Best Tea for Sleep – 7 Most Potent Herbal Teas
About 6 months ago we set out on a very ambisious journey – to research sleep-promoting herbs. Every brand out there claims that it’s mix is the best, so we decided to cut through the noise and actually reach some conclusions on solid data.
To compile the guide below we went over 40 studies that explored the effects of different herbs and looked over 7000 user reviews of teh ready-made combos – the results are below.
The table you’ll see below is based the studies & data we pooled from all conrners of the internet, the user satisfation % is a percentage of people that rated the mentioned tea combos with either 4 or 5 stars.
These are the best teas for sleep:
Satisfaction % |
||
 Sleep Tea | Chamomile, Cardamon, Peppermint, Morning Glory, Gotu Kola | |
 Birds & Bees tea | Scullcap, Lavender | |
 Celestial | Spearmint, Lemongrass | |
 Bedtime | Chamomile Licorice, Cardamon, Cinnamon | |
 ZZZs | Spearmint, organic rooibos, orange peel, Valerian, Passionflower |
Now that we’ve covered the ready-made combos, let’s look at individual herbs and their potencty when it comes to sleep & relaxation as well as a few 2-ingredient combinations you can mix up in you own kitchen.
Chamomile Tea for sleep
The reason why Chamomile tea works so well for people with sleep problems is because it’s a mild tranquilizer. The way it works is not completely clear but the most probably reason is the fact that the falconoid from the tea bind to the benzodiazepine receptors (which regulate who calm or restless your brain is).
The results are not hear-say; the effects of Chamomile are backed by a growing body of studies (we’ll list those later in the text).
Secondary benefits
Chamomile is packed with antioxidants antimicrobials. It is also said to be a mild anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is the source of most physical pain – the body recognizes a damaged body part, whether that is due to arthritis or an injury, and increases circulation to that area.
This causes inflammation. General inflammation causes the fascia between your skin and muscles to become gummy and less flexible, causing pain in the muscles. Chamomile will reduce that inflammation and alleviate the pain.
Lemon Balm tea
This actually sounds like something you would use on dry lips, but it makes a great tea for people suffering from insomnia. Steep lemon balm in boiling water, and it will not only make a tea that reduces your sense of anxiety, it will reduce indigestion.
Indigestion is one of the leading causes of restless sleep and insomnia, and you may not even know you have it! The discomfort may be subtle enough to just make you feel bad without allowing you to tag the problem.
Lemon balm tea is potent enough help cold sores to heal faster. Think about it – if it heals cold sores, it can soothe stomach, esophageal, and intestinal irritation, too, resulting in a better night’s sleep.
Banana Tea for sleep
Eww…that’s the first reaction of many people when they hear of banana tea. But yes, it really works for sleep and works well.
Bananas are loaded with minerals that we often lack in our daily diet. By placing a banana in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, you create an herbal tea rich in magnesium and potassium.
These minerals will help your muscles relax, which helps you drift off sooner. The combo of banana and cinnamon tea is reported to be the most potent.
In addition, you will stay asleep for longer periods of time. If you are prone to abruptly waking during the night, banana tea may be the answer for you
Chamomile/Turmeric Tea
Turmeric is the new Wonder Herb, touted for its abilities to reduce inflammation. It also has cancer-fighting properties.
By combining chamomile and turmeric, you get a tea that is relaxing and calming, thanks to the chamomile, yet delivers boosted anti-inflammatory properties to keep your body relaxed and more pain-free.
Most chamomile/turmeric mixes include a little bit of ground ginger and cinnamon, and are sweetened with Agave juice or honey. You steep the chamomile tea bags in hot water, then stir in the spices along with coconut oil and a little plant milk. Actually, I use whole dairy milk, but I’m a rebel.
Ginger/Turmeric Tea
Here is turmeric, again, mixed with ginger. Peel and slice a two-inch piece of ginger root, and add it to boiling water. Add a half-teaspoon of turmeric and the juice from one-half of a lemon, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
You’ll want to strain the tea, and maybe add honey to sweeten it since the turmeric can be a bit strong.
This tea will help you stay asleep once you finally fall asleep. The lemon, by the way, helps soothe irritated mucous membranes, which is great for a cough or indigestion. Honey is a natural sleep-promoting remedy, too.
Lavender Tea
Lavender is not a relaxing scent to many people. It kind of smells like medicine rather than a magical herb. However, it is well known for its medicinal properties, and you may well benefit from lavender herb tea.
