Brits love tea and coffee. They are the two beverages we drink most of in the UK . Sometimes we choose one over the other based on the belief it’s healthier, better for keeping us alert or for calming us, or has fewer side effects. But is there any real reason to choose between tea and coffee, other than personal preference? Woman sits on the sofa with a hot drink Wakey wakey!
The low to moderate (40–300mg) amount of caffeine typically contained in a cup of coffee has been found to improve alertness, attention and reaction time, but has less consistent effects on memory, judgement and decision making.
The perfect mocha coffee
Could this coffee=based drink help keep tiredness at bay? The perfect mocha coffee There’s evidence the effects of caffeine in a cup of tea are enhanced by an amino acid it contains, called L-theanine , if it is drunk regularly. The research finds “L-theanine may interact with caffeine to enhance performance in terms of attention switching and the ability to ignore distraction”. So if you find tea has a more positive effect on keeping you alert, you might be right!
What’s the price of all this extra alertness? After [5–6 hours], around half the caffeine you’ve drunk will still be in your system, and after 10–12 hours, a quarter of it could still be there, according to sleep scientist Matt Walker . This means you may have trouble falling or staying asleep. “Some people tell me [they] can have an espresso with dinner and […] fall asleep fine”, says Walker. But caffeine can decrease the amount of restorative deep sleep you have and as a consequence “you can wake up the next morning and not feel refreshed”, he continues.
One study concludes, “day-long tea consumption produces similar alerting effects to coffee, despite lower caffeine levels, but is less likely to disrupt sleep”. Either way, it’s advisable to limit your consumption of caffeinated drinks (especially those higher in the stimulant) to a long time before you go to bed. A calming cuppa
Rather than aiming to get a buzz, […]
Microdosing 101
Kate Schroeder LPC, LMHC, NCC Key points Microdosing should be
