If you are an athlete, then you probably have a problem with your recovery, and even if you don’t, an easy and tasty tea can improve your muscle recovery even more. In this article, I will tell you how tea can help you as an athlete and which teas you should drink for optimal recovery, which will lead to optimal performance. Maybe tomorrow you have to go to the gym or train for a competition, but your muscles feel extremely sore and painful.
Well, you are not alone because almost all athletes are on thin ice when we talk about being overtrained and if you know anything about being overtrained, you know that it can lead to serious injury that can not only stop you from training for a few months but also can make you never train the sport you love again. You also most likely know that athletes and their coaches are always searching for a way to recover better and faster and you should too.
When we talk about recovery, all experts in this field agree on one thing, and that is sleep; they all know that the best thing you can do for your recovery is more quality sleep. But here is where I noticed the problem arises, the problem isn’t in sleep, the problem is getting there. Most people struggle with getting to sleep, and that is the reason why their athletic performance isn’t where it could be, and not because they don’t understand how important sleep is.
This is where today’s topic comes in our conversation, which is tea. Yes, I believe with great evidence that you can improve your sleep and recovery, which will improve your results in the gym and as an athlete with some types of tea.
Table of Contents
Why Bedtime Tea Matters for Athletic Recovery
During deep sleep, your body will release over 75% more growth hormone than the rest of the day when you are awake, and during sleep is when most of the muscle repair and tissue regeneration happens. This is very important for the health of every single person, but especially if you are an athlete who trains every day and may train multiple times a day if you are competing.
Research from the Journal of Sports Science discovered that athletes who are using some kind of anti-inflammatory compounds before a bad experiance 23% faster than the group that dont. This is especially exciting, knowing that certain kinds of tea that I researched and chose are quite famous for having anti-inflammatory effects.
Some tea can provide a polyphenol effect, which acts as a natural COX-2 inhibitor similar to ibuprofen, and these effects can reduce exercise induced inflammation by up to 31%.
Now this is one of the most overlooked things that can destroy your performance, but also, if you do it properly, it can help you with your performance, and that is proper Hydration. If you didn’t know, Dehydration reduces muscle protein synthesis by up to 19%, which might not seem a lot at first, but those 19% is very important for your muscle recovery. By drinking these types of tea before bed, you will make sure that you are properly hydrated.
If you want to learn more about how tea positivly effect your sleep, which will then improve your recovery, read scientific research here.
#1 – Tart Cherry Tea: Best for inflammation
Tart cherry contains the highest concentration of anthocyanins of any food, and it can deliver over 15,000 mg per 8-oz serving. Because of its high dose of anthocyanins, it is very good if you have inflammatory problems, which will help your performance drastically. Also, other positive effects of tart cherry tea are that it boosts melatonin levels and reduces soreness in the muscles.
Dosage isn’t that important because it is very healthy and natural, but keep in mind that the product that I recommend, because I find it the best on the market, comes in tea bags for around 8oz or a 236ml water cup.
#2 – Chamomile Tea: Best for sleep
Chamomile Tea is well known for reducing sleep onset and will make you fall asleep a lot faster than usual. As I said earlier, effects like this are extremely important because sleep itself is extremely important for athletes, and this way, you can maximize the amount of sleep you will get. You can be sure in these effects if you have a sleep tracker, which will show you the exact number you slept last night, so you can buy a little bit of this tea, and if you notice that the effects work for you, then you can buy more.
If you don’t have a sleep tracker or don’t know which one you should get, I recommendthat you read my article about the best sleep trackers.
You should drink chamomile around 30-45 minutes before bed and not right before you go to sleep because it takes around that time for the effects to be the strongest.
#3 – Turmeric Ginger Tea: Best overall
The curcumin in Turmeric inhibits a protein complex that triggers and increases inflammation,n which will reduce inflammatory effects after high intensity exercises by up to 41%. It could be that most of your problems with slow recovery and pain in the next workout are caused by inflammation and not overtraining. Turmeric tea not only shows great results, but it is also quite famous for its anti-inflammatory effects.
