Get a Better Night’s Sleep: 5 of the Best Sleep Teas
Having difficulty sleeping? Below, you will discover five sleep teas that actually work. Try drinking one of these amazing sleep teas before bed to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
I never thought I would be a tea person. I am a huge coffee lover. If I had it my way, coffee would be my morning, afternoon, and evening beverage of choice.
Unfortunately, as someone who’s struggled with insomnia, anxiety, adrenal issues, and thyroid problems – I’ve had to cut back drastically on my caffeine consumption.
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I started having sleep problems when I was 12 years old. Those sleep issues have only gotten worse as an adult, and caffeine only seems to exacerbate the problem.
I was highly dependent on over-the-counter sleep aids as a teenager. As I got older, I opted for a more natural approach and started taking melatonin, but I soon became dependent on that as well.
I recently discovered the root cause of my sleep issues has to do with nervous system dysregulation, but that’s another post for another day.
Drinking tea specifically labeled for sleep an hour or so before bed has improved my sleep quality tremendously – along with some other methods, which you can read about here.
The Importance of Sleep
Sleep is absolutely vital to our quality of life. Giving our bodies the rest they need is so important.
But unfortunately, sleep problems are a major issue for many people.
I was doing some research the other day, and I read that over 50 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, and over 9 million take prescription sleep drugs.
If you don’t have any sleep issues, be very grateful that you don’t. Sleep problems can really take a toll on your overall quality of life.
Consistent good sleep can boost your mood, improve your focus, help you lose weight, and it can also help prevent heart disease and stroke.
And if you are struggling with chronic illness or an autoimmune disease, good sleep is even more critical.
Sleep helps the body conserve energy and strengthens the immune system.
If you have sleep issues, herbal sleep teas can help you get the sleep you need and also help you reap all the amazing benefits of a good night’s sleep.
The sleep teas I’m about to share with you also work great to relieve stress and reduce anxiety. The ingredients in these teas promote calmness and relaxation.
Sipping on one of these teas after a long day is a great way to unwind and a great addition to your nighttime routine.
Does Sleep Tea Actually Work?
Some sleep teas work and some do not work. It all depends on the ingredients used and the quality of the ingredients used.
The best sleep teas should contain medicinal herbs like passionflower, valerian, chamomile, and lavender.
These herbs have been proven to promote rest and relaxation. You can check out the studies below to learn more.
- Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study
- Valerian for Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Effect of a medicinal plant (Passiflora incarnata L) on sleep
- Lavender and the Nervous System
Whether or not a sleep tea works also depends on the reason you can’t sleep in the first place. Sleep teas help you sleep by relaxing the body, reducing stress, and alleviating anxiety.
If you can’t sleep because you drank too many cups of coffee throughout the day, the sleep tea may not be powerful enough to help you sleep.
Sleep tea is a gentle, safe, and effective way to help you fall asleep and stay asleep, but it is not a powerful sedative. There are definitely situations where sleep tea may not be enough to help you sleep.
Where to Buy Herbal Tea for Sleep
You can usually find herbal tea for sleep in most grocery stores. I prefer to purchase sleep tea online most of the time because they are typically less expensive.
My favorite places to buy sleep tea are Amazon, iHerb, Vitacost, and Thrivemarket.
Amazon’s prices aren’t always the best, but if you have Amazon Prime, you can get free 2-day shipping. If you are not an Amazon Prime member, you can click here for a free trial.
I love iHerb. They have amazing prices and offer free shipping on orders over $30. Also, you can use the code CAN1533 to get 5% off of your order.
Vitacost is another great place to buy sleep tea, as well as other health and wellness products. They have awesome prices and almost always have amazing sales going on.
Thrive Market is one of my favorite places to shop online, period! They are an online grocery store that sells natural and organic foods and beverages. They also sell natural and organic cleaning products, hygiene products, make-up products, and more!
They typically have the lowest price for my favorite sleep teas. You can read my full Thrive Market review to learn more about them.
Which Tea is Best for Sleep?
I’ve tried many different kinds of sleep teas, and the five listed below are my absolute favorites. They are my favorites, not based on taste (because, honestly, none of them taste all that great) or on price but on effectiveness and quality.
