Should You Drink Green Tea Before Bed? (ANSWERED)

Green tea is one of the healthiest and most hyped beverages in the health and wellness community. It contains plant compounds like Catechins, caffeine, and Amino acids, which help promote a healthy lifestyle. However, is it advisable to drink green tea before bed?

No. You should not drink green tea before bed because it has Caffeine which stimulates your body to be more active. Also, green tea increases the need to pee at night, reducing sleep quality.

According to Food navigator-USA, green tea takes about fifteen percent of tea consumed in the US. In addition, the number of green tea consumers is growing faster than black tea. The tea council of the USA says that the growth is because consumers associate it with health benefits.

Why Should I Avoid Green Tea before Bed?

While the amount of Caffeine in green tea is about a quarter of that in coffee, it still affects sleep. A cup of pure green tea has about twenty-five milligrams of Caffeine per eight-ounce serving. However, this amount varies with different green tea brands.

Taking a cup or two of green tea before bed stimulates your hormones and adrenals to be in an active state. As a result, you have trouble falling asleep. Instead, try taking it earlier in the night or during the day.

When Is The Best Time Of The Day To Take Green Tea?

Depending on the amount you take, green tea can either refresh or soothe your body. Caffeine plays the refreshing part, while the amino acid L-theanine soothes your brain. The theanine in green tea is a potent dopamine booster and helps with anxiety.

Therefore, green tea can be of great help during stressful mornings. Taking it during the day will improve sleep quality later in the night. However, if you have to take it in the evening, we advise doing it at least two hours before bedtime.

How Much Green Tea Should I Take In A Day?

There are conflicting arguments on how much green tea intake one should have daily. However, drinking three to five cups of green tea a day improves your general body health. Studies show that those who take green tea are healthier than those who take no tea at all.

Why Should I Take Green Tea Even Though It Affects My Sleep?

While green tea can reduce sleep quality, taking the right amount at the right time has significant health benefits. Green tea contains loads of antioxidants and polyphenols, which help improve your health.

Improves Brain Function

Green tea contains Caffeine, a brain-boosting compound, guilty for improving mood, vigilance, memory, and reaction time. The combination of L-theanine and Caffeine boosts your productivity.

The amino acid L-theanine contains anti-anxiety effects, which may help improve your brain function during the day and sleep at night. Many say they are more stable and productive after drinking green tea than when they drink coffee.

Increases Fat Burning

Green tea intake improves metabolic rate and can increase fat breakdown, which may result in weight loss in some people.

Reduces Anxiety

L-theanine in green tea reduces stress and anxiety, hence promoting calmness. As a result, this improves your productivity and sleep quality. Research shows that consuming four or more cups of green tea daily reduces depression.

May Reduce Bad Breath

Green tea contains catechins which can control bacterial growth, lowering the risks of infection. Taking green tea in the evenings may reduce bad breath in the morning. In addition, it may help freshen the breath of people with halitosis.

May Lower Risks Of Cancer

According to research, oxidative damage may lead to chronic diseases like cancer. Antioxidants help prevent this oxidative damage. Green tea contains antioxidants that may help reduce the chances of getting cancer like prostate, breast, and colorectal cancer.

May Reduce Risks Of Cardiovascular Disease

High LDL cholesterol levels and oxidation of LDL particles are among the causes of cardiovascular diseases. Green tea lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol and uses its antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of LDL particles.

Aids In Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition involving very high blood sugar levels, which may be due to insulin resistance. Green tea intake may help prevent this condition since it improves insulin sensitivity.

Improves Blood Circulation

Cold feet and hands may make it hard for some people to fall asleep at night. A cup of green tea in the evening may improve blood circulation by stimulating the performance of the cells.

May Slow Brain Aging

Besides improving your brain function, green tea may protect your brain from diseases such as Alzheimer's. In addition, it also reduces the risks of dementia, which is common among older people.

May Reduce Fatigue

Caffeine boosts mood, reducing any signs of fatigue. Also, the amino acid L-theanine helps improve sleep quality, promoting efficiency during the day. Many people report feeling fresh in the morning after drinking green tea.

What If I Take Decaffeinated Green Tea Instead?

While decaffeinated green tea may seem like a remedy, it is not as healthy as natural green tea. To achieve the two milligram level of Caffeine in green tea, it has to undergo processing.

Processing green tea to get rid of Caffeine also reduces its powerful antioxidants. Therefore, we do not recommend decaffeinated green tea as an alternative as it offers fewer health benefits to the consumer.

How Can I Reduce Caffeine In My Green Tea?

Even though we discourage decaffeinated green tea, specific ways lower caffeine intake for caffeine-sensitive people. However, note that these measures help reduce caffeine intake and do not make your green tea caffeine-free.

Avoid Shade-Grown Green Tea

Shade-growing tea deprives it of sunlight; therefore, it increases the levels of chlorophyll and chemical compounds like Caffeine. Examples are Matcha and Gyokura, which have high levels of Caffeine.

Try Green Tea Blends

Green tea blends contain about half the Caffeine that regular green tea has. Therefore, trying out blends like green tea, mint, or lemongrass is a great way to reduce caffeine intake.

Brew Green Tea The Right Way

Brewing your green tea using boiling water or for over three to four minutes raises the level of Caffeine. We recommend simmering water instead and brewing for three to four minutes. Most green teas have their optimal brew time between one and a half minutes to three.

Avoid Tippy Green Tea

Spring harvest teas like Shincha usually contain higher caffeine levels than late harvest teas like Bancha. The reason is that the tea buds or tips contain more Caffeine than the mature leaves.

Instead, we advise taking twig teas like Kukicha and Houjicha, whose caffeine levels are naturally shallow. These tea types originate from the tea plant's twigs and stems.

Avoid Powdered Green Tea

Matcha is an example of powdered green tea. It contains high caffeine levels, which you tend to consume as a suspension. Taking powdered green tea means drinking the leaf instead of its infusion.

Also, avoid green tea from coffee houses such as Starbucks and Caribou since they contain higher caffeine levels. Teabags also contain more Caffeine than whole-leaf green tea, and you should, therefore, avoid them as well.

Conclusion

Green tea has numerous health benefits, such as reducing anxiety and fatigue and promoting fat loss. However, taking it before bed could affect your sleep quality and the ability to have a restful sleep.

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