Tea Advisory Panel

Posted date:

16th Feb '23

As 1 in 4 adults struggle to get a good night's sleep, new research reveals a cuppa is the answer

A solution to the nation's poor sleeping habits and stressful lives can be found in a cup of black, green, or herbal tea infusions, according to a new study – Tea and Herbal Infusions, Psychological Stress, Anxiety & Sleep Health: A Systematic Review of Human Trials & Mechanistic Studies[1] – which analysed 33 different studies including eight human intervention trials.

The review, authored by the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP) (www.teaadvisorypanel.com) and nutrition and well-being experts, found that sleep quality, efficiency and duration, as well as stress management, can be aided by several types of tea including regular black tea – the typical British cuppa – and green tea, German Chamomile, Lavender, Rose, Jasmine, and Passionflower.

One in four adults gets fewer than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep nightly[2], according to studies from the UK, US, and Netherlands[3]. The worst affected are women aged 40+ years, who have the shortest sleep durations and poor sleep efficiency, while half of teenagers sleep less than the optimal 8-10 hours a night for their age group. Sleep efficiency is the ratio between trying to get to sleep and actually sleeping.

The TAP research review has found that a surprising number of different tea types can lower stress and lead to better sleep and relaxation. The herbal tea infusions are probably better known for their calming properties, but studies also confirm that green tea, oolong, and the typical British cuppa have an effect at intakes of just two cups a day.

The active compounds in tea that could help send us to the Land of Nod include polyphenols, L-theanine, theaflavins, thearubigins and gamma (?)-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Both L-theanine, an amino acid, and GABA have direct effects on the brain, helping to activate pathways that lower stress and create calm and relaxation. Tea is the main natural source of L-theanine in our diet.

Read the full paper here: https://sciforschenonline.org/journals/nutrition-food/NFTOA182.php

For more information or to speak to TAP on this research paper please email: nicky@junglecatsolutions.com