#4 – Valerian Root Tea: Best for falling asleep
Valerian root will increase your GABA levels, which will help you enter deep sleep faster and more effectively than usual. Athletes using Valerian root, especially in the tea form, experience improvement in sleep, which directly improves their physical performance. It would be best if you drink this tea around an hour before you go to bed because that is how long it usually takes for compounds to have their best effects.
#5 – Passionflower Tea: Best for relaxing muscles
The main benefits of passionflower tea are that it will relax your mind and muscles, which is extremely important for falling asleep. That is because the number one reason people can’t fall asleep is that they are too stressed out because of their problems, which will reduce the amount of sleep and especially high-quality deep sleep. Because it will calm you down, passionflower tea is also great against anxiety, which will further improve the quality of your overall sleep.
This tea by itself works pretty well, but I would still recommend taking Magnesium Glycinate with it. The mix of those two will be an absolute game-changer together, and your sleep will improve significantly. The source of magnesium glycinate that I always recommend and that I personally use is Dr.Berg MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE.
How to Choose the Right Bedtime Tea for You
Endurance Athletes
If you are an endurance athlete, for example, a runner, cyclist, or swimmer, you should prioritize tart cherry tea because it is one of the best, if not the bes,t teas for inflammation money can buy. The reason this is so important is that inflammation specifically activates when you are going through a lot of repetitive motion, which is a big part of what endurance athletes do.
Strength/explosive athletes
For weightlifters, sprinters or any type of explosive movement I would recommend turmeric ginger tea because it is the best for muscle recovery and growth. As somebody who does a lot of heavy training, your muscles will need more repair than usual because you are constantly breaking them.
Organic vs conventional
This is, unfortunately, often times a very overlooked topic, which I think is not good because I am a big fan of organic tea. Organic matters a lot, especially for the teas you drink daily, because some conventional teas show up to 47% higher pesticide residues than organic teas. The reason why this is crucial is that your liver detox burden will compete with muscle recovery, which will, in the end, mean worse results.
FAQ
When should I drink bedtime tea for the best results?
The best time to drink recovery tea is around 45-60 minutes before bed, this will allow all the benefits to peak just about when you go to sleep. Drinking it earlier reduces effectivnes and later increases chances of you waking up to go to the bathroom.
Is it safe to combine different recovery teas in one cup?
Yes it is completly safe to do so, but I would reccomend you to experiment yourself so you find what tastes the best for you. I used to go crazy sometimes with mixing different teas and only than did I realize taht I dont like the taste so dont do the same mistake that I used to do.
Can I add sweeteners to my bedtime tea?
Depends, If you want to add sweeteners the best option would be to add honey, but at all costs avoid refined sweeteners because of many problems that they create that are terible for athletes.
Can I drink bedtime tea every night?
Yes, you absolutly can drink recovery teas every night, but it’s reccomended to rotate between 2-3 different varieties every couple of weeks to insure maximum effectivnes
Can I drink bedtime tea if I’m trying to lose fat or build muscle?
Not only that you can drink teas if you are trying to achive those goals, but you definetly should. Teas that I listed will improve sleep quality, reduce cortisol levels, enhance growth hormone release and help you train better which will make you lose fat and build muscle.
Are organic teas really worth the extra cost for athletic recovery?
A huge YES organic teas are one hundred and ten procent worth a litle bit of extra cost especially considering you are going to drink them pretty often. Studies show that conventional teas have around 47% higher pesticide rate than organic versions. Your liver will have a harder time detoxing these pesticides which will make the positive effects lessened.
Conclusion
Your body recovers the best when you are sleeping so as an athlete, your number one priority should be to maximize the amount of sleep you will get by drinking one of these seven bedtime teas. These teas will help you lower stress and inflammation and maximize muscle recovery and sleep.
You should first order the tea that you like the most, and if you can use a sleep tracker to see the improvement on your sleep duration and quality, and than f you liked it you should buy more. If you follow this correctly, I am more than confident that you will notice solid improvements through the next two weeks.
As I always say, if you want to be the best you can be at your sport or hobby, you will need to optimize every aspect of recovery, and if you need more help in doing so you can read more of my content or contact me directly.
