Different teas can help you achieve relaxation
A warm cup of soothing, relaxing tea is sometimes just the thing to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night. Many people, especially night workers, are plagued with the difficulty of relaxing enough to fall asleep. Or, when they do lie down, they can?t seem to relax enough to go to sleep. The relaxation benefits of tea far outweigh any over-the-counter medicines and sleep aids that are sometimes used to pursue peaceful sleep.
Sometimes at bedtime, it?s hard to turn your brain off and fall asleep. Thinking about the day?s activities, what things didn?t get done, what things are still left to do and what tomorrow?s activities are is enough to keep anybody awake. Trying to forget about everything and wind down is surely easier said than done!
Tea Ingredients
There are many types and flavors of relaxing teas that you can try that offer multiple benefits. The main ingredient in many relaxing teas is L-theanine, grown as a form of green tea extract and marketed as an anti-anxiety product. L-theanine is an amino acid in tea plants and has calming residual effects.
Teas do not have any carbohydrate, fat, or protein in them but do have various other content ingredients that enhance the relaxation benefits of tea, working in conjunction for positive results. Teas contain an antioxidant called catechins which are high in concentration in white teas and green teas.
Green teas have significantly fewer catechins than white tea because of the way that it is oxidized, or prepared. But black teas have the least, and are considered by some to be less healthful than green or white versions, although by no means unhealthy.
Teas also contain trace amounts of theobromine which is also a derivative of the cacao plant. We get chocolate from the cacao plant. This accounts for the caffeinated portion of teas and cocoa.
Another ingredient in teas is theophylline. It helps in several areas which contribute to the relaxing benefits of tea. They include:
– Helping to relax the bronchial smooth muscle
– Increases the contractility and efficiency in the heart muscle
– Increases the heart rate, blood pressure and renal blood flow
Different Types of Teas
Organic teas, of course, are grown organically and help to promote a good, natural night?s sleep. They typically do not contain any additional stimulants like caffeine. Organic teas work naturally with the body?s processes to relax the nervous system and help you to fall asleep. Since the tea leaves are organically grown, they do not contain any pesticides, additives or preservatives and contribute to a better state of healthy well-being.
The relaxation benefits of tea in Chamomile teas help to ease stress and tension in the body without a medicated feeling or any after-effects. Chamomile also encourages relaxation without any drowsiness-inducing effects. This contributes to a ?natural? way of relaxing.
Kava teas help to calm you down as they relieve stress and anxieties and relieve minor pains or discomforts. Kava teas also help to promote a state of ?relaxed unconcern?, taking the edge off of frazzled nerves. Although the tea works wonderfully in stress relief, they do not compromise mental functions or thought clarity.
Hot? Or Not?
Drinking your tea hot or cold is really a matter of personal preference. However, the relaxation benefits of tea would likely be more enjoyable and more beneficial if consumed warm. The warmth in liquids calms the nervous system and helps to induce a calm, relaxed feeling in the body. This is also why the instructions on the teas will typically advise you to consume them before bed or to induce sleep when necessary.
Consuming 1-2 cups of tea daily will not be harmful and may actually be beneficial in certain health situations. Regardless of the reason for their use, or even how often they are consumed, the relaxation teas can help you relax and invoke happy thoughts.
Sweet dreams!