Table of contents:
- Are there any benefits of drinking green tea before bed?
- Side effects of drinking green tea before bed
- Is drinking green tea before bed a routine?
Green tea or green tea quite popular for all people, especially adults and the elderly. Its well-known benefits, such as lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer, gave birth to a trend, namely tea before sleeping. However, before you make drinking green tea a routine before bed, you should find out more about what the following effects are.
Are there any benefits of drinking green tea before bed?
Drinking various types of tea is usually a routine to start the day. However, one type of tea, namely green tea, is deliberately drunk at night. The reason is to get the health benefits of green tea.
Green tea comes from a plant Camellia sinensis, which are known for their important compounds, such as catechins and amino acids.
Catechins are powerful antioxidant compounds that are often used as drugs, while amino acids are proteins in plants that can support brain function.
Well, one type of amino acid, namely theanine, is known to increase the quality and quantity of sleep. The presence of theanine is what makes most people start drinking green tea before bed as a routine.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition reported on the effects of theanine on sleep quality.
Drinking 3 to 4 cups (750-1,000 ml) of low-caffeinated green tea throughout the day can reduce fatigue and stress, which can improve sleep quality.
When it enters the body, theanine will reduce the hormone cortisol (stress hormone). The stimuli in the brain will also decrease, allowing the mind to be calmer.
Side effects of drinking green tea before bed
Although theanine has the potential to reduce stress and lead to a better sleep, drinking green tea can also have side effects. Green tea is known to contain caffeine, just like coffee.
Caffeine is a natural stimulant that can reduce fatigue, increase alertness, hydration and concentration. All of these effects can make it more difficult for a person to sleep. This might happen if a person drinks green tea before bed.
One cup of green tea (240 ml) contains about 30 mg of caffeine or 1/3 the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. The effects of caffeine will appear within 20 minutes to 1 hour after drinking green tea.
In addition, caffeine is also a diuretic, which makes you urinate constantly. This can disturb sleep because you wake up wanting to go to the bathroom.
Is drinking green tea before bed a routine?
So far no studies have actually looked at the benefits of drinking green tea at bedtime. Although the theanine content in green tea is recognized to counteract caffeine, the risk of side effects remains. Especially for people who are very sensitive to caffeine or are not used to drinking tea at night.
Making green tea a bedtime routine may not benefit everyone. To find out, you may need to try once to observe the effects of drinking tea at bedtime.
If it interferes with sleep, you should stop drinking green tea before bed. You can drink tea at other times, for example in the morning, afternoon, or evening.
If it doesn't cause sleep disturbances, it means that your body can tolerate the caffeine in the green tea you drink. However, that doesn't mean you can drink large amounts of green tea.
The limit of caffeine per day is 400 mg. This is equivalent to 8 cups of green tea. So, don't drink green tea too much because you are attracted by its benefits. If you are worried that you will disturb your sleep, you should not drink green tea before bed.
Photo source: Fox News.
