Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and have prevalent presence among various cultures in the world. Having a cup or glass of tea quenches your thirst, releases stress as well as tension, and provides relaxation to the consumer.
Tea is also one beverage that is known to possess considerate amount of caffeine, although tea as a source of caffeine is less identical compared to coffee.
The good news is that, tea has its own decaffeinated version. What are the health benefits of decaffeinated tea?
About Decaffeinated Tea
Decaffeinated tea is just like any type of tea; available in the forms of green tea or black tea, with the main difference is that they contain little caffeine. A cup of black or red tea contains 40 to 50 milligrams of caffeine, which is roughly half the caffeine found in a cup of coffee. Teas are decaffeinated using carbon monoxide or CO2 as we know it. This method of decaffeination is regarded as nontoxic, nonexplosive and convenient.
The other popular method of decaffeination is by using hot water. However, this method is thought to be more complex due to the need of an optimal water temperature, time of extraction, as well as the ratio in between tea leaves and water. A 3-minute extraction using 100°c of hot water with a water to tea leaf ratio of 1:20 is said to release 83% of its caffeine content. There are also two other decaffeination methods that involve chemicals, which are using ethyl acetate and methylene chloride.
One must also take note that decaffeinated tea and caffeine-free teas are not the same thing. Decaffeinated tea contains very minimal amounts of caffeine, sometimes as low as 2 milligrams per cup, whereas caffeine-free teas, as its name suggests, contain no caffeine at all.
These are the health benefits of quitting caffeine.
What are the Health Benefits of Decaffeinated Tea?
Here are the health benefits of decaffeinated tea:
- Lowers Blood Pressure
Caffeine does increase your blood pressure and increases your heart working rate. Having decaffeinated tea helps in stabilizing blood pressure as well. By the way, is tea good diabetes patient?
- Improves Sleep Quality
It is already become public knowledge that caffeine causes a decrease in sleep hours as well as sleep quality. By drinking decaffeinated tea, you no longer need to worry when to consume it because you can basically consume it anytime of the day without risking your sleep schedules.
In comparison, those who consume caffeinated tea will need to consume it before 6pm at most in order to get an optimal sleep quality, because the half life of caffeine lasts somewhere from 4 to 6 hours. You can also fall asleep faster and better with the help of decaffeinated tea. These are also the 10 effects of sleep deprivation on teenage brain.
- Better Mood
Caffeine does alter the mood. Many regular caffeine consumers experience grumpiness until they have their morning dose of caffeine and starts to feel slow after the reaction of caffeine starts to disappear.
- Less Headache
Caffeine also largely contributes to headaches. Headache caused by caffeine normally starts from the eye area and it slowly goes up to your forehead before reaching the rest of the head. In some cases, migraine also takes place. With lesser caffeine intake, you can also reduce the possibility of a caffeine withdrawal headache.
- Less Anxiety
Many consumers also experience anxiety upon consuming caffeine, perhaps something to do with how caffeine interacts with adrenal glands. The adrenal glands produce hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The release of these two chemicals into the brain result in anxiety. Consuming decaffeinated tea reduces the supply of adrenaline plus cortisol into the brain and eliminates anxiety in the long run.
- Better Oral Aesthetics
Both sources of caffeine; tea and coffee stain the teeth. By preferring decaffeinated tea over ordinary tea, you can better uphold a clean and shiny white teeth plus better gum quality.
- Less Urge to Visit the Bathroom
Caffeine on the other hand is also diuretic, which means it increases the release of urine. This is because caffeine stimulates the colon’s smooth muscles, hence making them to contract. The urge of continuously feeling the need to go to the restroom may become inconvenient if you are in company meetings, being outdoor or in a long trip. For the latter two situations, clean bathrooms aren’t always available. Consuming decaffeinated tea can reduce the desire to visit the toilet often.
- Better Drug Absorption
Caffeine interacts with other drugs by causing them to not work optimally. Therefore, one should maintain some timely distance in between one medicinal intake and caffeine consumption. Decaffeinated tea poses minimum risks of caffeine-drug interactions.
- Less Risk of Cardiac Diseases
Caffeine stimulates the heart muscle by causing it to work harder than normal. It can become especially dangerous for those with underlying heart issues. They normally aren’t aware they got one until they started consuming caffeine. Taking decaffeinated tea makes you less worry of these hazards. These are the 34 benefits of green tea.
- Less Caffeine Addiction
Some people have admitted to having caffeine addiction, which means they feel that they cannot function properly without the help of caffeine intake. Decaffeinated tea can come as a solution to those who would like to free themselves from the dangerous strangles of caffeine, and therefore less exposure to caffeine side effects.
Precautions and Warnings
Decaffeinated tea still poses hazards to those who are hypersensitive of caffeine, because these people have the ability to react to the smallest amount of caffeine. Symptoms of caffeine hypersensitivity include increased heartbeat, fatigue, unstable emotions, insomnia, and panic attack. After all, decaffeinated tea still contains caffeine, so it is best to go for caffeine free teas instead.
When purchasing decaffeinated teas in store, look for products which has been decaffeinated using the carbon monoxide or water treatment methods. By doing so, you are less likely to be exposed to the health consequences of chemical processes.
Those are the desirable health benefits of decaffeinated tea. It turns out that decaffeinated tea is just like any other type of tea, minus the dreadful side effects of caffeine. If you wish to be less dependent on caffeine, decaffeinated tea can be your new best friend.