Homestead Apothecary Dream Time
Packaged in an open-shelf-friendly octagonal jar, there was a big, green dried hop on the top of the tea when I twisted off the lid. What a nice touch! This is a very unique tea, with mugwort and hops, and I love anything that gives me Macbeth witch vibes. I used to make potions like this when we camped in the Michigan woods in my childhood, and this was the tea I was trying to make. Lots of dried pieces of actual nature, without the flavor of sticks, mud, and Off! Bug spray. After steeping the suggested 1030 minutes, the tea still had only a hint of rose-chamomile flavor. To bring out the floral notes, cold-steep the tea before you leave for work in the morning and then strain it to reheat before bed. You can drink it more concentrated this way, which means less liquid before going to bedif youre working hard to go to sleep, you might as well try to stay asleep. A note that this tea used to be called Sweet Dreams, but now goes by Dream Time. Same witchy stuff.
Verdict: Pleasant, neutral flavor. After having a cup at 3 p.m. on a Monday, I felt a little dizzythis is definitely better for nighttime. Did it give me epic dreamtime adventures, as Homesteads website promises? Not really. As someone who sometimes would rather not remember her dreams, thats fine with me.
How We Chose The Best Teas For Sleeping
We considered plenty of relaxing bedtime blends to create our final list of recommendations. Heres how we decided which teas to include:
- Ingredients. You cant make a good bedtime tea without the right components. We only selected teas without caffeine, of course, but we also looked for blends featuring ingredients sure to evoke sleepiness.
- Variety. You can pick up a box of chamomile tea at any grocery store, so we looked for teas with a little more to offer beyond this tried-and-true, but perhaps a little tired, herb. Some teas on our list contain chamomile, but theyre paired with additional herbs used to help promote better sleep.
- Customer reviews and testing. We sampled a few of the blends to give you the most accurate insight on taste and impact. For the others, we read through customer reviews to get a good idea of taste, effect, and tea quality.
- Quality. Speaking of quality, we stuck to well-known brands with established websites and plenty of positive customer feedback. We also checked whether brands were upfront about their ingredients and provided information about tea sourcing and processing.
- Ease of purchase. Youll find a few of these brands on Amazon or in local brick-and-mortar stores, but you can also buy them directly from the brands website.
Why Tea Might Help You Sleep
Reminder: good sleep comes down to quantity and quality. You need to catch enough zs each night and avoid a restless slumber
Good sleep comes from good sleep hygiene, according to Raj Dasgupta, MD, a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine.
For most people, good sleep hygiene involves keeping the bedroom dark, cool, and quiet. It may also include following a sleep routine that aims for relaxation before bed.
To unwind and calm down before hitting the sack, you might take a warm bath or even drink a cup of tea.
Finding what works for you may, in part, come down to perception, says Dr. Dasgupta.
If you believe one particular tea makes you feel more comfortable and relaxed at night, its likely the best tea to help you ease into slumber.
You have to find the missing puzzle piece that works for you, he says.
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Tea Recipes For Better Sleep
There are a few store-bought brands that I adore and purchase frequently, but I also like to switch things up and make my own recipes. Its nice to know exactly how fresh my ingredients are and where they came from, too.
It takes almost zero effort to make your own. Here are my top 5 recipes that you wont find in any store:
The 10 Best Bedtime Teas For Sleep
If you start shopping, either online or off, youll find that there are a HUGE number of teas on offer right now claiming to be bedtime teas. The real key to a good bedtime tea is not the brand though, or the color on the box or what its marketing optimized name is, its the ingredients it contains.
Therefore, when shopping for the best bedtime tea the most important consideration is what is in the tea, not how many bears in nightcaps are on the box.
Heres a look at some of the best bedtime teas to promote sleep and what each of them has to offer.
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Best Teas To Help You Sleep
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Certified Sleep Science Coaches are experts in helping people improve the quality of their sleep . Our team has tested over 200 mattresses since we began helping readers in 2017 and are certified by the Spencer Institute.
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If your morning caffeine craving is the main reason you get out of bed, you already know how much of an impact a warm cup of coffee or tea in your hands can have on your well-being when incorporated into your routine.
Watching the sun rise with your trusty hot beverage by your side is a great way to kick-start your morning, but this is a practice that doesnt just have to be relegated to the first few hours of your day. Drinking certain teas before bed can have a major impact on your health and your quality of sleep. So, break out your favorite mug, put a pot of water on to boil, and lets take a look at the best teas to add to your bedtime routine to sleep soundly tonight.
