Tim Ferris is the uncrowned king of the podcast world. Widely known as the Opera of the podcast industry, Tim Ferris has been ranked # 1 across all of iTunes. According to Mashable, his Twitter account has been selected as one of the 5 Must Follow Twitter Accounts for Entrepreneurs.
Among the books he’s written, five of his books have been ranked #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers.
His podcast ranges from entrepreneurship, success stories to health, fitness and nutrition tips for anyone and everyone. Having been an insomniac for a major part of his life, Ferris mentions a variety of products in his podcasts and his book for better sleep.
Be it the ChiliPad that keeps you cool through the night, sleeping aids like ear plugs and sleep masks or Yogi BedTime Tea to lighten you up, these products being extremely different in kind and lying on completely different ends of the price continuum, improve sleep quality in their own specific ways.
In his famous podcast, 5 Tools I Use for Faster and better sleep, he narrates how he got to try the Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea once when his girlfriend was out and he wanted to try some decaffeinated beverage. After letting it brew for 5 minutes, Ferris sipped the magical tea and ended up feeling like Leonardo Dicaprio from the payphone scene in the Wolf of Wall Street.
Ever since, Ferris has been a huge fan of this tea when it comes to ending one’s day and winding down for a restorative sleep. But what is it about this tea that works wonders on you? Let’s find out.
Benefits of Chamomile Tea – Recommended by Tim Ferriss
Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea is the perfect combination of caramel and vanilla flavors, sweet Rooibos, and its active ingredient, the floral chamomile. Chamomile tea is one of the best organic tea you could get your hands on and the benefits you gain from it are widespread with tonnes of applications.
Owing to its widely acclaimed success in treating insomnia, Ferris has been a huge fan. The active ingredient in this tea is chamomile, which is considered to be the best tea to aid in sleep. So how does it work? Chamomile acts as a mild tranquilizer by helping in relaxing the nerves and battling anxiety.
Did you know that its use as a herbal remedy can be dated back to Ancient Greek and Roman eras? Just like your normal antidepressant works, its calming effect relaxes your muscles and nerves, except its herbal and has no side effects.
This calming effect generated by this tea is what helps you wind down after a hectic day at work and helps you sleep better. Although research doesn’t suggest that chamomile tea has some kind of sedation effects, it has been used as a muscle relaxant for centuries, which acts as the primary driver in making you fall asleep.
Apart from chamomile, Yogi’s Bedtime tea combines organic licorice root with it, which gives you a completely natural flavor without any artificial flavors. Its caffeine free ingredients help you relax without keeping you up for hours.
If you don’t believe in off the counter medication for depression and insomnia, then this is the best shot you’ve got at treating this organically. Herbal treatment for insomnia comes without any side effects, not to forget its other widespread benefits, like aiding in digestion , giving you radiant skin, boosting immunity and managing diabetes.
Other Alternatives
If you aren’t a huge fan of chamomile flavor, there are other alternatives to this herbal tea that you can try if you’ve been struggling to get some sleep.
1. Lavender
The aromatic scent and soothing effect of lavender is why mankind has been using it for generations. What was often used as an ingredient for fancy calming baths in the Roman and Greek era has now found its use in multiple applications, one of which is herbal tea.
Its relaxing aroma aids in sleeping and bringing your heart rate a notch down and helps you unwind. It has also shown to have positive effects in postnatal women by reducing fatigue and improvement in getting sleep.
2. Valerian Root
The effectiveness of valerian root can be dated back to its use in the World War II where it was used to cure depression as a result of continuous air strikes. Even today, in fact, today its use has increased more than ever considering 1 in every 3 persons suffers from mild insomnia (as per Sleep Health Foundation’s official stats).
Valerian root reportedly increases production levels of GABA (a neurotransmitter that increases drowsiness). This helps decrease the time span needed in falling asleep and ultimately improving sleep quality. You can also find this as an ingredient in off the counter medications for insomnia.
Apart from things you can consume, it is important to know that changes need to be brought about in your lifestyle as well to cure insomnia. Here are a few things you can do.
1. Take you TV to the lounge. There’s a reason why your bedroom isn’t called a TV room. Keep the screens limited to your lounge and keep your bed for sleeping only. Do not work or read on your bed so that your body knows its time to sleep when you see your bed.
2. De-cluttering your room relieves stress like no other. Your bedroom colour tones, light, temperature and hygiene in general also have a profound effect on your sleep cycle. Keep your room temperature somewhere between 54 F- 72 F. Similarly make sure there are no loops or holes where light enters from, as complete darkness definitely helps you sleep fast.
3. Lastly, if you’re unable to sleep and have been trying to put yourself to sleep for a good 30 minutes, its time to give up. Trying further may only frustrate you and stress isn’t going to help with sleep in anyway possible. Try and read a book, read the newspaper or buy a coloring book which helps relax your mind before going to bed.