Drinking tea before sleeping: good or bad idea?
Tea is the second most consumed drink in the world, after water. And the French are not left out, because 2 out of 3 consume it today, against 1 out of 2 12 years ago. And the demand is only growing! Plain, with lemon or flavored, it has become essential. Main reason for its growing success: its health benefits. However, tea does not only have qualities. It even looks like it would prevent you from sleeping. So, drinking tea before plunging into the arms of Morpheus, good or bad idea?
A little about tea
Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, consumed almost everywhere on the planet. It is prepared using the leaves of the tea tree, a pretty shrub that grows in hot and humid regions. We harvest the leaves with stems, at different degrees of maturity. The younger the leaf (almost in the bud state, that is to say with a light down and still rolled up on itself), the higher the quality of the tea. Tea picking is done by hand, which makes it slow and tedious. Moreover, the harvesting method will be another determining factor in the quality of the future drink.
Once harvested, the tea will be processed through different stages, depending on the desired result. The classic stages are withering, oxidation, rolling, drying, sorting and roasting. But depending on the type of tea, not all of these steps are fulfilled. Thus, we will obtain:
- White tea : a tea that receives minimal processing – picking, withering and drying. White tea is therefore devoid of theine, but very rich in tannins.
- Yellow tea : a rare and delicate tea, because it is in fact a green tea that has been slightly simmered. Yellow tea is very rich in flavonoids.
- Green tea : very popular, it results from withering and heating at high temperature, to avoid oxidation. It contains theine and tannins.
- Oolong tea, or blue-green : this tea is semi-oxidized. In the hierarchy of teas, one could say that it is halfway between black tea and green tea. It is provided with theine, but less strongly than classic black tea.
- Black tea : a tea undergoing complete oxidation, very rich in polyphenols and theine. The Chinese call it “red tea” because when steeped, it takes on a red to purple color.
- Smoked tea : Chinese black tea, in reference to its dark color when infused. It is actually a tea undergoing roasting and fermentation.
Finally, one last point about tea:
- It contains polyphenols (also called tannins). As for tea, it is precisely flavonoids called catechins, which have many virtues for the body (heart, arteries, liver, immune system, etc.).
- Depending on its type (its “color”), it will be more or less provided with theine . Theine is neither more nor less than the “caffeine of tea”. Theine and caffeine are in fact the same molecule, known for its stimulating effect.
Tea: friend or foe of sleep?
This is a double-edged question. And for good reason: tea certainly contains theine, which stimulates the body (acceleration of the heart rate, vasodilatation, etc.) and the mind (influence on mood, level of alertness, concentration), but also theanine (or L-theanine), an amino acid whose activity on the brain allows a reduction of mental and physical stress and therefore a relaxing effect (1) .
Would drinking tea prevent you from sleeping ? In fact everything will depend on:
- The theine content of tea – as seen above, not all teas contain the same level of theine. Less processed teas, such as white tea and yellow tea, are less disruptive to sleep than Oolong tea or black tea.
- Theine sensitivity – not all people react the same way to theine. The cause is liver enzymes. Theine is metabolized in the liver by enzymes. But not all people have the same quantity or the same type of enzymes. Thus some will be able to degrade the theine quickly and will thus be insensitive to it, while others will not.
- The theanine content of the tea – the higher it is, the more the tea will promote sleep. Again, everything will depend on the type of tea chosen. Teas grown under shade, as well as teas with young leaves will have a higher theanine content. This is the case of Chinese green teas from Yunan, Japanese green tea Gyokuro, or matcha.
- The richness in polyphenols – in addition to being antioxidants, tea catechins slow down the assimilation of caffeine. This is why tea is said to be stimulating, while coffee is exciting. Thus, the more the tea will be rich in tannins, the less the effects of the theine will be brutal. It will therefore prevent less sleep than a tea low in tannins.
- The duration of infusion – the shorter it is, the more the tea will be loaded with theine. Tea lovers who wish to drink tea just before sleeping will therefore prefer a long infused tea.
Alternatives to tea, to sleep well
If you like tea, are sensitive to the theine it contains, but can’t do without a hot drink before sleeping, there are several options available to you:
- Opt for a tea low in theine, such as white tea or yellow tea.
- Choose a tea rich in theanine, such as Gyokuro, matcha tea, or certain Chinese green teas.
- Try decaffeinated tea. Be aware that it is obtained by an industrial process: it is treated with solvents, to extract the caffeine it contains. An option favorable to sleep , but at the expense of the quality of the tea.
- Prefer herbal tea . The infusion of plants devoid of caffeine can act as “evening tea”. In addition, certain plants help you sleep well, such as lemon balm, lime blossom, orange blossom, passionflower, verbena or valerian. There are also herbal teas that promote detoxification of the body and digestion, such as the Cellublue Detox Slimming Infusion .
- Choose a milk drink, such as hot chocolate or an instant drink made from chicory and/or cereals, without coffee. Gourmet alternatives to tea, but which have the advantage of not affecting sleep. On the contrary, because milk contains tryptophan , an amino acid that facilitates sleep, and calcium, which promotes muscle relaxation.
- Drinking roobois, which is likened to tea (and nicknamed “red tea”), but is actually made from the leaves of a bush. Roobois leaves, after being lightly fermented, can be consumed as an infusion. They are devoid of theine and thus, will not harm your nights.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.