almost entirely water, just like our bodies, they absorb the energies from the surrounding environment in which they were grown.
If the person who grew them is uncentered, ungrounded, and operating from a "scarcity" or "fear" mindset, you bet your bottom dollar those are the energies you will experience.
So, does microdosing mushrooms make you tired in this context?
It might, if you are metabolizing the heavy, stagnant energy of a commercial grower who viewed the medicine merely as a commodity.
On the other hand, if you grow your own mushies and you intentionally infuse them with:
- singing bowls
- classical music
- positive affirmations, and
- you ground and center yourself before you interact with them,
...you will absolutely feel these high-vibration energies when you consume your medicine.
This is why growing your own medicine is a symbiotic relationship.
You guide them, and they guide you.
In a famous "self-blinding" study, a significant portion of the placebo group *also* reported feeling tired or "foggy." This suggests that the expectation of a brain change can psychologically induce fatigue, a statistic that challenges how much of the tiredness is chemical versus psychological.
Imperial College London
The "Yawn Attack"
A very specific anecdote involves users who don't feel "sleepy" in the traditional sense, but cannot stop yawning.
One user described it as "having the yawns of a person who hasn't slept in 48 hours, despite being fully awake mentally."
Psilocybin mimics serotonin.
It specifically interacts with the 5-HT2C receptor.
It is a little-known biological fact that stimulating this specific receptor triggers yawning and creates a sensation of lethargy.
It isn't that the user is tired; it is a chemical signal forcing a physiological reaction.
The strain difference
Does microdosing mushrooms make you tired based on the strain of mushrooms?
Finally, a major factor that can influence the energy you experience is the specific strain of psilocybin you are taking.
This is where it can get really fun!
Just as different strains of cannabis produce different effects (Sativa vs. Indica), different mushroom strains contain varying ratios of alkaloids which create an "entourage effect."
It is fun to have an arsenal of different strains for different days.
- You might have Golden Teachers for healing and introspection. These are often gentler but can be more "inward," which might feel like tiredness to some.
- You might have Blue Meanies (Panaeolus cyanescens) for a day of galavanting in nature, as they often pack a punch of clarity and visual sharpness.
- You might have Shakti or Albino A+ for a night out dancing to your favorite band, providing a more embodied, kinetic energy.
Of course, you and only you will know which strains hold which energies for your specific adventures.
If you pick a heavy, body-load strain for a workday, the answer to "Does microdosing mushrooms make you tired?" will likely be a resounding yes.
In data collected, "impaired focus" and "physiological discomfort" (drowsiness) consistently rank in the top 3 challenges for new microdosers, contradicting the popular narrative that it provides limitless energy.
Global Drug Survey and various observational studies
Listening to the Medicine
So, does microdosing mushrooms make you tired?
It depends on the groundwork you are working with.
It depends on:
- your physical health,
- the intention behind the grow, and
- the genetics of the fungi.
If you find yourself yawning uncontrollably or feeling heavy after a dose, don't view it as a failure.
View it as data.
Your body is asking for restoration.
Honor that.
Ultimately, does microdosing mushrooms make you tired?
Or does it simply reveal how tired you actually are?
That is the real question worth asking.
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