Seeking out great tea for sleep improvement is natural, as these herbal and soothing beverages can often help improve rest, along with providing a number of other health benefits.
The Importance of Sleep
One of the most important things we can do for our body ensures that it gets enough rest. However, many people fail to give their bodies adequate rejuvenation of sleep every night. This is due to poor lifestyle habits, stress, insomnia or other common causes of poor sleep quality. If you fail to get enough restful, uninterrupted sleep each night, it can begin to affect your immune system, as well as other systems in the body. Poor sleep can leave you irritable, more prone to weight gain and chronic disease, and less able to handle cognitive challenges throughout the course of the day.
Types of Tea for Sleep
Best types of tea that help you sleep include the consumption of chamomile tea, hops tea, valerian tea, green tea, passionflower tea, and catnip tea, among others.
Valerian Tea
The valerian herb is most commonly thought of as an anxiolytic, which is able to soothe the nervous system and prevent anxiety or stress. However, research has also shown that this herb is capable of increasing the production of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a chemical in the brain that is able to soothe the mind and body. [1]
A good night’s sleep can help towards a better day. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Chamomile Tea
This is a mild tea for sleep that is known to relax the mind and promote restful and uninterrupted sleep. Lacking any caffeine and delivering anti-inflammatory compounds to the body, this tea is an excellent tonic for exhaustion. [2]
Catnip Tea
Although catnip is often given to cats, it has a similarly soothing and relaxing effect on humans. The tea is often mixed with lavender or chamomile to increase its efficacy, but this is an ancient and long-standing remedy for sleep problems. [3]
Passionflower Tea
Passionflower is known for its high concentrations of GABA, a chemical that can help to alter brain chemistry and induce calmness and relaxation in the body. This is similar to valerian tea and can have very similar anxiolytic effects. [4]
Green Tea
Despite having small amounts of caffeine, the antioxidants and catechins in green tea can balance hormones and help you achieve relaxing sleep. [5]
Hops Tea
Hops are best known for brewing beer, but it also has important anti-anxiety and sedative effects on the body when brewed in a tea, making it ideal for those with sleep issues. [6]
