British people love to drink tea. It is said that 16.5 million cups of tea are consumed daily in Great Britain, followed by coffee which is 9.5 million cups per day.
Sometimes we prefer one over the other, wondering which is healthier, or which will keep us more relaxed or alert, or which may have fewer side effects. But aside from personal likes or dislikes, there are some real reasons to choose between coffee and tea.
Stay awake!
The amount of caffeine in tea and coffee varies, and the amount depends on how strong the tea or coffee is in the cup, the type, or how it’s brewed. However, coffee usually has more caffeine than a cup of tea. Based on common sense assumptions that caffeine makes us more alert, coffee is preferred to keep us awake. But some researches say that the matter is not so simple.
A cup of low-dose coffee usually contains enough caffeine (40 to 300 mg) to increase our ability to stay awake, alert, or react quickly, but it also affects our memory, comparisons, and judgment. The effects on performance are not uniform.
There is evidence that if a cup of tea is drunk regularly, the amino acid called ‘L-theanine’ in it, combined with caffeine, has a greater effect on our body. Research has found that ‘L-theanine interacts with caffeine to increase the ability to focus and ignore distractions.’ So if you’re feeling more positive effects of waking up with a cup of tea, you’re right!
But what might be the price you pay for being so hyper-conscious or vigilant?
Half of the caffeine you drink will still be in your body after five to six hours, and a quarter of that caffeine will be in your body after ten or twelve hours, says sleep research scientist Matt Walker. This means that you may have trouble falling asleep or staying up late.
‘Some people tell me they drink an espresso with dinner and sleep soundly,’ says Matt Walker.
However, Walker adds that caffeine can disrupt your healthy deep sleep and result in ‘waking up too early the next morning and not feeling refreshed.’
According to one study, ‘a cup of tea produces just as much alertness as a cup of coffee despite having less caffeine, but it’s still likely to affect your normal mood. Sleep was disturbed.’
In either case, you’d be better advised to limit the amount of caffeinated tea or coffee you drink (especially hot drinks that are high in stimulants) before bed at night.
A cup of soothing tea
Some people prefer to drink a warm drink instead of listening to a gentle hum to keep themselves calm.
Professor Andrew Steptoe, from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of London, says that according to a study, drinking black tea can ‘quickly help reduce the stress of the day’s work’. ‘ However, he adds, ‘we don’t know what components of tea are responsible for stress relief and relaxation.’
Little research has been done on how coffee affects depression, but some research suggests that caffeine intake is associated with higher levels of anxiety.
According to the British National Health Service, the NHS, ‘drinking too much coffee can make you feel anxious.’ So when you are looking for a hot drink for comfort, it would be better for you to drink caffeine-free i.e. decaffeinated coffee.
How many stains do you get on your teeth?
Evidence shows that tea stains teeth more than coffee. However, both tea and coffee cause stains on the teeth. Dental hygienist Anna Middleton recommends the following steps to remove these stains:
- Add milk or a non-dairy alternative to your tea or coffee.
- Rinse with water or fluoride mouthwash after drinking tea or coffee.
- Use a straw when you are drinking iced coffee or tea.
- Use an electric toothbrush: The more times the brush brushes your teeth per minute, the more it will remove germs and stains from the teeth.
- Clean between the teeth with special interdental brushes or floss to remove germs and stains.
- Use sugar-free chewing gum and sweets to increase the production of saliva in the mouth, which acts as a natural preservative in the mouth. Use various products containing ‘Xylitol’ to further protect teeth while they are weakening.
- •See a specialist for good dental cleaning and care.
What is more good for your health?
According to the NHS, tea and coffee are fine to drink as part of a balanced diet. However, some research suggests that caffeinated beverages lead to increased urination, which can lead to dehydration.
Dietitian Sophie Madeleine says both tea and coffee contain polyphenols, which are ‘plant compounds’ that are good for our health. While coffee has more polyphenols than tea according to one study, they are not exactly the same type.
Both drinks are linked to several health benefits, including lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes. But according to the NHS, drinking more than four cups a day can raise your blood pressure.
Some people may be sensitive to caffeine, and if tea or coffee causes side effects such as digestive problems, anxiety or poor sleep, you may prefer tea over coffee or use decaffeinated (decaffeinated) beverages.
If you want to cut back on caffeine, it’s best to make the change slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms. The severity of symptoms usually increases with how much caffeine you’ve been drinking. You might expect coffee drinkers to have worse symptoms than tea drinkers because of the high caffeine content, but it depends on how many cups you’ve been drinking.
According to the NHS, pregnant women should ‘limit caffeinated beverages’, and caffeine is not suitable for infants and young children.