Bedtime tea, and the morning headache behind it
What to drink at nine, and the two catches that matter more than the tea itself.
A question came in; the practice is that it gets answered in the open. What's a good bedtime tea, especially for someone who wakes with headaches?
The tea: chamomile or lemon balm, a mug around nine. Passionflower, lavender, valerian also fine. Evidence modest for all; the ritual does half the work.
Two catches matter more.
One: check the label for licorice root. It hides in many sleepy blends, and taken nightly it can raise blood pressure. Morning headaches are one way high BP introduces itself.
Two: if morning headaches are a regular pattern, tea isn't the suspect. Usual drivers: sleep quality (snoring, pauses, dry mouth), jaw clenching, caffeine withdrawal (the headache coffee erases), dehydration, alcohol.
Self-test, two weeks: same bedtime; caffeine done early; chamomile or lemon balm at nine, no licorice; water earlier in the evening. If mornings don't shift, that's data for a doctor. A blood-pressure reading is the cheapest first move.
Want yours answered plainly? Write to julian@plainanswers.ca. One question, an answer back, no charge for the first one.