Can You Drink Too Much Tea?
Why does tea make me nauseous? The organic compound tannin is the essence of wine. Tea leaves include tannins, which connect to our bodies’ internal reactions. The Caffeine present in the tea leaves gets active when you brew tea.
If you immediately drink tea after eating, the tannins you take in will impact protein absorption in your stomach, which might lead to digestive problems. Finally, you experience nausea and sickness.
How Much Tea is Too Much?
Tea seems to have countless benefits. It is famous for extending life and providing additional advantages such as weight loss, support for the brain, and increased metabolism. But as you’ve probably heard, there may be harm in having too much of a good thing. Even with a healthy beverage like tea, this is true.
Less than three cups of tea daily can have several positive health effects. But drinking too much tea, defined as more than 3–4 cups daily, has several adverse side effects.
Why Does Tea Make Me Nauseous?
Let’s look at some science behind why drinking tea could make you nauseous.
You might be sipping tea empty-handed. Caffeine and tannins have more unpleasant effects when consumed on an empty stomach. To go with the tea, you can munch on something little, like a cracker or some bread. Additionally, milk will bond to the tannins in your tea and prevent nausea.
Due to their essential oils, some herbal teas may also be more prone to make you sick. These oils have the potential to irritate the digestive tract and induce cramps. Particularly peppermint oil is well-recognized for aggravating the stomach.
Ironically, mild peppermint tea or inhaling the essential oil can frequently alleviate motion sickness. Additionally, chamomile tea and ginger tea might reduce nausea.
It’s important to remember that hot drinks are more likely to make you feel queasy than cold ones. This is because hot liquids induce the stomach to release acids and loosen the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
A muscle called the LES divides the esophagus from the stomach. It can cause nausea when it relaxes because stomach contents can flow back into the esophagus more easily.
Is Too Much Tea Bad for You?
How much tea is too much? It is well-known that alcoholic beverages like wine can make people intoxicated. Unknown to some, excessive tea consumption can have the same impact, with effects akin to excessive alcohol use.
Persistent ringing in the ears and bloating or nausea from drinking tea on an empty stomach are two of the most popular side effects of excessive tea consumption. This article aims to reduce the likelihood that tea will have these negative consequences.
There are numerous ways that tea might produce symptoms that are akin to intoxication or illness:
Tea, especially stronger versions, might make you nauseous when you consume it on an empty stomach.
Tea can make stomach or digestive issues like ulcers or acid reflux worse.
People who drink teas with higher oxidation levels may notice these effects more strongly when they transition to teas with much lower oxidation levels, such as green or white teas.
Freshly selected tea leaves might intensify these effects, and you might be more sensitive to them if you don’t drink tea frequently. No matter what, if you drink a huge amount of tea in a short time, you can perhaps get “tea drunk.”
Does Tea Cause Gastric Problems?
The advantages of black tea outweigh any potential negative consequences. However, you may experience black tea nausea and stomach issues. Black tea may worsen your symptoms, whereas herbal tea may help with diarrhea and upset stomach.
It contains Caffeine and tannins, two organic compounds that may result in digestive issues like nausea or an upset stomach. Enjoying black tea is important, but moderation is also important. The only substances likely to cause negative side effects are Caffeine and tannins in high doses.
Both green and black tea begins with the same plant-based compounds known as flavonoids because they are both from the Camellia sinensis plant. To make green tea, there’s steaming the leaves and drying them. They ferment to create black tea.
The flavonoids alter as the fermenting process continues. Because of this, black tea has different flavonoids than green tea. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, the black tea flavonoids thearubigins and theaflavins may also have health benefits, like reducing your risk of a heart attack.
Caffeine may be to blame if you have stomach pain after drinking tea. Numerous issues with the digestive system might be because of caffeine. It increases the acid in your stomach, which may cause heartburn or an upset stomach.
Can tea cause bloating? Black tea also has a diuretic effect, so you generally won’t experience bloating problems from drinking it. As a result, you may experience dehydration since you lose more fluids through urine.
Caffeine activates the muscles that move waste through your digestive tract when you consume it. This may cause diarrhea even though it can relieve constipation. Caffeine can also worsen gastrointestinal problems like irritable bowel syndrome.
The Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Tea
Tea is often one of the most popular beverages in the world. Green, black, and oolong are the three types of tea that are popular, and they are all from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.
Drinking a hot cup of tea is both gratifying and comforting, but the benefits of this beverage are not limited to those two aspects alone.
Since ancient times, people continue to discover the health benefits of tea and employ it as an ingredient in traditional medicines. In addition, recent studies show that plant components in tea may help reduce your chance of developing chronic illnesses such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Can you drink too much tea? Even though drinking tea in moderation is a fairly healthy decision for most individuals, drinking more than three to four cups each day could adversely affect your body.
