Chamomile tea is considered by many people to be a natural support in the fight against insomnia – is it really so? Veryvell Mind journalist Katharine Chan decided to check it out. The results of her experiment are very interesting.
Katharine Chan, a journalist and young mother, has long complained about problems falling asleep and staying asleep afterwards. She decided to check whether drinking chamomile tea regularly in the evening would help her calm down. The test lasted 7 days.
On the first day she was really exhausted. After putting the children to bed, she poured boiling water over dried chamomile flowers and sat quietly to drink tea. She fell asleep at 10:45 p.m., feeling good and comfortable.
The next morning she got up at 7:00, her sleep was uninterrupted, she felt quite rested. The whole day passed, at 7:30 p.m. she was still feeling good and not sleepy. Before going to bed, she drank a cup of tea again, which may have resulted in another peaceful night of sleep from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
A full eight hours of sleep gave her a lot of energy to act, During the third day of the experiment, she worked intensively and then took care of the children. It was a rather hectic afternoon for Katharine’s family, full of responsibilities, chaos and, as a result, irritation. She prepared some tea, but forgot about it, and when she remembered, the drink was already cold. Nevertheless, she drank and went to sleep.
Katharine started the fourth day of the test at 6:00woken up a little too early by her son. She was irritated and in a low mood, and did not feel rested. The rest of the day passed quite quietly, filled with duties. In the evening, the woman was calm, when the children fell asleep, she sat down again to drink warm tea and went to bed at 11 p.m. She fell asleep peacefully, additionally relaxed by the sounds of raindrops hitting the roof.
Fifth day – wake-up at 6.45. Katharine describes that her energy level was normal and she felt calm and rested. In the evening, she had some time for herself, so she took a shower and turned on her favorite TV program, enjoying chamomile tea before bed.
On the sixth day, the woman got up later than usual – at 7.45. As she emphasizes, nine hours of sleep is very rare for her. She felt calm in the morning, but after an intense day, in the evening she was extremely tired and overwhelmed. She made chamomile tea, but instead of drinking it calmly, she took three large sips and fell asleep at 11:30 p.m.
It’s time for the last day of testing how chamomile tea affects Katharine’s sleep. On the seventh day, she was awake from 6:00 a.m. As she describes, it was too hot in the room, she got up at 2:00 a.m. to open the window, then had difficulty falling back asleep, and had to use the bathroom. She felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. She was tired, but she couldn’t calm down. Her thoughts were racing and the day seemed to drag on forever.
What conclusions did Katharine have? The journalist emphasized that maintaining the regular habit of drinking chamomile tea was not a challenge. Just holding a warm mug in her hand was a soothing experience, keeping her hands busy and stopping her from scrolling on her phone. Importantly, she waited every day for the tea to be prepared and enjoyed, so she felt that the ritual itself might have helped her sleep more than the healing properties of chamomile. When she didn’t have time to drink a drink in peace, she slept worse.
Is it possible to draw an opinion based on this? how does chamomile tea affect sleep? Let’s start with the fact that chamomile itself can actually have a positive effect on the body thanks to its calming properties. However, when we follow the experiment conducted by the editor of Verywell mind, we can see that it is extremely important to create a whole ritual of calming down, which may be more important than the drink itself.
Chamomile tea, drunk regularly as part of the evening routine, can be very supportive – it is considered optimal to drink it about 30 minutes before falling asleep. However, remember to try to drink such a drink in peace, and the effects will probably be better.
Sources: Terazgotuje.pl, www.verywellmind.com
