Side Effects of Drinking Green Tea at Night

Posted by Sanjay KC on January 30th, 2019

With everyone going green, even in food choices, green tea has gained tremendous popularity across the globe. However, even though we have heard of umpteen health benefits of the green beverage, including aiding digestion, boosting metabolism and improving heart health, a word of caution before you grab the next steaming cuppa.

According to studies conducted by experts, drinking green tea just before going to bed may cause side effects because of the caffeine – a stimulant you probably want to avoid before bedtime. Consumers need to be aware of these effects, which could range from mild to serious. In addition to difficulty in falling asleep, over-consumption of green tea can lead to constipation, diarrhea, nausea, a jittery feeling and a sense of restlessness. In some cases, an allergic reaction can occur from drinking green tea, however, this could occur even if the drink is consumed in the day time.

Experts opine that the best time to drink green tea is two hours before bedtime as then the caffeine should not disturb your sleep. Green tea contains the amino acid of L-Theanine which may keep you awake and disturb your concentration. Also two hours before bedtime is the lowest metabolism moment and the green tea can increase it. Helping you burn fat while you sleep!

When to avoid Green Tea:

• Do not take your tea every early in the morning on an empty stomach
• Avoid taking green tea at mealtime
• Do not have more than two-to-three cups a day
• Do not add milk and sugar to green tea
• Avoid drinking green tea late at night

Don’t get the wrong idea, green tea is an amazing drink but just make sure you’re enjoying it for all of the right reasons. And if you absolutely want to stick to your caffeinated tea blend at night, dunk your teabag quickly in a cup of hot water, then dump that cup out and make another hot cup of water and use the same teabag once again. A good portion of the caffeine is released early in the steeping process – so the quick dunk will help eliminate a portion of the stimulant leaving you with a slightly less caffeinated cup of tea.

And now to harness green tea’s power properly to benefit fully from it - the best times to drink green tea is to drink it between meals. For example, two hours before or after, to maximize the nutrient intake and iron absorption. If you are an anemia sufferer, avoid drinking green tea along with food. You can also drink green tea before exercise as it helps burn more fat because of caffeine in it. It also helps increase energy so you can exercise longer.

Read Also: Here's Why You Need to Drink Tea Before Bed