Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the Theaceae flowering plant family whose leaves and leaf buds are used to make tea. Green tea originated in China. The leaves and leaf buds of Camellia sinensis are steamed and pan-fried before being dried to make green tea.
Yes, drinking green tea before bed is an excellent idea. Drinking green tea before bedtime can assist to boost your metabolism. It also aids in the enhancement of both the quality and duration of sleep.
Green tea is one of the few teas that hasn’t been overly processed. Due to this, it has a high concentration of antioxidants and beneficial polyphenols. There has been a lot of research done on the health benefits of drinking green tea before bed.
Green tea is mostly water, it is devoid of the macronutrients found in other foods and beverages.
| Brewed, regular green tea | ||
| Nutritional value per 100g(3.5oz) | ||
| Energy | 4kj (0.96 kcal) | |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g | |
| Fat | 0 g | |
| Protein | 0.2 g | |
| Vitamins | Quantity | %DV† |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.007 mg | 1% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.06 mg | 5% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.03 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.005 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.3 mg | 0% |
| Minerals | Quantity | %DV† |
| Calcium | 0 mg | 0% |
| Iron | 0.02 mg | 0% |
| Magnesium | 1 mg | 0% |
| Manganese | 0.18 mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 8 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 0% |
| Other constituents | Quantity | |
| Water | 99.9 g | |
| Caffeine | 12 mg | |
The video below shows the general benefits of drinking green tea for your health.
1. Helps boosts the Immune system
Green tea can help you strengthen your immune system.
One of the antioxidants present in green tea, polyphenols, can help protect from auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
2. Helps you sleep better
L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, provides relaxing and anti-anxiety qualities. L-theanine is a natural anxiety reliever that helps you sleep better. If you have sleep issues such as insomnia, drinking green tea before bed may be beneficial. It will also increase the quality of your sleep, without making you feel drowsy or tired like other natural and synthetic sleep aids.
3. Lowers cancer risk
Green tea has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of several cancers: prostate cancer, pancreas cancer, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer. Oxidative damage has been linked to chronic inflammation, which can lead to chronic diseases such as cancer, according to research. Antioxidants can assist in the prevention of oxidative stress. Green tea is high in antioxidants and is a good source of them.
4. Reduces cholesterol levels
Drinking green tea is known to reduce the levels of cholesterol in the blood to an extent.
It may help you maintain a healthy cholesterol level, but it isn’t a cure-all for high cholesterol. It is recommended that you consume a healthy balanced diet, exercise daily, avoid high-cholesterol meals, and drink a warm cup of green tea before going to bed to keep your cholesterol at the ideal level.
5. Improves cardiovascular health
It aids in the reduction of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the bloodstream. A healthy heart depends on a low cholesterol level. According to a study conducted in Japan, consuming at least 5 cups of green tea every day can cut the risk of heart attack or stroke by 15%.
6. Improves oral hygiene
Drinking green tea regularly promotes healthy teeth and gums, according to a Japanese study. Green tea reduces the chances of periodontal disease.
The gums and bones that support your teeth can be affected by periodontal disease, both chronic and inflammatory.
Green tea’s catechins are the primary reason for improved oral health, as green tea triggers your body’s natural inflammatory reaction to germs that cause periodontal disease.
7. Helps to protect the brain and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Green tea not only benefits your brain and body right away, but it also protects your brain against diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s as you become older.
Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that causes dementia, affects the majority of the elderly. Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disease in which dopamine-producing neurons in the brain die. Green tea’s catechin components may preserve neurons and help you avoid developing these two major neurodegenerative illnesses as you age.
8. Aids weight loss and fat burning
According to a study, drinking green tea before bed can help to speed up your metabolism. And getting enough sleep can help you have a healthy body by improving your overall metabolism. According to one study, this increase in metabolism can be as high as 4%. Green tea contains thermogenic characteristics that boost fat burning significantly more effectively than caffeine alone.
Since iced tea uses fewer tea bags and is watered down, hot tea may have more antioxidants, but tea that is cold-brewed over a few hours has antioxidant levels that are comparable to hot tea.
Green tea, whether cold or hot, is high in catechins and epicatechins, which are thought to be responsible for tea’s health benefits. The substances are part of a class of plant chemicals known as flavonoids, which have been shown in studies to help reduce inflammation and consequently plaque development in arteries.
Green tea is a drink that is appreciated for its flavor. It offers the same health advantages whether it is served hot or cold.
Studies indicate that drinking three to five cups of green tea each day is the most beneficial to one’s health. Some people may be sensitive to heavy quantities of green tea, but the benefits greatly exceed the risks.
It’s important to realize that decaf tea does not always imply that it’s caffeine-free. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), decaf beverages still contain caffeine.
Green tea that has been decaffeinated has only 2 milligrams of caffeine. To be devoid of its natural caffeine, the tea must go through a procedure that gets rid of some of its anti-oxidants which in turn makes it considerably less healthful. Decaffeinating green tea removes some of the tea’s potent antioxidants, therefore decaf green tea may not provide as many health advantages as regular green tea.
Excessive intake of green tea, like any other caffeinated beverage, can produce headaches, irritability, anxiety, heartburn, and sleeping problems. As a result, it’s best to limit yourself to 2 or 3 cups of green tea every day.
Polyphenols, often known as tannins, are found in green tea. They elicit stomach aches, nausea, and constipation by increasing stomach acid in the body. Drink your green tea between meals or after meals to avoid this problem.
Green tea is well-known for its ability to act as a natural diuretic. Green tea use causes the body to lose water through urination, which can lead to electrolyte imbalance and dehydration.
Drinking large amounts of green tea might cause this side effect due to the caffeine content.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make loose leaf green tea:
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to prepare a teabag green tea
Due to its high catechin concentration, drinking green tea on an empty stomach in the morning can have negative effects on the liver.
Green tea contains catechins, so you need to restrict the amount ingested. Catechins at excessive concentrations can harm the liver. Green tea should be consumed between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.
To increase nutritional intake and iron absorption, drink a cup of green tea between meals, for example, two hours before or after. If you have anemia, you should avoid drinking green tea with food.
Green tea can give you a variety of great health benefits, both emotionally and physically, if you drink it before bed. Even if you dislike the taste of green tea, making a routine of drinking a hot cup of green tea in bed can help you unwind and relax by providing you with much-needed time away from your daily concerns.
You might find yourself waking up in the middle of the night to use the restroom if you drink your cup of green tea immediately before bed, it is advisable to drink it an hour before going to bed is great so you can use the restroom before going to sleep.
Consider including green tea into your daily routine to help you feel better, lose weight, and lower your risk of chronic diseases.
