Tea vs. Coffee: should you start your day with tea or coffee? That’s the main question. In fact, the tea vs. coffee debate is a raging one. You will find people who swear by tea and curse at coffee, and those who champion coffee and despise tea.
After reading the science, I decided to choose tea over coffee. Here is why and here’s how things turned out for me.
1. Tea vs. Coffee in the Morning
Coffee used to be my super-fuel for the morning….but not anymore.
I am not going to lie to you, a cup of black coffee gave me a ton of early morning energy!
It gave me the boost I need to kick start my day and do what I love to do; which is to write! In fact, I used my morning cup of Joe to complete the 90,000 words in 90 days challenge. In a nutshell, I challenged myself to write a post a day (1000 words) for 90 consecutive days on topics within the area of self-improvement and personal development. So coffee-lovers, don’t get me wrong. I really appreciate coffee.
However…
I began to notice that my energy levels would plummet after a few hours, and it would get worse after eating lunch. It wasn’t a good feeling. But, I persisted. I found a way to be productive despite my low energy. I practically used my will-power to push through each and every day. But, that can become exhausting…And I did become exhausted. The work was began to feel less enjoyable, and so I started searching for alternatives.
After weeks of contemplation (and reading more about tea vs. coffee), I finally decided to give up my morning cup of coffee and replace it with a cup of green tea. And I wanted to do this because I wanted to avoid the caffeine crash we all despise so much.
2. Tea vs. Coffee: What Does the Science Say?
There is a ton of research on the effects of caffeine on concentration, mood and memory and even mortality. This subject has been studied extensively and there’s a lot that we can learn from to make an informed decision.
Let’s delve into the effects of caffeine on the body’s stress levels and how it can affect our perfomance and productivity.
When we get up in the morning, our cortisol (stress) levels are naturally high, and those levels continue to increase in the first 20 – 30 minutes after waking. The increased cortisol in our system, also known as the “cortisol awakening response,” enables us to start moving about and into the rhythm of the day. This is our early morning starting point.
From there, our cortisol levels gradually decrease with a more pointed dip in the early to middle afternoon. At night, our cortisol levels drop to their lowest until we are ready to go to bed. This is the natural diurnal rhythm for healthy adults.
3. Why Tea Can Be Better Than Coffee
Well, since we now know that our cortisol levels are sufficiently high in the morning, it doesn’t make sense (to me, at least recently) to consume an artificial energy booster as strong as coffee. In fact, drinking a beverage with a high concentration of caffeine (especially on an empty stomach) will fire up your adrenaline gland.
Going up that high (in addition to the naturally high cortisol that is already in your system) is a recipe for disaster. We will inevitably crash and burn. In my opinion, no one needs that much adrenaline in their system first thing in the morning. It’s unnecessary. Yes, it will make us feel great, but the “high” won’t last long. Two or three hours later, and we are so darn tired that we want to go to bed and take a nap.
Some might argue that we can combat the crash by drinking another cup of coffee. Yes, that might help, but there’s the risk of drinking it a little too late in the afternoon, and if you don’t time your cup of coffee correctly, caffeine will interfere with your sleep and with you productivity the next day! It is silly to work on your goals too hard one day and then skip a day or two because of tiredness and lack of sleep.
4. I Choose Tea Over Coffee
Green tea has a moderate amount of caffeine (about 30 – 45 mg of caffeine). That’s enough to give you a gentle caffeine boost to elevate our mood and get us moving. Green tea also contains Theanine. According to research, theanine can further improve focus and concentration and allow us to get into the zone.
I experienced magical results from switching over to green tea. I feel alert, happy, confident, and social. People now tell me that I am more easy going. And I can understand why. Coffee makes me anxious. It stifles me up. I didn’t realize how powerful coffee was until I switched over to tea. I am so happy I can now do without coffee.
Also, when I switched over to tea, I found that I was able to work for much longer (and work more efficiently) than when I drank more coffee. In fact, my productivity went through the roof, and I have written so many posts on this blog since I have switched to tea. (If you want to start a blog, check out my personal blog guide.)
What’s even better about choosing tea over coffee is that once the effects of caffeine start wearing off, I make myself a second cup of tea — without getting the jitters I would get with a second cup of coffee. I personally have my second cup of tea after lunch and it does wonders for me.
5. Drinking Green Tea Before Bed
Another great benefit to drinking tea instead of coffee is the rest you will get when you get to sleep. Caffeine takes 6 – 8 hours to leave your system. So if you drink multiple cups of coffee, you will throw off your sleeping pattern and you will have a hard time going to bed, and a harder time getting up in the morning.
If you drink tea in the morning, you won’t have a hard time falling asleep at night. That’s because the amount of caffeine in tea is a lot less than that of coffee.
But in addition to this, you can drink herbal tea before bed for better sleeping. It will clam your nerves and relax you and help you feel refreshed in the morning.
So when it comes to tea vs. coffee, I choose tea. As for you, if you are about to make a cup of coffee, then think twice; first about your productivity levels and second about your sleep.