Tea is considered to be a healthy beverage compared to alcohol or other fizzy drinks.
[pullquote]People who drink tea rarely are much more sensitive to both the positive and negative effects of tea.[/pullquote]
But, drinking too much strong tea can have the same repercussions as drinking too much alcohol. Drinking too much tea can lead to tinnitus, dizziness, and fatigue. Overindulgence in strong black teas can result in the stomach feeling bloated and full. Recent research on tea has given conflicting results on tea. Here are the side effects of drinking too much tea.
1. Digestive Issues
Strong tea can upset stomachs, especially if the tea drinker has digestive or stomach problems such as ulcers or acid reflux.
2. Inebriation
People who are used to drinking highly fermented teas such as black teas, Oolong teas, and Pu-erh tea can experience effects similar to those of alcohol when switching to a much lower fermented or non-fermented tea such as white and green teas. Drinking tea on an empty stomach, especially stronger highly fermented teas, can cause you to feel drunk as well.
How To Prevent The Side Effects Of Tea
1. Choose Your Tea Correctly
People are much more likely to feel drunk from drinking freshly pick tea leaves as the fresh tea leaves plucked off the first tea harvest, early in the springtime, is usually of the best quality and highest grade of tea. Because these teas have been stored for less than a month, they contain much higher levels of caffeine, active alkaloids, and other aromatic substances than older teas do. This increase in chemicals can stimulate the central nervous system and stomach, which can cause one to feel inebriated.
2. Take Your Time
Never get in a hurry when enjoying your tea. Part of the beauty and meditative quality that tea has is that it should be calming and soothing, never rushed or hurried. Use restraint to not taste fresh tea immediately after purchasing it. Instead, wait at least half an hour so that a good portion of the polyphenols and aldehydes in the freshly picked leaves are oxidized. Once the levels of these chemicals are lower in the tea, it makes the tea much healthier for you to drink.
3. Don’t Drink More Than 10 g Tea A Day
Although tea is a very healthy drink with plenty of health benefits, drinking more than 10 g of tea daily can irritate the stomach and esophagus lining, especially if you drink hot tea, which can lead to ulcers, acid reflux, can increase the symptoms of GERD and IBS and can make you feel slightly intoxicated.
4. Have Snacks Along With Your Tea
It is a good idea to take your tea with a snack or a meal so that you have something to help absorb the tea in your stomach. Salty and sweet food can not only provide sodium for your body but also cause your blood sugar level to rise, making it less likely for you to experience any adverse effects from drinking your tea.
5. Don’t Drink Tea On An Empty Stomach
If you drink tea on an empty stomach, you will not only dilute gastric juices so that you aren’t as able to digest foods as well, but the high absorbency rate of water in the tea will also cause your body to absorb caffeine easily causing you to experience dizziness, stress and possibly even neurasthenia in your hands or feet.
6. Avoid Drinking Tea After A Meal
Teas contain tannin, especially dark teas, which can react with the iron in your food and prevent iron absorption. However on the other hand, tea can also help in digestion one hour after the meal, especially Pu-erh tea.