I used to really like Celestial Seasonings sleepy-time teas until I discovered a report on Celestial Seasonings and its parent company, Hain Celestial, that found 91 percent of the samples of Celestial Seasonings tea tested contained pesticides in levels that exceeded U.S. federal limits.
You can view the report here.
I also used to drink Yogi teas but don’t as often now because of their use of “natural flavoring.” I like to know exactly what I am putting in my body and something about “natural flavoring” just doesn’t sound natural to me.
So, I’ve decided to stick with companies that are a little more transparent about what exactly is in their products.
The Best Herbal Teas for Sleep
All the sleep teas on this list are organic and will help you get a great night’s sleep.
1 | Alvita Organic Passionflower Tea
I’ll be completely honest: in my opinion, this is not the best-tasting tea, but it’s extremely effective in helping me fall asleep.
The only ingredient is organic passionflower. Passionflower not only helps with sleep but also has many additional benefits.
It is typically between $5 and $8 for a 24-count box. I usually purchase this on Amazon because I can never find it in any of the stores near me.
2 | Traditional Medicinals Organic Nighty Night Tea
I’m a huge fan of Traditional Medicinals Tea. Traditional Medicinals use pharmacopoeial quality herbs, which deliver much more substantial health benefits than food-grade herbs.
This is a very high standard for the plants’ quality, purity, strength, identity, and composition. All of their teas are also non-GMO project verified.
The main ingredients in their Nighty Night tea are passionflower, chamomile, and linden flowers. It is usually between $5 and $7 for a 16-count box.
I can usually find this tea at one of the grocery stores near me, but it’s also available on Amazon and at many other health food stores.
Buy on Amazon / Buy on iHerb / Buy on ThriveMarket / Buy on Vitacost
3 | Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile With Lavender Herbal Tea
This is another amazing tea from Traditional Medicinals. I think they’re an amazing brand. I also love lavender, so I’m slightly biased regarding this tea.
This tea contains organic chamomile flowers, organic English lavender flowers, and organic lemon balm leaves.
The lavender is grown in Bulgaria, and the chamomile is grown in Egypt by fair trade certified farmers. A 16-count box is usually between $5 and $7.
Buy on Amazon / Buy on iHerb / Buy on Vitacost
4 | Organic India Tulsi Wellness Sleep Tea
This is another great tea from another great company. The ingredients in this tea are 100% organic.
It contains an organic tulsi (holy basil) blend that includes Krishna tulsi, Vana tulsi, cardamom, chamomile, peppermint, dwarf morning glory, ashwagandha, Gotu kola, and stevia.
Tulsi – the main ingredient is a powerful adaptogen that helps your body resist stress.
For some people, it energizes them, so try this tea on a night when you can risk going to bed late just in case you are one of those people.
Personally, it helps me sleep great.
Buy on Amazon / Buy on iHerb / Buy on ThriveMarket / Buy on Vitacost
5 | Lifestyle Awareness Tea’s Serene Slumber Tea
This tea is completely organic. The ingredients are Avena (oat grass), rose petals, chamomile flower, hawthorn berry, lemon peel, skullcap leaf, catnip leaf, and lavender flower.
You can usually find this one between $4 and $6 for a 20-count box. You can usually find it on Amazon for pretty cheap. I have also seen it at TJ Maxx from time to time.
Does Sleep Tea Have Melatonin in it?
Some sleep teas contain melatonin. I prefer my sleep teas to be melatonin-free. However, the sleep teas below contain melatonin, and all have pretty good reviews on Amazon.
But keep in mind, I have not personally tried any bedtime teas that contain melatonin.
Tips for Drinking Sleep Tea
I usually drink one to two cups of one of my favorite sleep teas about an hour before bed.
I also switch it up every few nights with a different tea. It feels like my body starts to build a tolerance over time, and the tea is not as effective.
So I will drink one for a few days and then drink another for a few days, and so on.
I am not a doctor, and these are not miracle teas. To get the best effect from drinking sleep tea, you must care for your mind, body, and soul the best you can.
To maximize the benefits of these teas, try implementing some, if not all, of the tips I’ve suggested here.
In the comment section below, let me know which sleep tea is your favorite!
So, do I have to buy All of these teas?
No, you don’t have to buy them all. Just buy one and see how it works for you.