In today’s guide, I will be talking about banana tea for sleep, how it works and also its many benefits for insomnia as well as overall health and well being. I will also talk about some fantastic banana tea recipes which will not only help you deal with insomnia; they are also known to impart many nutritional benefits as well.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes falling asleep, staying asleep or both difficult. Insomniacs tend to wake up too early or experience poor sleep quality. As a result, they have very low energy and often wake up feeling tired. This affects their jobs and relationships as their condition leaves them irritable, anxious, depressed and fatigued.
Causes of Insomnia
- Mental issues- Mental disorders like stress, anxiety and depression are common causes of insomnia
- Medical/underlying health issues- Pain, arthritis, urinary issues, heartburn, acid reflux and thyroid are some common diseases that can affect sleep.
- Medicines- Many medications including nasal decongestants, anti-histamines, antidepressants and steroids can affect the quality of sleep.
- Lifestyle factors- Excess alcohol or nicotine intake, watching TV or listening to loud music or playing stimulating video games just before bedtime, exercising or drinking caffeine a couple of hours before bed etc can all impact the quality of sleep.
Conventional Treatment for Sleeplessness
Conventional medicines for insomnia include sleeping pills that do not cure the root cause of the disease. They are also full of adverse effects and can even make it difficult for the users to operate machinery or drive a vehicle. Sleeping pills should therefore be used as a last resort for insomnia.
There is another solution that you can try - weighted blanket for anxiety and insomnia. Anxiety blankets are very helpful in reducing stress and helping you with sleepless nights.
Effective Insomnia Solution: Banana Tea for Sleep!
Tea for sleeplessness such as banana tea has many characteristic virtues; it is soothing and relaxing and acts as tranquilizer or analgesic to induce quiet sleep. Insomnia is an internal imbalance of the brain and taking sleep medicines does not correct this imbalance.
Banana tea recipes on the other hand restore mental balance, soothe the nervous system and also work directly on the jagged nerves to make you relax.
Why Use Banana Tea for Sleeplessness? Banana Tea Benefits
Banana is an extraordinary fruit which is nutritious and delicious. It is the cheapest consumable source of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Bananas can serve the dietary needs substantially at any life stage - be it young active children or even the aged population.
Here is the summary of the health benefits of bananas:
- There is a reason why tennis players eat bananas - they provide instant energy through their high carbohydrate content.
- Bananas regulate bowel movements and their rich fiber content aids in digestion to prevent constipation.
- You might be surprised to know that bananas are actually known to reduce blood pressure. They are also recommended to heart patients as they lower risk of heart disease.
The high potassium content of bananas is vital for muscle contraction and proper functioning of the heart and nervous system. A single banana can provide you with the daily recommended value of potassium. - The tryptophan amino acid in bananas reduce depression and improve mood swings. Studies have shown that banana consumption can help reduce stress.
- As far as insomnia is concerned, calcium and magnesium play important roles; calcium calms frayed nerves whereas magnesium relaxes muscles and is required for calcium metabolism. Bananas contain calcium alongside healthy probiotic bacteria that help the body absorb calcium.
Green bananas or plantains are especially beneficial in absorbing calcium which may contribute to better sleep. Banana peels are also rich in magnesium and we all know how magnesium is necessary for healthy sleep.
What is Banana Tea?
Banana tea or banana peel tea is made from, you guessed it, the peels of bananas. Some people use green, raw bananas or plantains to make the tea whereas others recommend ripe, yellow bananas. Green or raw banana peels contain more starch than the riper versions.
Unlike their ripe counterparts, they are tasteless and can be used for making delicious weight loss tea recipes. I have included a simple green banana tea recipe for weight loss later in this guide.
Banana peel tea for sleep is delicious and nutritious. In fact; many people who regularly drink it believe it to be better than regular black tea as far as both the taste and health benefits are concerned.
Banana peel tea contains 5 HTP and 5 HT. These are chemical by-products of protein building block tryptophan. These days, supplements containing 5 HTP are commercially produced to treat insomnia, stress, anxiety and even headaches. This is the main reason why banana peel tea is also beneficial for weight loss.
How to make Banana Tea for Sleeping Problems?
As stated above, you may use both green banana and yellow/ripe banana peels. Since you will be boiling the peels, you must ensure buying organic bananas only. This way, they will contain fewer/no nasty chemicals.
