It's common knowledge that herbal teas help you have a good night sleep, but why? Herbs and spices have been used for thousands of years to help calm anxiety, soothe the digestive system and aid you to fall asleep.
If you need help drifting off, here are our recommendations on the best herbal teas for sleep, plus helpful information on what ingredients to look out for in sleepy tea blends.
The best herbs and spices to help you sleep:
Lavender
This may not be a surprise to you. Lavender is notorious for its relaxing properties that help relieve stress and improve sleep. Lavender’s soothing effects are due to its essential oils. You can benefit from this by inhaling, ingesting or applying the oil topically.
Chamomile flower
Chamomile flower is another frequent ingredient in soothing teas and cosmetic products. The essential oils in chamomile help calm our bodies and sympathetic nervous system, which improves your sleep. Chamomile flower also contains an antioxidant called apigenin, known to calm anxieties. Chamomile tea has traditionally been used to help ease any digestive problems linked to anxiety.
Lemon Balm
Officially known as Melissa officinalis, lemon balm is a citrus-scented herb that has many culinary and therapeutic uses. Lemon balm is often used in sleep supplements due to its calming, sleep-enhancing and stress-relieving properties.
Oats
Oats are traditionally used to help treat stress-induced fatigue and to help give you a restful sleep.
Passion Flowers
Passion Flowers are not only beautiful, exotic flowers but are traditionally used for improving sleep quality and supporting normal sleep patterns.
Valerian Root
Used for thousands of years, valerian has amazing calming effects and is known to help people struggling with insomnia to anxiety.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg may be comforting due to it being one of the scents associated with Christmas, but this spice has also got settling and calming properties. Nutmeg can help you to have uninterrupted sleep. This warming spice is often used in traditional Indonesian herbal medicine and Western herbal medicine.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon has a sweet yet sugar-free taste which can help control blood sugar levels. This spice can help you sleep as is known to improve indigestion, which can often end up keeping us awake at night.
Here are some of the best herbal teas for sleep
Description
This Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea comprises chamomile, spearmint, lemongrass, tilia flowers, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn and rosebud. This herbal tea is comforting and soothing with herbs that will help you feel sleepy. It is also entirely natural and caffeine-free.
www.waitrose.com
Description
The Clipper Snore & Peace Infusion bags are made from chamomile, lemon balm and lavender for a soothing infusion. This comforting, caffeine-free and fragrant tea has a delicious floral taste from the chamomile and lavender with refreshing notes from the lemon balm. It is the perfect tea to wind down with.
www.hollandandbarrett.com
Description
With herbs such as oat flower, lavender and lime flower this Pukka Night Time tea is a unique blend to help you unwind. It is naturally caffeine-free, 100% organically grown and ethically sourced with plastic-free tea bags.
www.t2tea.com
Description
Made from soothing lemon balm, calming lavender, jasmine blossoms and rose petals this powerful combination is the perfect sleepytime tea with a dreamy aroma and a delicately sweet taste.
Description
This organic hibiscus cinnamon tea is organic, caffeine-free and will feel like a warm hug from the inside. With warming and uplifting flavours such as cinnamon and turmeric, you will feel cosy and comforted.
www.hollandandbarrett.com
Description
This super blend sleep tea from Twinings is made up of spiced apple and vanilla flavoured herbal infusion with soothing camomile and passionflower. This tea has notes of cinnamon and tastes a little like apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
Description
This relaxing blend of lemon balm, valerian and chamomile is a blend of herbs that have calming properties. It is caffeine-free and has a citrus and sweet floral taste. This tea is made up of whole leaves, so you will need a tea strainer to use it.
Description
These tea bags are naturally caffeine-free with a combination of valerian, chamomile, passionflower, liquorice, cardamom and cinnamon. Deliciously aromatic and soothing, this is the best accompaniment to bring into bed with a book.
www.harveynichols.com
Description
Prefer a cup of hot chocolate over tea? Then this Mushroom Cacao Super Blend from DIRTEA has all the properties that improve your quality of sleep while helping to detox the liver and relieve stress. This deliciously smooth blend of organic raw Cacao and Reishi and Ashwagandha mushroom will naturally boost immunity and help you to relax.