Here are the potential adverse consequences of consuming an excessive amount of tea.
Decreased Capacity for Iron Absorption
Tannins are a chemical that you can find in high concentrations in tea. Tannins can prevent iron absorption from the digestive tract by binding to it in specific foods, making the iron in such foods inaccessible.
Consuming excessive tea may worsen your iron deficit if you already have low mineral levels.
The tannins in tea are likely to interfere with the body’s ability to absorb iron from plant nutrients than from animal foods. Therefore, if you adhere to a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, you may want to pay close attention to the amount of tea you take daily.
The tannin content in tea can differ quite a bit from one type of tea to the next, depending on how you make the tea. Reducing your daily consumption to three cups or less is probably within a healthy range for most people.
If you have low iron levels but still love drinking tea, you might consider sipping a cup between meals as an additional safety measure. Doing this will reduce the likelihood that it will damage your body’s ability to absorb iron from the food you eat when you are eating meals.
An Increase in Feelings of Unease, Stress, and Irritability
You can find Caffeine in its natural state in tea leaves. If you take Caffeine in excessive amounts, whether from tea or any other source, it increases the risk of experiencing emotions of anxiety, restlessness, and tension.
A standard cup of tea contains anywhere from 0.00038 to 0.00215 ounces (11 to 61 milligrams) of Caffeine, depending on the type of tea. If you let your tea steep longer, you will get a beverage with a larger Caffeine level. On average, black tea has more Caffeine than green and white tea.
According to research, amounts of Caffeine that are less than 0.0070 ounces (200 milligrams) per day do not produce substantial anxiety in most people. However, some people are more prone to the effects of Caffeine than others, and these individuals might require additional moderation in their use.
If you drink tea and notice that it makes you feel jittery or nervous, this may indicate that you take too much of it, and you may want to cut back to lessen the severity of the symptoms.
You could also think about drinking herbal tea that doesn’t contain Caffeine. Because they are not products of the Camellia sinensis plant, herbal tea is not technically “real” tea. Instead, it’s a product of a wide range of Caffeine-free components, including fruits, flowers, and herbs, among other things.
Poor Sleep
Since tea naturally includes Caffeine, drinking too much black tea can cause problems with your sleep pattern.
Melatonin is a hormone that commands your brain to sleep when it’s present. There is evidence from certain studies that Caffeine may prevent the generation of melatonin, which can lead to poor quality sleep.
Insufficiency in sleep relates to many mental health problems, including weariness, problems with memory, and a shorter attention span. In addition, research shows that chronic lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity and poor regulation of blood sugar levels.
Caffeine metabolizes at varying rates in various people, making it difficult to anticipate how exactly it will affect the sleeping patterns of each individual.
While some research suggests that a detrimental impact can affect sleep quality by consuming as little as 0.0070 ounces (200 milligrams) of Caffeine six or more hours before going to bed, other research suggests that there is no link between the two.
Suppose you routinely drink caffeinated tea and have symptoms relating to poor sleep quality. In that case, you may want to reduce the amount of Caffeine you take in, particularly if you also consume other beverages or supplements, including Caffeine.
Nausea
Taking black tea on an empty stomach can induce nausea, particularly when you take it excessively.
Tannins are tea leaf components responsible for the astringent and dry flavor of the tea. Due to their astringent nature, Tannins can irritate the digestive tract tissue, resulting in various bad sensations such as nausea or abdominal pain.
Different amounts of tea may be necessary for other people to achieve the same result.
People who are more susceptible to the effects of Caffeine may suffer these symptoms after drinking as little as 1 to 2 cups (240 to 480 ml) of tea. In contrast, other people may be able to consume more than 5 cups (1.2 liters) of tea without experiencing any negative side effects.
If you have a cup of tea and notice any of these symptoms after that, cut back on the overall amount of tea you consume at any one sitting.
You can also like your tea with a dash of milk or some food on the side. Other options include: Tannins can bind to the proteins and carbohydrates in the food, which can help reduce inflammation in the digestive tract.
Acid Indigestion
Caffeine, which is present in tea, causes heartburn and can make symptoms of acid reflux worse.
According to some research, coffee may be able to relax the sphincter that separates the esophagus and the stomach, making it easier for the contents of the stomach, which are acidic, to flow into the esophagus. Read our article and find out Why Does Coffee Make Me Nauseous?
There is evidence that Caffeine is responsible for an increase in the production of stomach acid overall. There is no denying that ingesting tea might not always result in heartburn. When exposed to the same meals, various people have different reactions.
If you regularly drink a significant amount of tea and are prone to experiencing heartburn, it may be wise to cut back on your consumption and see whether or not your symptoms improve.