How To Brew The Perfect Cup Of Tea
There are many types of teas, and steeping times and techniques can vary greatly from tea to tea and brand to brand. Plus, different people may prefer their tea a certain way lighter or stronger, for example.
Generally speaking, to achieve a lighter brew, steep the tea for a shorter period, or if using loose leaf tea use less tea. If youre looking for a stronger brew, try the opposite.
Teas that are sold in teabags, and even some loose teas often come with instructions for steeping times and water temperature. You can use these as a guideline and then experiment with longer or shorter steeping times until you find the one that gives you the best result for your personal taste.
If you want to learn more about brewing tea like an expert, check out this article.
Most of the teas recommended here are herbal. Though natural, herbs can also be very powerful. Its always best to try a small amount first and wait to see how it affects you.
The advises you to always follow the instructions on the package and never take more than the recommended dose.
Herbs packaged and distributed in the United States are considered dietary supplements . This means they must carry a notice that the ingredients have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and arent meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The notice also warns that dietary supplements may be harmful if misused.
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Can Tea Really Help You Sleep
I dont want to sound negative, but when you trim away the urban myths, popular wisdom, and marketing hype, the scientific evidence that tea can help with sleep is a bit sparse.
The good news is that there is some evidence that ingredients like chamomile, lavender and valerian might have some sedative properties. However, researchers often use larger dosages in supplements than youd typically get from a cup of tea.
On a more positive note, my personal opinion is that taking the time out to prepare and enjoy a nice cup of tea is in itself rewarding. Its the perfect excuse to have some valuable me time.
Whether the ingredients are working their magic behind the scenes and the effect just hasnt been proven by researchers or its the placebo effect is irrelevant to me. If I feel it helps me drop down a mental gear and wash away my stress at the end of a hectic day, Ill keep on drinking it.
Tea brings time to a crawl, its frantic pace resuming on noticing our empty cups.
Terri Guillemets
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra
If your mom microwaved Sleepytime for you when you were young and she needed you to go to bed already for the love of god, youll recognize the huge, snoring bear on the box from a mile away. Celestial Seasonings tried to rebrand, and thousands of calls and emails cried out UM, NO. So they brought the bear back, and the world is a better place for it. The herbs arent organic, so the yogi-wellness gurus I consulted dont adore this one, but I doand I think you will too. Theyve managed to cook up a flavorful herbal blend thats slightly sweet, minty, and chamomile-forward without any bitterness. Plus, its heavy on the most powerful ingredient of all: nostalgia. Well, nostalgia and valerian, which is what makes this Sleepytime EXTRA.
Verdict: You can consider this one the Coca-Cola of sleepy teas. The flavor is comforting, powerful, and downright good. Its a solid choice that checks all of the boxes and can be found at pretty much any grocery storeBOOM.
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Top 10 Best Organic Teas For Sleep Insomnia
Organic teas are perfect for your health and help in reducing stress. Whats the best organic tea to relax you and help you sleep well and losing weight? And does chamomile tea help you sleep? Heres our recommendations of top best organic teas for sleep insomnia. Scientists prove that antioxidants in tea increase the bodys ability to burn fat as fuel. Drinking tea simply helps cut the risk of heart attack. Choosing the best organic sleeping tea is essential. Its a good idea to avoid having coffee in the evening.
Criteria We Used To Pick
Selecting our best stress-reducing teas was challenging because these herbs have different varieties, different strengths, and different effects on different people. Thats a lot of differences!
Still, calming herbs have been used for centuries. And in modern times, stress-reducing brews are still very much in demand. So, yes, there are lots of choices!
We based our picks on:
- longtime history of use
suggests that chamomile helped reduce depression and sleep quality problems in postpartum women.
What we like
- Chamomile tea has a long history of effective use.
- The tea has a beautiful yellow color.
- Its fragrance is quite delicate.
- This tea calms gently without making you sleepy.
What to look out for
- If you drink chamomile tea to supplement your treatment for anxiety, its important to check with your doctor first.
- Chamomile has been known to interact with some medications.
- Doctors often advise against consuming chamomile during pregnancy.
- People who are allergic to plants in the daisy family may react to chamomile.
