Green Tea Before Bed: Truths and Myths
Green tea is a popular beverage that has several health advantages.
It's become fashionable to consume it at night. Supporters argue it helps them sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed.
However, there are certain disadvantages to drinking tea at night, and it may not be suitable for everyone.
This article will assist you in determining whether or not drinking green tea at night is beneficial to you.
The advantages of drinking green tea late at night
Beneficial chemicals found in green tea
These may be broken down into three categories:
- Catechins. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) are two antioxidants in this category (EGC). They are regarded to be the primary cause of green tea's potent therapeutic benefits.
- Caffeine. Coffee, cocoa, and various drinks contain this stimulant. It can improve your mood, response time, and memory by promoting nerve cell activity.
- Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Theanine, the most prevalent amino acid in green tea, is known to help with brain function, stress reduction, and relaxation.
Green tea's various health advantages, including increased brain function, weight loss, possibly cancer prevention, and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are linked to these components working together.
It's effects on sleep
Green tea may also improve the quality and quantity of sleep.
Green tea's key sleep-promoting ingredient is thought to be theanine. It works by lowering stress hormones and neuron stimulation in the brain, allowing the brain to unwind.
Drinking 3–4 cups (750–1,000 ml) of low-caffeinated green tea throughout the day, for example, has been shown to lower fatigue and stress signs, as well as improve sleep quality.
The disadvantages of drinking green tea late at night
It contains caffeine
Caffeine is present in green tea. This natural stimulant increases arousal, concentration, and attention while decreasing weariness, all of which might make falling asleep more difficult.
Caffeine's effects can take as little as 20 minutes to show and approximately an hour to reach full strength, so drinking caffeinated green tea late at night may make it difficult to fall asleep.
Despite some evidence indicates theanine in green tea counteracts the stimulating effects of caffeine, caffeine sensitive persons may still have sleep disruptions, depending on how much green tea they ingest.
As a result, folks who are caffeine sensitive may benefit from consuming a low-caffeine green tea.
Conclusion
Green tea has a number of health advantages, including improved sleep.
However, consuming it late at night, especially in the two hours before bedtime, may make falling asleep more difficult. It may also cause you to pee more at night, reducing the quality of your sleep.
As a result, this beverage may be best consumed during the day or early evening. Green tea's good health and sleep-promoting benefits will be maximized while its negative effects will be minimized.
