Stress has become an inseparable part of our everyday lives and it can haunt us in many ways. There can be work-related stress, stress due to financial strains, or complications in relationships.
Each day life throws challenges in our path and we need to find a solution for every problem. So, one cannot avoid stress; it will crop up in some way or the other!
What happens when you don’t combat stress?
Stress, when not dealt with, can lead to serious repercussions. Chronic stress can affect your health adversely and lead to several health conditions.
It may cause depression, anxiety, heart ailments, digestive troubles, headaches, sleeping difficulties, and weight gain. It can be lead to memory and concentration issues.
Therefore, it is important to relieve your stress, or else it can negatively affect your health and life.
So, to fight the unwanted stress, you need to find a way to get relief from it. Most people seek refuge in alcohol and medicines while others turn towards overeating.
These practices are not healthy and can only deteriorate your health further.
And, the best thing you should be doing to calm down your stress naturally is by drinking green tea! Yes, green tea does help with stress relief.
Is green tea good for stress?
The stress-relieving properties of green tea are quite beneficial for those who live with constant stress. Green tea contains polyphenols EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate); a compound that is helpful in making one feel calmer.
The tea helps in lowering the stress hormone cortisoland is good for the upkeep of one’s mental health.
It also helps in improving memory and focus along with fighting stress and depression.
According to a study conducted by scientists in Japan, drinking green tea can bring down psychological stress by as much as 20% and that is a significant figure!
The study involved 42,093 Japanese people out of whom 6.6% had stress. Those individuals were able to see an improvement in their psychological well-being.
L-theanine is another compound present in green tea which is an amino acid. It is soothing and helps in calming down an individual.
It reduces the body’s response to stress and improves the mood.
Researchers believe that it is due to these properties of L-theanine that green tea works well as a stress-buster.
The compound stimulates the production of alpha waves in the brain and that happens only when a person is in a relaxed or in a meditative state.
With alpha wave production, you will live in the present and it can be called the brain’s resting state. The levels of brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine also get altered with theanine and that affects an individual’s mood.
In addition, caffeine in green tea makes one feel calm. This is because of the combined effects of caffeine and L-theanine. Together they give you an alert calmness or rather put you in a meditative state.
In fact, people consume the amino acid L-theanine as a supplement to reduce stress. Studies in the preliminary stage indicate that theanine can calm down the response of the body to stress.
Also, to really enjoy the relaxing benefits of the compounds in green tea, you must go in for better quality teas especially that of Japan.
Matcha is definitely what will give you good results when you are looking for stress relief. It has more amount of L-theanine in it when compared to regular green tea because of the way it is processed.
In addition to help deal with stress, drinking a minimum of half a cup of green tea helps in reducing the risk of depression and dementia.
The Matcha connection
As already said, you need to drink green tea that is of higher/premium quality. And, nothing can be better than Japan’s matcha tea!
Beyond doubt, matcha has a lot of L-theanine in it as it is grown differently from regular green tea.
Also, there is more theanine in matcha when compared to regular green tea and it is of higher quality.
We all need a good stress-buster in these frantic times and there can be nothing better than a cup of warm matcha. It can become your comfort beverage.
To prepare matcha, you need to sift 1-2 teaspoons of matcha powder in a tea bowl and add hot water. It is best to whisk it with the help of a traditional bamboo whisk till it turns out to be nice and frothy.
Alternatively, you can make it in a cup.
- Simply heat filtered water.
- To a teaspoon of the matcha powder, add some drops of hot water and make a paste with the help of a spoon.
- Adding more hot water to the paste, keep stirring it. See if it suits your taste preferences.