Green Tea at Night- Yes or No? (2023)

Most people enjoy having a warm or hot beverage before they hit the bed and call it a day. Some prefer a warm glass of milk while others would like to have a warm glass of water. But did you know that a cup of steaming green tea before bed benefits your body to a great extent? Loaded with plant compounds and nutrients, green tea is making a wave in the health-conscious communities for its use in reducing weight and helping in getting quality sleep.

Surprising Benefits of Green Tea at Night

Green tea is consumed as a beverage all around the world. It has recently gained a lot of popularity over the recent years for its amazing health benefits. It can be enjoyed both as a hot or cold drink. In this article, we will talk about the various benefits that a cup of green tea has to offer.

1. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

With the kind of lifestyle we have nowadays, it is seen that the majority of women are sleep deprived. You would be surprised to know that most women getrest only for 5 hours in a day. The ideal sleep hours for an adult is 8 hours. Anything below this can affect your health and overall well-being.

Green tea contains an amino acid L-theanine, which has relaxation and anti-anxiety properties. L-theanine helps in improving your sleep, and it is a natural remedy for anxiety. Those of you who struggle to get sleep can benefit immensely by this wonderful beverage. Quality sleep along with quantity of sleep gives your body the much-needed rest.

2. Improve Your Cardiovascular Health

Drink this light and aromatic tea and reduce your LDL cholesterol. It also helps in reducing triglycerides. A reduced cholesterol level keeps your heart healthy. Enjoy good cardiovascular health with this beverage. A study in Japan observed that drinking a minimum of 5 cups of green tea daily has the potential to reduce heart attacks or stroke by approximately 15%.

3. Keep Cancer at Bay

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world today. It is caused by uncontrolled and exponential growth of cells. It is a well-known fact that oxidative damage contributes to the development of cancer in our bodies. The antioxidants found in green tea offer a protective effect from this condition. Protect and prevent yourself from cancer by including green tea as a part of your diet.

4. Stay Positive and Reduce Stress

Having a positive outlook helps in overcoming a lot of problems in our lives. The caffeine found in the green tea concoction can elevate your mood and give you a soothing feel. The L-theanine component in green tea helps in fighting symptoms of depression. A single serving of simple green tea can stimulate the production of your brain waves. These waves are alpha waves in a very relaxed state and give you a feel of contentment. The different levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine have been known to affect the mood. Despite the presence of caffeine in green tea, L-theanine helps in reducing your anxiety levels leaving you feeling fresh and happy.

5. Get in Shape for a New You

Ever wondered whether drinking green tea before bed burns calories? Yes, it does. Start with drinking green tea at night for weight loss before you go to bed and feel an increase in your metabolism.

You will be amazed to know that green tea has thermogenic properties that can actually promote fat-burning in your body. A cup of green tea can regulate your blood sugar levels and help in reducing your appetite. With a good night’s sleep, improved metabolism and a healthy body, getting into shape is now easy.

6. Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels

Maintaining good health should be a priority for everyone. Green tea aids in helping you achieve this goal. It contains anti-oxidant properties to help protect you from the free radicals in your body. Green tea is known to reduce your cholesterol levels to some extent. To keep your cholesterol at the desired level, exercise regularly, lower the intake of fried food and enjoy a warm cup of green tea at night before you go to sleep.

7. Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

An excellent oral hygiene is necessary to offset any chances of infections or gum diseases. Drink green tea regularly and get benefitted with healthy gums and teeth.

Green tea also reduces the chances of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease, chronic and inflammatory disease can affect the gums and bones that support your teeth. Green tea is known to improve your body’s inflammatory response in fighting periodontal disease.

8. Give Your Immune System a Boost

Polyphenols, the antioxidants found in green tea are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. They can help protect from auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea helps you improve your body’s immune system. Be careful not to drink green tea or any other tea when your stomach is empty. It reduces the absorption of B1 vitamin in your body causing a condition, known as beriberi.

