Green Tea

4 health benefits of green tea before bed

There are many benefits of green tea that have been extolled to no end. But while we know that there are many benefits of green tea and drinking it in general–how many of these are specific to the nighttime? Is it good to brew yourself a cuppa right before bedtime–or is that not the ideal hour? Here are the benefits of green tea right before bed… and there are a few….

1. It helps with weight loss

There have been a number of studies to prove that drinking a cup of green tea at night, an hour before bedtime can be incredibly beneficial in the weight loss journey. The reason for this is that it increases your metabolic rate, and some research suggests up to as much as 4%. It is said to have thermogenic properties, which promote fat-burning beyond caffeine. There is also believed to be a boost in fat-burning hormones, which help break down the fats you have consumed through the day– especially in the evening–better.

promots better sleep

2. It actually promotes better sleep

One of the key components of green tea is Theanine. Theanine is a sleep-promoting compound that essentially reduces stress-related hormones and neuron excitement in your brain–thereby giving it a chance to take an actual break and relax. In fact, this is not exclusive to simply drinking green tea at night time. Having about 2 to 3 cups a day has been found to bring down markers of stress and fatigue as the day wears on.

3. It lowers your risk of cancer

There have been several studies that have linked the consumption of green tea in general to the lowering of the pancreas, colon, prostate, bladder, breast, stomach, and liver cancer. Mayo Clinic, in fact, talks about a link between green tea extract and promising beneficial effects in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. While the jury is still out on conclusive proof about this, the evidence so far has found that it does far more good than harm.

Improves brain function

4. Improves brain function and helps prevent brain aging

 Part of the reason for this is incredibly simple; it contains caffeine, which is a known brain stimulant. It doesn't contain nearly as much as coffee– which is why the risk of it keeping you up is far less. But outside of caffeine, it contains as previously mentioned Theanine, which has the additional benefit of increasing the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, (which battles anxiety). It also ups your body’s dopamine and the creation of alpha waves in the brain. Search shows that the combination of Theanine and caffeine can be incredibly impactful in improving brain function.