Herbal teas such as chamomile, Lavender, passionflower does not contain any caffeine. they are not made from the Camellia Sinensis plant as most teas. Drinking these herbal teas before bed will promote sleep and you will have a good quality sleep.
Research shows that as many as 35-40% of adults struggle to fall and stay asleep each night. And chronic sleep problems are most severe in older adults as 25% and those with medical conditions(69%).
The best bedtime tea may help you to feel relax and ease into a good sleep routine. And unlike something like sleep medications, which have a sedative effect in some people but not everyone, different types of tea provide different ways to help your body usher in good sleep naturally.
Which Tea will interrupt your sleep?
Most of us already know not to consume caffeinated beverages (like coffee) too close to bedtime, but sometimes we are confused by tea.
Teas that are made from leaves off the Camellia sinensis plant will contain caffeine. Caffeine will interrupt and will disturb your sleep.
Many studies have been conducted and their results show how caffeine disrupts your sleep.
In this research study, you can read that Caffeine taken 6 hours before bedtime can disrupt your sleep. So, the newer Sleep hygiene guideline suggests not to take Caffeinated beverages 6 hours before sleep.
Also, Caffeinated drinks before sleep will cause acid reflux.
In the table below you can read about different Caffeine content in various teas. The data is taken from Garfield Medical Center.
Types of Drinks/Tea ( per 8 oz) | Caffeine content |
---|---|
Coffee | 95 mg -200 mg |
Black Tea | 40 mg -70 mg |
Green Tea | 35 mg -80 mg |
White tea | 15 mg-30 mg |
oolong tea | 37 mg -55 mg |
So what is the best type of tea for sleep?
Herbal tea, also known as a Tisane. These herbal teas are made from dried plants, leaves, and flowers outside of the Camellia family.
These specific herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free and great for helping you relax and de-stress before sleep.
The Best 5 herbal teas that help you sleep are as follow:
Now, let us check the herbal teas one by one.
Lavender Tea
Lavender essential oil is mostly used to help lower stress levels. When these pretty purple flowers are infused like tea, lavender can be just as beneficial for your sleep hygiene.
The study of Taiwan examined the effects of drinking lavender tea in 80 postnatal women.
Researches learned that drinking one cup of lavender tea per day for two weeks supported better sleep quality, reduce fatigue, and helped strengthen the bond between mother and baby.
Health Benefits of Lavender Tea and Extracts:
- Help improve Anxiety
- Promotes Relaxation
- Helps in Sleep
- Helps with Menstrual Cramps
- Improves Your skin Health.
You may also score these positive side effects when you enjoy one small cup of lavender tea too. But skip the tea bags and messy loose leaf option: our stress and caffeine-free lavender reishi latte are as calming as it is delicious, effective, natural, and easy to make at home.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile flower looks like daisies and makes one of the most popular caffeine-free tea options for unwinding and relaxing.
Chamomile teas contain a powerful flavonoid compound called apigenin, which acts on the brain’s GABA receptors to promote a feeling of calmness to the body.
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In low doses chamomile act like a mild tranquilizer. It will produce a soothing effect on the nervous system. In higher doses, chamomile teas are helping to promote calm and better sleep.
Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea:
- Help in Inducing Sleep.
- Balances mood.
- Relieves stress.
- Help in Gut health.
- Can be protective against some cancers.
- Can Boost immunity.
- Can help in Diabetic Control.
- May improve heart health.
- Prevent bone decay
- Improves skin.
Researchers from Taiwanese studies examined the effects of chamomile tea on postnatal women with poor sleep quality. Similarly, as the lavender study mentioned that the women were told to drink one cup of chamomile tea per day for two weeks.
After the trial period, the women reported that the chamomile tea significantly lowered their physical symptoms of sleep deprivation. The Researches noted that chamomile tea may have also supported a more balanced mood and relaxation.
Thanks to chamomile tea’s calming effects, it makes a great option if sleep troubles are plaguing you. It may also help with nighttime indigestion or heartburn.
Also read Chamomile tea how it helps to sleep. Side effects and Recipes.
Passionflower Tea
Most people are not as familiar with drinking passionflower tea as they are with drinking lavender or chamomile tea for amazing sleep and to reduce stress.
However, this calming tea may support improved sleep quality and reduce stress, so it’s worth putting on your radar.
A small double-blind, placebo-controlled repeated-measure study had participants drink a cup of Passionflower tea per day while keeping track of the effects they noticed in a sleep diary.
During the trial, people reported significantly higher sleep quality. Researches noted that a low dose of passionflower tea was enough to see their positive effects.
Also read: 10 benefits, side effects, recipes of passion flower.
Magnolia Tea
Magnolia tea may also be a most familiar option for sleep.
But researchers studied the effects of magnolia tea on postpartum women struggling with sleep and symptoms of depression, they saw improvements in both after just three weeks.
These positive side effects did not interfere with the mother’s ability to care for her infant at night or cause any daytime dysfunction.
What, seven more interesting is that the researchers discovered that magnolia tea’s beneficial effects lasted longer than those caused by drinking chamomile tea, which is a go-to for many people.
Health benefits of Magnolia Tea:
- Promotes relaxation
- Improves sleep.
- Potential anti-inflammatory properties.
- Improves menopausal symptoms.
- Has some Anti-cancer properties.
So the next time you are looking for a sleepy tea, you may want to give magnolia tea a shot over chamomile tea and lavender tea.
Low-Caffeine Green Tea
While caffeinated tea is usually something you want to avoid if you are having sleep issues, there is one surprising exception to the rule in low-caffeine green tea.
When consumed early enough in a single day, low caffeine green tea was supported to improve sleep quality and lower fatigue levels in study participants.
Researches compared both low caffeine green tea and regular green tea consumption using a double-blind crossover study. They gave participants a cup of Low caffeine green tea for seven days with a single washout period.
The result showed that participants who drank the low caffeine green tea earned better sleep and experienced less tiredness the next day than those in the standard green tea control group.
Health Benefits of Green Tea:
- Helps in weight loss.
- Helps in burning your fat
- Antioxidant properties help in Cancers.
- Can help in diabetic control.
- Can help you sleep.
End Note:
Switch to one of these herbal teas on this list after dinner for healthy sleep.
Let us know which one you have tried in the comment section. If you have some other extra choices also let us know.