Pregnancy Complications
During pregnancy, consuming liquids with high levels of Caffeine, such as tea, may put you at risk for certain issues, including miscarriage and a premature baby with low birth weight.
There is no consistency in the research about the risks of Caffeine consumption during pregnancy, and it is still unknown how much is safe. If, on the other hand, you limit your daily Caffeine use to between 0.0070 and 0.0105 ounces (200 and 300 milligrams), the majority of studies suggest that your risk of developing issues will stay reasonably low.
Despite this, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises women not to take more than 0.0070 ounces (200 milligrams) of progesterone daily.
Tea’s overall Caffeine concentration might range from 0.00070 to 0.0021 ounce (20 to 60 milligrams) per cup, but it’s often in that range. Therefore, it is better not to consume more than roughly three cups daily.
To reduce or eliminate their consumption of Caffeine while pregnant, some individuals switch from normal tea to Caffeine-free herbal teas. On the other hand, while some herbal teas may be safe during pregnancy, avoid some of them. For instance, herbal teas that contain black cohosh or licorice can potentially bring on labor too soon.
If you are pregnant and wonder how much Caffeine or herbal tea you take, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible.
Headaches
Caffeine consumption on an as-need basis helps alleviate certain forms of headaches. On the other hand, using it frequently may have the opposite effect. Drinking tea regularly may be one factor that brings on headaches on a more frequent basis.
Some studies show that as little as 0.0035 ounces (100 mg) of Caffeine per day could contribute to daily headache recurrence. However, the amount that can induce a headache can vary widely depending on an individual’s tolerance to Caffeine.
Tea typically has a lesser concentration of Caffeine than other common types of caffeinated beverages, such as soda or coffee. However, certain types of tea can still contain as much as 0.0021 ounces (60 mg) of Caffeine in a single cup (240 ml).
If you have recurrent headaches and believe they result from the amount of tea you drink, you should try reducing or eliminating this beverage from your diet for a while to see if your symptoms improve. If you think your headaches relate to your tea intake, try reducing or eliminating this beverage from your diet.
Dizziness
It is possible that consuming an excessive amount of Caffeine from tea could be the cause of less common side effects such as feeling light-headed or dizzy.
This symptom is often from taking excessive amounts of Caffeine, typically more than 0.014 to 0.017 ounces (400 to 500 milligrams), equivalent to around 6 to12 cups (1.4 to 2.8 liters) worth of tea. On the other hand, more sensitive persons can experience it even at lower doses.
Consuming that much tea in a single session is not advisable. If you find that drinking tea frequently causes you to feel light-headed, try switching to a variety with less Caffeine or speaking with a doctor about your options.
Caffeine Dependency
Caffeine is a major stimulant that can lead to dependence if you consume it consistently, whether the Caffeine comes from tea or another source. Some potential symptoms of Caffeine withdrawal are headaches, irritability, elevated heart rate, and weariness.
The minimum amount of time spent exposed to something before a person can become dependent on it might vary greatly from person to person. Nevertheless, there is evidence from certain studies that suggest it could begin after as few as three days of consecutive consumption, with the severity growing with time.
The Ingredient in Tea That Causes Nausea
Like wine, tea contains tannin, and drinking it, especially on an empty stomach, can make you feel queasy.
Tannin, a naturally occurring component in tea most potent in black tea, destroys microorganisms and gives the tea its bitter flavor. Therefore, the tannin from the tea leaves will brew into the beverage if any variety of tea steeps for more than two minutes. More tannin will be present in stronger tea.
Tea should brew at a lower heat for a shorter time if you like less tannin to prevent nausea.
Our Tips for Avoiding Tea Nausea
You should brew tea at a lower heat for a shorter time if you like less tannin to prevent nausea.
You might also try putting milk in your tea; milk binds the tannin and lessens its ability to make you feel nauseated. The most crucial thing is to eat something ahead if you intend to drink tea to ensure that your stomach is not empty. Alternatively, take your tea with biscuits as the British do.
We have some tips to help you feel better if you try to drink tea but cannot stop feeling nauseated.
- For immediate relief, consume some bread or other carbs, such as rice.
- Consume or ingest ginger. Nausea can stop if you chew a portion of the root without swallowing it.
- Sip water mixed with baking soda. Add a half teaspoon to a cup of water and stir.
Final Verdict
There are numerous varieties of tea, and each one can uniquely affect the body. There are several things to consider if anxiety follows your nausea. Since they include chemicals that can aid in body relaxation, some teas, including green tea, are beneficial for anxiety.
However, due to the Caffeine they contain, some teas, such as black tea, may exacerbate anxiety. Before doing anything new, it’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor or another healthcare professional if you’re unsure which type of tea is best for you.