Banana Tea Recipes
I will now enlist some of the best banana peel tea and boiled banana tea for insomnia recipes that I have tried and loved. Some of them have even been endorsed by celebrities.
Green Banana Tea Recipe as seen on Dr. Oz
The popularity of banana tea for weight loss and sleeplessness first skyrocketed when celebrities endorsed it on their shows. Dr. Mehmet Oz has this simple recipe which he swears by. This is his go to tea when he feels restless and unable to sleep.
- 1-2 raw bananas
- One quart water
- Cinnamon sticks - optional
To start with, clean and wash the bananas. Cut off the ends. Place the water in a medium pot to boil. Place the banana in the water. Once the water starts to boil add the cinnamon sticks and switch off the heat. Cover the pot and steep the banana with the spice for 10 minutes.
After the stipulated time is over, carefully remove the banana and strain the liquid to remove the spices etc. Drink a cup of this hot tea before bedtime. You can sweeten this banana cinnamon tea with a bit of honey as desired.
Dr. Oz also recommends that you eat the banana and its peel an hour before bedtime to sleep better.
Boiled Banana Tea Recipe by Rachel Ray
Rachel Ray recently had sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus on her show. As part of the 5 tips to help you sleep better, Dr. Breus recommended chewing banana peels which are filled with magnesium. Naturally he was joking and went on to give this delicious boiled banana tea to sleep recipe as below:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 yellow banana
Boil the water and the banana for up to 8 minutes. Drink this delicious bedtime beverage every night for a good night’s rest.
Dried Banana Peels Tea
Now I will share a slightly more complicated though delicious banana peel tea recipe which is great for sleeping issues as well as for weight loss:
- Start by collecting peels of each banana that you eat.
- Wash and store the peels in the freezer in separate small Ziploc Bags (box of 300!). They are just like the easy open baggies you can buy in stores but cheaper.
- When you have enough peels, fill up a pan with them. Let the peels thaw.
- Allow the peels to turn black.
- Now we are going to pasteurize the peels. Pasteurization is important to kill the germs on the peels. Idea pasteurization temperature is 65 C or 150 F. Preheat the oven to this temperature.
- Toss the peels in the oven and let them bake for at least 1 hour. This process will completely dry the peels and also eliminate germs if any.
- I like to crack the peels with my hand once they are baked - you can also pulverize them into a powder or coarse grind them in the blender.
- Place approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of the banana powder in these amazing Disposable Unbleached Bstean Tea Bags.
- Store the peel/powder in a dry container preferably in a cool, dry place.
To prepare the tea
- Use the banana tea bags as you’d normally do to make a delicious tea for sleeping problems.
- Pour hot water on it.
- Enjoy every night before going to bed.
Myths about Bananas and Banana Peel Tea
1. Bananas cause weight gain
Bananas do have a high carb content compared to many fruits but they are a great source of energy and can actually be used by weight watchers to remain full longer. The boiled peel tea does not contain the sugar but is still full of soothing amino acids that promote restful sleep. Of the many banana peel tea benefits, weight loss is an important one.
2. Banana peels must be discarded! Tea is unheard of!
As stated above, even doctors are aware of the rich magnesium content of banana peels. Since it is not possible to eat the peels for us humans, boiled peel tea is the best way to get all that nutrition.
3. Why not just eat a banana before bed?
That is fine too but the peels contain most of the tryptophan and since eating raw peel is not recommended, this is the best way to get the 5 HT and 5 HTP that induce good sleep.
Experts like David Wolfe and Dr. Mehmet Oz are calling banana peel tea the better alternative to chemical sleeping pills. We all have trouble sleeping at times.
While the easiest thing to do is grab a pill, we all know the adverse effects of doing so. At the same time, sleep is very important and the next best thing to sleeping pill is a delicious hot cup of banana peel tea for sleep which helps relax frayed nerves soothes aching muscles and relaxes the body and mind to promote deep, restful sleep.
Do try the above banana tea recipes today and sleep better!
Wow…I never knew about these beautiful tips. Thanks for sharing this.
I know about eating a banana before bedtime to help fall asleep, never heard of banana tea before, thanks for sharing. Will have to try this out.