Stress relief: think better with a cup of tea
Tea has a peculiar effect: it stimulates on the one hand and relaxes on the other. According to a new experiment conducted by Peking University in China, tea, among other things, helps More focus and perseverance. The team, led by psychologist Yi Jiang, repeatedly asked about 100 people to test to find a suitable word that would connect three other words in terms of content. One group was given black tea beforehand, while another group was offered hot water, both brewed at 42°C. In the case of challenging tasks and longer test periods, tea increased performance—but only in the group of test subjects who also liked to drink tea.
The team had an explanation: Regular tea drinkers expected the tea to be a stimulant. In addition, its effectiveness appears only when tasks require special focus and perseverance. This effect is thanks to ingredients that have a calming effect, such as the amino acid L-theanine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin (EGCG). In combination with activation, this leads to »Paradox effect“Tea has a stimulating and calming effect at the same time,” says Australian psychopharmacologist Andrew Scholey.
Tea provides a calm awakening
He and his team concluded from the brain activity of the test subjects that theanine Relaxing parts of the brainThere is no need now – and that Enhance the ability to focus. However, the test subjects drank a beverage containing 200 milligrams of L-theanine, up to eight cups of tea. under Effect of the catechins EGCG Not only did the activity of alpha waves, which are typical for a relaxed state, increase. There was also an increase in beta and theta waves, which accompany increased alertness and calm focus.
Theine (or caffeine, the same substance in coffee) alone cannot explain this Experience at University College London show up. Psychologist Andrew Steptoe and his team initially stopped 75 men from coffee and tea. Then, for six weeks, the subjects were allowed to drink either real black tea or a drink containing the same amount of tea and savor it. With a cup of tea, the test subjects recovered more quickly after stressful activities: The level of cortisol, a biomarker of stress, dropped to about 50 percent on average in just under an hour, thus much more than a placebo drink. Last but not least, the men who actually drank the tea felt more comfortable.
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