Does drinking oolong tea keep you awake? Drinking oolong tea can sometimes lead to insomnia because it contains caffeine. But don’t worry too much—by following a few simple methods, you can prevent caffeine from affecting your sleep quality!
Will drinking oolong tea keep you awake? Why?
Simply put, all tea products contain caffeine, and oolong tea is no exception. However, compared to coffee, oolong tea contains only about a quarter to half of the caffeine. As long as you choose the right way to drink it, you can enjoy the delicious taste of oolong tea while avoiding sleep troubles.
How to prevent insomnia and sleeplessness when drinking oolong tea? 3 ways to avoid it
- Choose the right oolong tea: If you are worried about too much caffeine, you can choose oolong teas with a heavier roast level, such as roasted oolong tea or Red Oolong. These teas usually have a lower caffeine content than lightly-fragrant styles. In addition, winter and spring teas generally have a lower caffeine content than summer teas, which is something you can keep in mind when shopping.
- Choose the right time to drink tea: It is best to avoid drinking tea within 4 hours before bedtime. For those who are more sensitive to caffeine, you can extend this time or even stop drinking oolong tea after the afternoon, switching to caffeine-free herbal tea instead.
- Reduce the strength: You can use fewer tea leaves, shorten the steeping time, or lower the water temperature. This will significantly reduce the amount of caffeine released. Another trick is cold-brewed oolong tea; tea brewed this way has a smooth taste, lower caffeine content, and is even less likely to cause insomnia.
Actually, the caffeine content in oolong tea is relatively low, with only about 25 to 55 milligrams per 100ml, making it much milder than coffee. So as long as you control the amount and timing, you don’t need to worry too much about oolong tea keeping you awake.