Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

SheltieLover

(59,605 posts)
Wed Feb 1, 2023, 04:17 PM Feb 2023

The #1 Drink a Sleep Doctor Says To Sip During the Day for a Better Night's Rest

https://www.wellandgood.com/green-tea-for-sleep/

Snip

We caught up with Michael Breus, PhD, leading sleep specialist known as “The Sleep Doctor" and clinical psychologist, to better understand why he considers green tea the best drink to sip before bed for restful sleep.

Why drinking green tea can help you sleep better
“Drinking green tea throughout the day—yes, rather than at night—may be helpful for reducing fatigue and increasing sleep quality," says Dr. Breus. "This is because of a compound in green tea called L-theanine, which helps your brain relax by reducing stress-related hormones and neuron excitement." If you regularly consume green tea and do it several hours before bedtime, you can still reap its sleep-inducing benefits without the caffeine buzz (...or the need to wake up in the middle of the night to pee).

One small caveat is that you should be mindful of the type of green tea you pick up at the store. “Make sure you're drinking a lower-caffeine green tea, if possible—some blends of green tea, particularly matcha, have high caffeine content. This may keep you awake if you drink it too late,” Dr. Breus says. Research suggests that green tea with reduced caffeine is particularly beneficial when it comes to reducing stress and improving sleep quality. A few low-caffeine green tea options include Organic Hojicha Tea or Organic Orange Spice Tea.

More at link. The Dr. explains that low-caf green tea releases both sertonin & dopamine, as well as promoting alpha (relaxed state of awareness) brain waves. These findings have the pogential to alleviate depression & anxiety, as SSRIs are reuptake inhibitors for one or both.

I'm on board. Looking for low caf green tea...on the hunt.

Enjoy!

10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The #1 Drink a Sleep Doctor Says To Sip During the Day for a Better Night's Rest (Original Post) SheltieLover Feb 2023 OP
Hibiscus 🌺 tea also very good for relaxing. live love laugh Feb 2023 #1
Does it increase serotonin, dopamine, & alpha waves thou? SheltieLover Feb 2023 #2
IDK about serotonin and such but it takes me to lullaby land. live love laugh Feb 2023 #9
Awesome! SheltieLover Feb 2023 #10
Oolong has high theanine too IbogaProject Feb 2023 #3
Interesting. Thx! SheltieLover Feb 2023 #4
Anything else?? Rhiannon12866 Feb 2023 #5
Sorry to hear, Rhi SheltieLover Feb 2023 #7
Does this help? sl8 Feb 2023 #6
Wow! SheltieLover Feb 2023 #8

SheltieLover

(59,605 posts)
2. Does it increase serotonin, dopamine, & alpha waves thou?
Wed Feb 1, 2023, 04:33 PM
Feb 2023

I love hibiscus tea!!! Ty for sharing!

I bought organic green tea & matcha tea, but way too much caffiene for me. Maybe I'll try watering it down some.

IbogaProject

(3,648 posts)
3. Oolong has high theanine too
Wed Feb 1, 2023, 05:59 PM
Feb 2023

Oolong is a dry fermented tea that has similar anti-oxident capacity to green tea while being much a smoother drink. In china it is traditional to rebrew Oolong 4 or 5 times as the later brews have more Theanine in them. I've been drinking Oolong for decades now by far my favorite. I now brew it on top of Yerba Mate. A friend recommended the mate as it he claims it reduces Caffeine jitters but a quick search says it doesn't have theanine.

Rhiannon12866

(222,099 posts)
5. Anything else??
Wed Feb 1, 2023, 09:32 PM
Feb 2023

When green tea was first popular a few years back, I tried it twice. And though I'm far from prone to it, both times it caused me to vomit. So I avoid it, though I will drink other kinds of tea.

sl8

(16,245 posts)
6. Does this help?
Wed Feb 1, 2023, 09:56 PM
Feb 2023

Table 2 lists 37 teas.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4787341/#!po=59.5238
Theanine and Caffeine Content of Infusions Prepared from Commercial Tea Samples

================
=============='==

I couldn't copy Table 2 from the above study, but I'm pretty sure that this table is the same.

From https://healthjade.com/theanine/

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Health»The #1 Drink a Sleep Doct...