For the last couple of years I have gone in spurts where I drink a lot of hot tea for awhile and then none at all. I’ve read about all of the health benefits, and I love to make it loose leaf with my Teavana Perfect Teamaker. But then I get lazy and quit drinking it again.
My “Sleepy Tea”
In September my husband and I went to Hawaii. The time difference is 6 hours from home, and we traveled over two days. Our hotel (Disney Aulani) had these “Jet Lag” teas that you could take before you went to bed and when you woke up in the morning to help your body readjust. I tried the “sleepy” one the first night and slept like a kid who spent the day on a field trip. I decided to keep drinking it every night and sleep came the same–gently but deep and relaxing.
When I came home, I wondered if I slept so well because of the vacation and not really the tea. So I set out to find other similar teas with the same active ingredient–valerian root. Not all “sleepy” teas have valerian root in them, so I checked the ingredients closely. I ended up getting Sleeping Beauty Organic Tea from American Tea Room and Octavia Tea Serene Dream from Amazon (because I was in a hurry and could get it the next day).
Both worked the exact same as the tea in Hawaii had. I drink it slowly about an hour before I go to bed. It is not my favorite TASTING tea. I don’t sweeten it or anything. Not only does it help me drift off to sleep slowly, but I find that I do not wake up during the night as much and if I do, I can fall back asleep easily.
I do have to caution that I may sleep TOO WELL with the tea. In fact, I don’t drink it every night because I don’t want to 1) become dependent upon it, or 2) sleep more than 8 hours every night. I mainly drink it on the weekends or if I have been feeling stressed out and just need to really relax. I am considering watering it down a bit to see if it will be a little less effective.
Tea, Tea, and More Tea
As you can see by the picture in the post, I have quite a variety of teas now. My main collection is from Teavana and American Tea Room. I have replaced drinking Crystal Light and pretty much any kind of pop with drinking tea from morning until late afternoon. I am HIGHLY susceptible to caffeine, so I tend to only drink the caffeine free kind or low caffeine. One night I made a mistake of drinking a Smores tea late in the day and was still awake at 3 in the morning!
Some tea I drink for the health benefits, like green tea with all of its antioxidants. Some I drink to try to keep me from eating unhealthy things. Chocolate tea isn’t a perfect substitute for a chocolate bar, but it does help. And it makes me feel full. With my last order from American Tea Room they sent me a sample of Macaroon Organic Tea and it was the best tea I have tasted in my life! I’ve actually been trying to drink up the rest of my chocolate teas as fast as I can just to have an excuse to place another order.
I also love fruity teas, especially as they cool. Cranberry Singapore Sling Rooibos Tea from Teavana is one of my favorites. It’s great any time of day and even with food. And caffeine free!
If you are a tea lover, you should definitely try some of the teas that I mentioned above. If you aren’t really sure if you like tea, it is likely that you just haven’t tried the right one yet. The flavors are so different that you can feel like you are drinking anything from spiced apple cider to coffee depending on the type that you get and what you add to it.
Are you a tea drinker? What are your favorites?
Great article! I l gave up coffee about two years ago and switched to tea (caffeine junkie in recovery right here), so I’m always looking for new ones to try.
Thanks for the post. I love tea and often use Valerian as a supplement. I have not tried the American Tea Room. I have been a long time fan of Teavana and was one of the few people happy that Starbucks bought them. Now we can get good tea at Starbucks!