So I’ve gone over how tea can be great for waking you up and weaning you off of coffee, but tea is also great to relax and even help you sleep. This is mostly the case with herbal teas. Meaning, blends that don’t contain the Camellia sinensis plant, which naturally contains caffeine.

Herbal teas can be made with an infinite number of different ingredients, sometimes however, they contain only one ingredient. Peppermint and chamomile teas are probably the most popular one-ingredient herbal teas, and rightfully so. Peppermint tea is fresh tasting, delicious, crisp, and smooth, and as a bonus has a bunch of health benefits, from relieving nausea to aiding digestion. Another thing that a lot of people may not know about peppermint is that it helps you relax. It is a natural sedative and its anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce blood pressure and body temperature. Next is chamomile tea, which is probably the most popular “night time” tea. It is proven that chamomile can help you sleep with its mild sedative effects and can even relieve nightmares. What you may not know is that chamomile can also help relieve anxiety, fight colds, relieve menstrual cramps, and more!

Though these two ingredients are widely popular, they aren’t the only ones that can help you relax. Many sleepy-time teas contain valerian root. Valerian root has been used traditionally as an anti-insomnia and anti-anxiety medicine, so naturally it is found in teas that aid in restful sleep. It is also said to reduce morning grogginess and may be effective against obsessive compulsive disorder.

People who are familiar with aromatherapy may already know about the calming effects of lavender, but did you know you can put lavender in tea too? Personally, one of my favourite teas is a lavender and strawberry tea from David’s Tea called Serenity Now. Like these other ingredients, lavender aids relaxation and can help with anxiety, insomnia, stress, and depression. Many of these benefits come directly from the aroma associated with lavender which is brought out when steeping it in tea. It also doesn’t hurt that it tastes great!

A simple Google search for relaxing or sleep-aiding ingredients in tea will reveal almost infinite options, that you’re guaranteed to find something that will work for you. Of course, you can always visit your local tea shop and speak to someone knowledgeable that will likely be happy to help. 

Photo Credit: Ruxandra Moldoveanu

ROXANNE PEPIN

I’m Roxanne Pepin and I am a Professional Writer, blogger, realist, cyclist, and cat lover at large studying at Algonquin College, in Canada’s capital city. I am an aspiring fiction writer and copy editor who writes for my fellow fiction lovers, music lovers, book worms, cycling enthusiasts, tea devotees, and real-time, high-on-life junkies.

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