Insomnia is a sleeping disorder where a person finds it hard to fall asleep, staying asleep, or both. As a result, an insomniac (person with insomnia) will get too little and poor-quality. Insomnia can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and lack of energy in performing tasks. There are several factors that can cause insomnia, and one of which is consuming too much green tea, more than 10 cups to be exact, in a day.
What is Green Tea, Antioxidants & Ingredients:
Green tea comes from a hardy shrub called the Camellia sinensis that belongs to the Theaceae plant family and is a very common beverage consumed by almost all countries in Asia and millions of other people from all parts of the world to gain numerous of its health benefits, as well as to satisfy one’s thirst. Green tea is very well known to have numerous health benefits including, from treating headaches to lowering bad cholesterol level (LDL) and many more. The Chinese have known about green tea’s health benefits since ancient times and they have been using green tea as medical treatments for the past 4,000 years.
Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds that are found to be an abundant component of green tea. It is believed that polyphenols are mostly responsible for the most health benefits green tea can bring to people. Aside from antioxidant compounds found in green tea, it also contains flavonoids, vitamins, volatile oils, minerals, and caffeine, which also have their own fair share of health benefits.
Insomnia and Green Tea:
Since green tea contains caffeine, consuming too much green tea, especially at night time can cause insomnia. Approximately, 1 cup of green tea contains 30 to 60 mgs caffeine. Caffeine in green tea acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system (CNS), which can interfere with the body’s circardian rhythm (body clock), which can cause insomnia. The stimulating effect of caffeine to the central nervous system does not only affect the circardian rhythm, it may also cause an increase in blood pressure and/or palpitations.
In order to prevent insomnia caused by consuming green tea, it is best to drink green tea during daytime and not during night time. And it is also very important not to consume more than the desired amount of green tea per day, which is 10 cups. People who are sensitive to caffeine may need to consume green tea in moderation, for it not to cause any side effects, especially insomnia.
