Green Tea Caffeine Content

Green Tea and Sleep

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Having been holidaying with the writer, poet and self –proclaimed green tea expert Anthony Anaxagorou for a few days, I have been lectured on the varieties and benefits of green tea drinking. From Japanese Sencha to Imperial Green Chinese I will be a green tea connoisseur before long. I must say, I was enjoying every cup, that was until last night at 1am when we ended putting the world to rights with a cup of Chinese Oolong green tea. Little did I know this potent leafy number has 40mg of caffeine per 250ml. For reference, coffee has an average of 80mg per 250ml and normal tea 50mg per 250ml. 

As you know I always tell people who have trouble nodding off to steer clear of caffeine where possible; if you must have a tea or coffee then drink it in the morning, and if you are a serial bad sleeper then don’t get involved at all.  

Anyway, back to the story. I wasn’t aware of green tea caffeine content until it was 3am and I felt like I could go for a run and stay up for the next 24 hours straight. As I tiredly arrived at the gym this morning looking somewhat rough, my good friend apologised and had a good chuckle at my expense - he found it rather amusing that this good sleep hygiene advisor had been duped by a seemingly harmless and healthy tea.  

FACT: Standard green tea has 20mg of caffeine per 250ml - I always thought it was much less. Don’t be fooled by its colour or its health properties, green tea and sleep just don’t mix. 

Green tea will keep you tossing and turning until the wee hours if you are sensitive to caffeine, not to mention it might well have you up to the loo a few times due to its organ cleansing properties.  

Green Tea is certainly revitalising, cleansing, brain stimulating and does generally contain less caffeine than standard tea or coffee, yet I certainly don’t advise you treat it like herbal tea and start sipping prior to bedtime, I may have lost some valuable sleep but I have learnt a hell of a lot about the green stuff. 

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