Simply steep lavender flowers in hot water and sweeten with honey. You can certainly drink the tea after the flowers are discarded. The tea will help you relax and help your mind stop whirling so that you can fall asleep.
But, there is more! You can use the lavender tea as a chest rub for bronchitis and asthma. By drinking it and rubbing it on your chest and throat, you can reduce coughing and help bronchial swelling to relax. It’s also good for cuts and
Spice Rack Tea
Let’s call this one “Spice Rack Tea” because, as you will see, it has just about everything in it. All of these ingredients are chosen for their various abilities to ease muscle pain, indigestion, stress, and insomnia.
You need a tablespoon each of: chamomile, spearmint, St. John’s Wort, dried lemon peel, rosebuds, and nettle leaf. I actually like to add turmeric to this mix, just because. Steep an infuser of these herbs in hot water for about 5 minutes, and you’ll have a tea that helps you relax, drift off to sleep, and stay asleep.
OTC aids vs. herbal teas for sleep
Now that we’ve listed the most potent and best teas for sleep, let’s get one thing out of the way. Let’s take a moment to address why even some of the milder OTC aids are not a long term solution.
OTC aids like Melatonin are a more aggressive approach to the issue and should be used cautiously. In spite of Melatonin being “natural” (made in the pineal gland) it is still a hormone and this kind of supplementation should only be used in controlled way under doctor’s supervision.
In the case of Melatonin two primary reasons for that:
- You can develop an addiction – like with most hormones introduced artificially, the gland that secretes it “gets the message” that there is less of a need for it and it slows down. In other words – once you stop taking it, the issue might become worse because the gland is used to producing less and your body gets used to higher concentrations of the hormone. The result – falling asleep gets exponentially harder, at least until the pineal gland “recovers.” That
- The risk of Melatonin overdose – if you don’t follow the guidelines on the bottle or that of your doctor, you can easily end up taking too much of it because it has a delayed response. Simply put – you don’t feel it right away and people end up taking more because “it’s not working. So, yes, the answer to the question, “Can you overdose on Melatonin?” is yes. How much Melatonin is too much will depend on your body type, age, BMR and the range of other factors.
A better and safer way is to introduce lifestyle changes that will naturally increase your melatonin levels.
Whatever the case, one of the soothing we listed above as being best tea for sleep is the milder option, one that you should try before reaching out for a pill.
Hello I’ve had depression and several anxiety (GAD) for several years. More recently I’ve been finding hard to sleep so I have insomnia too.
I was taking Benzodiazepams (redacted) every day for 2 years. In the last 6 months I’ve been taking the maximum dose of Diazepam 40mg however I have built a tolerence so it doesn’t work anymore.
I’ve also had memory loss and I’ve been told you can get early onset dementia if taken on a long term basis as it should only be used for 6 weeks.
So I’m looking for something to make me sleep ( I only sleep 4-5 hours a night) and for anxiety but mostly for my insomnia. I’ve come accross your brand of teas : Kava Kava root tea, Valerian root tea & Chamomile tea. Could you advise me what I can take to make me sleep whether it’s a herbal tea or a medication?
I’m currently taking Mirtazapine do you know if there’s an interaction between Mirtazapine and Chamomile/Valerian root/Kava Kava root tea? Also do you know the maximum amount of teabags I can drink in a day without overdosing so I can feel an effect like when I was taking 40mg of Diazepam?
I could switch to a non sedating anti depressent as Mirtazapine is a sedating anti depressent or I could stop taking the Mirtazapine and drink Chamomile/Valerian root or Kava Kava root tea on it’s own as on the label and on various websites it states it’s used to treat depression,anxiety,PTSD,GAD,Insomnia?
Thanking you in advance
Hi Dave, I’m sorry to hear about your problems but you’re far from alone. Vast majority of us live stressful lives filled with anxiety and fears. The teas we talked about above are not as you said “our brands,” this guide is based on data we pooled from different sources, we are just a website on all things sleep. I can’t talk about sleep medication, nor offer specific advice, that’s a conversation only to be had with your MD.
I know that this is a generic response that you probably won’t like, but it’s the best I can do. With that said, we’ve been researching the topic of DTP (Deep Pressure Stimulation) for anxiety-related sleep problems. To be more specific – we’ve looked into blankets based on DTP. You might have already heard about these…people call them sensory, gravity, weighted – it’s pretty much the same thing. The concept is based on filling the blanket chambers with pellets or beads to add weight and exert mild pressure on the sleeper to calm the nervous system. If might be worth looking into if you haven’t already – you can read more about the blankets here.