Best Tea That Helps You Sleep: Puer
We were often told that if one has difficulty in falling asleep at night, we should stay away from tea. In fact, in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, some teas can improve your sleep quality if you make the right choice based on your own body constitution. And the first tea we are going to introduce is Puer tea, which has proved to have benefits such as helping you lose weight. And for insomniacs whose bodies are interrupted by phlegm-heat, puer tea will be a big help for their sleep.
Insomniacs usually drink a lot, and eat too much meat or food, which does harm to his spleen and stomach. From the perspective of a physician of traditional Chinese medicine, spleen problems lead to liver-qi stagnation, which produces body heat and phlegm. Phlegm heat drifts upward and disturbs the peace of heart, which then results in insomnia and disrupted sleep. On top of insomnia or poor sleep quality, these kinds of people often feel heavy cumbersome head, vexed, nauseated, often cough up yellow phlegm, and have a bitter taste in the mouth at the same time. The key to solve the problem is to clear body heat and phlegm, and promote digestion for those who lose their appetite. Therefore, puer tea is one of the perfect solutions to those problems in that it reduces phlegm, improves digestion and increases the amount of body fluid. Nonetheless, it is also important to drink it in the right way. You need to drink it 1 hour before you go to bed. And the best way to make the tea is to brew it instead of steeping it in hot water. Right after pouring water into the pot and make the tea, you need to separate the tea leaves and tea right away. Brewed tea can calm your nerves, while steeped tea will do the opposite.
Besides puer tea, there are other kinds of tea that are helpful for a better sleep.
- Amber (Hu Po) Tea
Amber tastes sweet and has a neutral property. It calms the nerves and reduces anxiety. It invigorates the blood circulation and thus dissipates stasis. It also promotes urination. Physicians for traditional Chinese medicine usually prescribe amber with Suan Zao Ren (Sour Jujube Seed), Shou Wu Teng, and Zhu Sha for people who hav sleeping problems. Mixing 5g amber powder with hot water is a remedy for insomnia.
- Lavender Tea
Scientific evidence suggests that aromatherapy with lavender may slow the activity of the nervous system, improve sleep quality, promote relaxation, and lift mood in people suffering from sleep disorders. Studies also suggest that massage with essential oils, particularly lavender, may result in improved sleep quality, more stable mood, better concentration, and reduced anxiety. In one recent study, people who received massage with lavender felt less anxious and more positive than those who received massage alone. And other than its scent, lavender can be used to make tea that helps you to relax yourself and sleep well at night. All you need are dried lavender, mint, honey and boiled water. Put them together and steep for 5 minutes. And the lavender tea is ready.
- Shou Wu Teng Tea
Shou Wu Teng tastes sweet and has a neutral property. It nourishes the heart and calms the spirit. It dredges the meridians and channels and expels body wind.
Ingredients: Shou Wu Teng 20g, 3 red dates
Preparation: Cook them together. Take it one hour after lunch and dinner for a couple days.
- Suan Zao Ren Tea
Suan Zao Ren tastes sweet and has a neutral property. It nourishes the heart and constrains sweating. It invigorates blood circulation in the liver, and cures insomnia. Physicians always prescribe it with Fu Ling and Zhimu. You can also grind it into powder. And take 2g of it right before you go to sleep.
- Sang Shen and Bai He Tea
This is a perfect drink for insomniacs. Sang Shen tastes sweet and sour, and has a cold property. It treats yin deficiency, nourishes the blood, and removes body heat. Therefore, it is known as a popular supplement for the health of liver and kidneys. Eating Sang Shen once a while, you can see a phenomenal improvement on the health of heart and kidney, as well as the problems of insomnia. Bai He is a mind tonic that nourishes your body.
Ingredients: fresh Sang Shen 100g, fresh Bai He 50g.
Preparation: rinse the ingredients and cook them together. Take the tea once a day.
Effects: it will tranquilize your mind. If insomnia is a result of your heart being disturbed by the body heat, which was caused by the liver deficiency. With Sang Shen nourishing the deficiency and removing the body heat, and Bai He calming the nerves, the symptoms will be gone and you can have a peaceful sleep.
- Fresh Lotus Root Tea
Ingredients: 1 section of lotus root, 1 pear
Preparation: peel and rinse the lotus root. Peel and core the pear. Cut them up into small pieces and squeeze to make juice. Mix two juices and drink it together.
Effects: it will improve the sleep quality, especially for those who can’t fall asleep because of phlegm heat. Lotus roots tastes sweet and has a cold property when it is raw. It clears body heat and reduces anxiety, and also dissipates blood stasis and relieves uneasiness of mind and body. And when it is taken with pear juice, which clears body heat and phlegm, how can we say it is not a perfect drink for insomniac?
- Scallion Stalk and Date Tea
Ingredients: 20 red dates, scallion stalk 10g
Preparation: Cut the dates. Cook with scallion stalk and water for 15 to 20 minutes in a pot. Filter the soup. Warm it up and drink in the evening.
Effects: it invigorates the blood and relieves uneasiness in the mind and body. It nourishes the body, and especially improves the health of heart and spleen. It is suitable for people who are anxious, have palpitation, fatigue, poor appetite, and insomnia.
- GABA Tea
GABA Tea was discovered by Japanese researchers in 1987 and is a relatively new type of tea with special health benefits. Its main compound gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the human body. It helps you to relax, have a better sleep and refresh yourself. It is very popular in Japan.