Although excessive amounts of caffeine can be detrimental to your health in the long run, you really don’t have to quit it cold turkey. So rather than going without your steaming cup of joe in the mornings, try to limit your caffeine intake and switch to herbal teas instead. Find out how caffeine affects your health and which teas can undo its negative effects.
As a stimulant, coffee can excite the heart and cause shallow breathing. It also causes your adrenaline levels to spike, which raises your blood pressure reading. This is stressful on the cardiovascular system and can have fatal outcomes for individuals with heart conditions.
Try alternatives like hibiscus tea, which has shown to lower systolic blood pressure. Hibiscus tea has many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on blood vessel walls, and is able to improve their elasticity and ability to dilate. You should drink the tea consistently to maintain its positive results.
The effects of caffeine on the body include increased heart rate, increased adrenaline levels, and heightened senses. In combination, they can make some individuals feel overwhelmingly anxious and jittery.
If caffeine affects you in this way, try peppermint tea instead. The menthol in peppermint is actually a natural muscle relaxant, making it a go-to choice if you’re feeling especially irritable.
Coffee is a diuretic, which means it causes dehydration. That can directly affects your skin. Dehydrated skin causes inflammation and premature aging, as a result of collagen loss. This is because caffeine inhibits the enzyme prolidase, which plays a major role in collagen synthesis and production.
If you find yourself losing that glow, you may want to switch to green tea. Its free radical-fighting catechins, EGCG, reduces skin damage and prevents wrinkle formation. They have also been shown to revive dying skin cells and promote healthy new cells.
The combined effects of coffee being a diuretic and stimulant can cause sudden and intense headaches. Also, you’ll start to experience withdrawals about 12 to 24 hours after your last dose of caffeine, and not satisfying your craving can lead to headaches too.
Many herbal teas help with the throbs in your head. For example, ginger tea is known for its anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties while peppermint tea helps to relax the nerves, which in turn reduces the incidence of spasms in the gastrointestinal tract, which are responsible for inducing headache symptoms.
Caffeine inhibits the activity of a neurotransmitter called Adenosine, which is one of your brain’s natural tranquilisers. This affects your ability to fall asleep, even when you’re tired.
Chamomile tea is a classic traditional herbal remedy that has been used to fight insomnia, anxiety, and stress. It promotes sleepiness while helping to calm upset stomachs and increases the production of a chemical that relaxes nerves and muscles, almost acting like a mild sedative. Remember to steep the leaves for at least 10 minutes before drinking, and you can rest assured you’ll have a good night’s sleep!
Written by Anna Fernandez
Your morning routine sets the tone of the day- A rushed and stressful morning may leave you feeling like you spent the whole day running around. On the other hand, an early morning with ample time to get prepared ensures you feel collected enough to face the pressing needs of the day. Having a cup of organic herbal tea in your mornings is a great way to complement a your morning and increase your vitality for the day.
This tea is packed with amazing benefits that will do wonders for your health and beauty. Peppermint tea acts as an appetite suppressant, which will keep your early morning hunger pangs at bay. With the natural sweet taste of peppermint, this tea will definitely brighten up your morning and make it easier for you to eat healthy.
With anti-inflammatory properties, organic peppermint tea can help clear up your skin and calm any stomach pains. If you wake up feeling any nausea or queasiness, a cup of peppermint tea can relieve these symptoms. This herbal tea is a quick fix to any abdominal bloating or cramps, so if you experience any stomach discomfort, perhaps try a brew of organic peppermint tea.
Organic peppermint tea not only treats the symptoms of feeling ill, this herbal tea also boosts your immune systems and prevents you from falling sick in the first place!
While this calming herbal tea makes for a great bedtime brew, it can also be drunk in the morning. If you find yourself feeling anxious and stressed preparing for the day, try swapping your coffee for chamomile tea.
Made from flowers, this sedative tea can calm your frazzled nerves and ease digestion. By soothing the stomach, chamomile tea acts as a natural cure for any indigestion problems, nausea or abdominal pains. The clean, mild taste of this herbal tea is guaranteed to clear your mind so you can start the day feeling relaxed and in control.
Packed with antioxidants, green tea is great to incorporate into your morning routine. Japanese green tea strengthens tissue cells in the body, which guards against symptoms of ageing. This tea helps cells protect against damage due to pollutants.
The antioxidants found in green tea also increases the body’s metabolism. More fat is used as fuel and this improves muscle endurance, making it easier to sustain long work days. With an urban hectic lifestyle, organic green tea is a great way to ensure we maintain our health and youthful skin.
A cup of earl grey tea is a quick way to perk up in the mornings. While the caffeine is lower than coffee, a cup of earl grey tea will power you through busy mornings. The caffeine in this tea will also relax your busy and put your mind at ease, ensuring you stay calm and collected during stressful days.
This black tea is flavoured with the oil from the rind of a bergamot orange and unlike coffee, it keeps your body hydrated. Earl grey’s high potassium levels maintains the level of body fluids.
Earl grey tea also contains anti-viral properties that guard against the common cold. The high amount of antioxidants will also help fight free radicals to ensure your skin stays glowing. A cup of this tea every morning will go a long way in boosting your immune system and revitalising your skin!
High in anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants, organic rooibos tea will help protect your cells from damage by free radicals and help ward off illnesses. Having a brew of red rooibos tea in the morning will go a long way in keeping healthy as the antioxidants present prevent wrinkles from forming and protects hair follicles from damage, keeping your locks shiny.
Red rooibos tea also increases production of a hormone called leptin that makes you feel fuller faster and boosts metabolism. This tea is great to incorporate into a weight loss regimen to boost metabolism.
With a wide array of brews to choose from, tea makes for a great morning companion. What’s a greater way to start the day than with a cup of tea, knowing you’re making the best choices for your health.
