Drinking tea at night

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_Soggy_
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Sat Jul 28, 2018 9:39 am

I don't really want tea at night. I could probably drink it and not have sleeping problems, but it doesn't really sound appealing to me. I've had tea in the evenings 5-7 before a few times(mostly when I didn't have tea that day) but it is quite rare and it was still very much light outside.
plamarca000
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Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:47 am

I can drink most oolongs before bed with no effect. But any black or green tea I am up tweaking all night.
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wave_code
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Sun Dec 16, 2018 1:56 pm

I find even if something like Pu is relaxing rather than energizing it doesn't mean it won't still keep me up. I'm not a good sleeper to begin with so I try to avoid caffeine too late in the evening and limit my consumption in the daytime. If I want something nice in the later hours I'd go for some bourbon. But to cut down on that I try and keep some low/non-caffeinated teas around.

I usually have a couple different kinds of kyobancha and hojicha on hand - I find kyobancha in particular really nice after large meals. something about the combination of slight sourness, roast flavor, and sweetness makes for a great digestif and is also very forgiving to brew in a lazy way. sometimes I'll bother to boil it but mostly I'll just stack several smaller brews in a bowl and sip on it for a while since I still like it cold/room temp. I keep a pitcher of it in the fridge all summer usually. I haven't had any for a long while now but I also like snow chrysanthemum tea, mellows me out a bit.
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OCTO
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Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:14 pm

No issues with tea at night. Usually drink all the way up till bed time. Just like @tealifehk , from vintage 50s to young fresh harvests; green to puerh; puts me to bed like a baby.

Only on occasions when I consume an overly strong brew, might take a little more time to go in to a deep sleep. On average it’s 3 - 4 brews of 7g-10geach, post 6:00pm daily.

😁😁😜😜
swordofmytriumph
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Mon Dec 17, 2018 2:27 pm

For me it depends on the tea, and the day. Some days nothing will keep me up, others even the least caffeinated white tea in existence will prevent sleep. I’ll eventually figure out the pattern, I’m sure. But usually green oolong tend to be fine for me, and sheng almost always keeps me up.
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Tillerman
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Mon Dec 17, 2018 5:21 pm

swordofmytriumph wrote:
Mon Dec 17, 2018 2:27 pm
For me it depends on the tea, and the day. Some days nothing will keep me up, others even the least caffeinated white tea in existence will prevent sleep. I’ll eventually figure out the pattern, I’m sure. But usually green oolong tend to be fine for me, and sheng almost always keeps me up.
White tea can, and usually does, contain a lot of caffeine.
swordofmytriumph
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Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:34 am

Yeah, I know, which is why it's so weird. Usually white tea doesn't affect me as much as things like sheng (hence why I drink it at night). Not sure why. Can't explain it....
oolongfan
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Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:24 pm

Having just got back into tea after a health related hiatus, I do not drink tea past 5pm BUT I do drink light/city roast coffee (more caffeine then darker roasts) at 9pm, going to bed at 1:30 AM. I probably need to move my coffee back an hour or so especially since my natural cortisol levels are elevated at night anyway.

So far tea seems to effect my pulse less than coffee, and blood pressure about the same. I think brewing Gong Fu style in a 45 ml teapot might help spread out the caffeine plus hydrating in between brews. With coffee I am drinking out of one 16 oz cup, not hydrating as much in between sips. Of course what time I drink makes all the difference because my cortisol levels are so out of wack -they don't follow the normal duirnal pattern ;)

I love ending the day with something relaxing. In the perfect world I would have my caffeine intake limited to the morning, as normal cortisol levels are highest upon waking. In my world, the morning is a time of being rushed and focused on the day's events. The late afternoon (on days off) and evenings better lend themselves to contemplative sipping.

Cortisol level patterns can change under stress or other health issues. So if suddenly you cannot tolerate caffeine past or before a certan hour, cortisol might be the culprit. Aldesterone levels can also have an effect...but not as common. I have had major changes in my cortisol levels over the last four years...like riding a roller coaster. I have had to change the timing of my caffeine accordingly ;)
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terrarosa81
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Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:45 pm

This is some interesting stuff. I definitely find it interesting how different teas effect different people. For me I try to avoid caffeine after four pm. Though when I am super stressed, I can do Gungfu style brewing with a Pu'er in the evening. It tends to make me feel relaxed/ high/ drunk depending on the tea. And will knock me out cold. Since I can't sleep when badly stressed it's a good pay off.
I can't do oolongs, blacks, or greens at night though. I'd be wired all night. Only downfall with Gungfu at night is having to get up to pee. Though that is done while I'm pretty much still asleep so it is what it is. :roll:
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Bok
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Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:59 pm

I found that the effect of the tea on the body may be trained: If I do have a (forced) of tea for a few days or even weeks, sleeplessness or need to go to the bathroom are increased for a few days after drinking tea again.

I can extend my tea sessions longer and longer the more I drink on a regular basis. My body seems to get used to it and responds differently after a while. Yesterday I had four teas until 23:00, slept like a baby afterwards... Green Dancong, High mountain, roasted High mountain and Tieguanyin.
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tealifehk
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Thu Dec 20, 2018 12:10 pm

I now cut off tea by 4 or 5 pm most days, and I get to bed much earlier than before, and sleep better as well. :)
Teachronicles
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Sat Dec 22, 2018 12:57 am

Generally, I find I can push it to about 9pm, any later and it significantly affects the quality of my sleep. I usually just drink whatever I'm feeling like and will often drink 1-3 infusions then stop and finish the session In the morning. It's been hard to figure out how much the caffeine affects my sleep (even though I believe scientifically, it's proven to do so) as I've had good night's sleep after having tea up until bedtime and then bad nights sleep when stopping in the early afternoon.
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debunix
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Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:26 am

I don't start with a lot of new tea at night.....and usually have no issues with going to sleep. If I start a fine puerh after dinner, drinking several infusions quickly at first, then slowing down once thirst is satisfied, and if there is a little flavor left, I will continue with more infusions right up until I go to bed, because there really isn't much caffeine left in those late barely-flavored infusions.

If I really want some new tea later in the evening, I'll brew up smaller quantities to minimize the caffeine impact and give those little pots some use, but still get some pleasure from the tea.
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