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Benefits Of Tea Before Bedtime
Herbal teas have a variety of benefits other than just being relaxing. Herbs have been a natural way of treating a variety of ailments for thousands of years.
For example, lemon and peppermint ease digestion, and cinnamons potent blend of antioxidants is known to help control bad cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and even eliminate gas! I could go on about cinnamon, but Ill save it for an upcoming section.
Theres some evidence that our ability to absorb nutrients increases as we sleep, so if you opt for an herbal tea with nutritional properties, your body may get some added benefits.
If youre drinking it at night, avoid putting sugar in it. The extra calories right before bed will sabotage your weight goals, and the stimulating effect of sugar could end up keeping you up later.
The Best Tea To Drink Before Bed
Obviously, you dont want to intake a lot of caffeine before you go to sleep , so if youre going to have tea before bed, youll want something with very little to no caffeine. Choose a natural tea to help you relax and de-stress before you sleep. Herbal teas that contain no caffeine like chamomile or peppermint are great choices. Many companies make teas specific for helping you fall to sleep and sleep better. Theyre often called sleepy tea or nighttime tea and have no caffeine and ingredients that help you relax and fall to sleep.
- The 4 best bedtime teas are:
- Chamomile tea is one of the best teas for bedtime because it is a caffeine-free and contains sleep-inducing ingredients. Its also known to help decrease anxiety.
- Green tea contains theanine, which can help you feel calm at bedtime. However, regular green tea does contain caffeine, so be careful if youre sensitive to it.
- Peppermint tea is another great herbal tea option for nighttime drinking. It has little to no caffeine and can help settle your stomach, too.
- Lavender tea helps with relaxation and falling to sleep. Lavender in general can be beneficial at night, both when you ingest it and when you smell itlavender tea is great before bed to help you unwind and relax and can also improve sleep when diffused as an essential oil or sprayed in your room at night.
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Where To Buy Tea
Grocery stores offer mainly bagged teas, which can be quick and convenient. Bagged teas take less time to steep and release the smells and oils that may benefit your sleep. If youre going for the big brands, San Diego recommends infusions from PG Tips and Twinings.
However, if you find pre-made teas a little bland and processed to the taste, you should opt for loose leaf. allows you to extract more of the aromas, flavors, and nutrients, so you might get more potency, adds Davis.
And this is the plus side of going into a specialty tea store. only so many types of teas are available in bags, Parda says. With whole-leaf tea, we can offer a wider range because of the variety from different countries.
The sleep-time blends you see often feature a mix of flavors. Here are the top five tea blends we like:
| Tea blends for sleep |
*Note: This one has licorice root in it.
The Relaxing Effect Of Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is a herb that is understood to relieve stress and anxiety. If these are the causes of your sleeplessness, tea made from this herb would be well worth a try.
In one study, volunteers were administered an extract of lemon balm. Symptoms of anxiety dropped considerably encouragingly, those who suffered from insomnia were able to fall asleep with less or minimal difficulty. Like other herbs, lemon balm is thought to work on the brain chemical GABA which regulates our nerve cells and eases anxiety. By gently increasing GABA levels, lemon balm brings down stress that could be inhibiting the onset of sleep. While the study concludes that more research is needed, it cites Germanys food and drug regulator Commission E as having approved the use of lemon balm to treat nervous insomnia.17
Recipe to follow
Who should avoid
- Lemon balm is generally considered a safe, well-tolerated herb. However, if you are already on medications for sleep disorders or anxiety or thyroid-related problems, consult your doctor before trying lemon balm tea.18
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How Drinks Can Help You Sleep
All the above-mentioned drinks to help you sleep are safe because they do not contain caffeine, an agent that increases brain alertness and delays the onset of sleep at night.
All the above herbal drinks contain muscle relaxing and sleep-inducing agents like tryptophan, melatonin and can induce feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine. Potassium, magnesium, and essential vitamins in these drinks are also known for regulating mood and relaxing the body muscles and brain. Hence, these drinks make you sleepy and improve your sleep quality.
However, there is a need for more studies to determine the exact mechanism of the sleep-inducing potential of these drinks.
Does Drinking It Calm People With Anxiety And Depression
No matter what type of decaffeinated tea you choose, there is evidence that supports the fact that drinking tea will help calm those suffering from anxiety in depression.
There are three reasons why this is the case:
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