9. Keep Glowing with Radiant Skin and Shiny Hair

Green tea is known to have properties that can slow down the ageing process leaving you with healthy skin and shiny hair.

It boosts collagen production in your body. People with sensitive skin can get the benefits of Vitamin E found in abundance in this beverage. It has the potential to slow down cell degeneration.

10. Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes has spread all over the world exponentially and has reached epidemic proportions of late. It is estimated that approximately 400 million suffer from this disease worldwide. It is caused by elevated sugar levels in the blood and a resistance to insulin. Simply put, it is a disease in which the body is not able to produce enough insulin to regulate the blood sugar level. Drinking green tea is known to help in improving the insulin sensitivity of the body and regulating the blood sugar levels.

11. Be Smart

Apart from keeping you awake, green tea can make you smarter and sharper! Green tea contains caffeine, a known stimulant. The quantity of caffeine found in green tea is less compared to that found in coffee and does not give a “jittery” feel that is commonly associated with excess caffeine consumption. Caffeine blocks adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter found in the brain. This way it can increase the firing of neurons and also the concentration of the various neurotransmitters namely norepinephrine and dopamine. Caffeine is known to improve various brain functions like mood, reaction time, vigilance and even memory. It should be noted that green tea contains L-theanine which has the ability to cross the blood-brain barriers. It has anti-anxiety properties that soothe your senses and make you feel relaxed.

12. Protects Your Brain

Green tea not only provides immediate benefit to your brain and body but also protects your brain from old age related diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. A majority of the old population is afflicted by Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease causing dementia. Parkinson’s is also a neurodegenerative disease that results from the death of neurons producing dopamine in the brain. The catechin compounds found in green tea can help protect the neurons and may prevent you from getting these two major neurogenerative diseases as you become older.

Are There Any Side Effects of Having Green Tea before Bed?

Let us look at some of the side effects of green tea at night.

1. Overconsumption May Lead to Sleeping Disorders

As with any other caffeinated beverage, excess consumption of green tea can cause a headache, irritability, anxiety, heartburn and sleeping disorders. Thus it is advisable to consume maximum 2 or 3 cups of green tea per day.

2. Stomach Upset

Green tea contains polyphenols, also known as tannins. They increase stomach acid in the body and cause stomach-ache, nausea, or constipation. To avoid this condition, drink your green tea between meals or after your meals.

3. Causes Dehydration

Green tea is known to be a natural diuretic. Drinking green tea causes the body to lose out water through excessive urination which can cause electrolyte imbalance and dehydration in the body.

FAQs

Here are the answers to questions you may have about drinking green tea at night.

1. What if Caffeine in Green Tea Keeps Me Awake atNight??

Every person has a different reaction to caffeine, so if you are sensitive to caffeine, it would not be a good idea to drink green tea at night after dinner. However, in case of green tea, apart from mild caffeine it has L-theanine, a compound which actually helps you to de-stress and give you quality sleep.

2. What’s the Right Time to Drink Green Tea Before Bed?

You should drink green tea one hour before going to bed.

3. Can I Take Green Tea on Empty Stomach ?

No. Drinking green tea on an empty stomach may cause a stomach upset and also cause dehydration.

4. How Many Cups of Green Tea is Good Before Bed ?

1 cup of green tea before going to bed is good.

5. How Much Green Tea before Bed is Good ?

A cup of 250 ml of green tea has approximately 30-50 mg caffeine content. A cup of 100 ml at bedtime is sure to get you a good night’s sleep.

Green tea is surely a great beverage, but moderation is the key to reap in the maximum benefits from it. If you have any doubts, consult with your doctor and ask for the recommended dose you should take based on your individual requirement. Remember to drink your cup of green tea at least 1 hour before your bedtime to prevent yourself from the annoying feeling of getting up late in the night to use the bathroom! Drink green tea and help your body burn fat and fight illness while you rest and sleep.

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