Tea
Tea has been soothing throats and minds for well over four thousand years. It’s known to reduce the stress-producing hormone cortisol as well as help provide some relief against stress and depression. Honey has similar benefits, and since it’s a common additive to tea, that adds to the relaxation benefits even more.
Different types of tea also have ingredients that are specific to relaxation. Some of the best relaxing varieties include:
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Kava
- Green
- Peppermint
- Passionflower
Milk
Almost everyone has heard the saying that drinking a cup of warm milk before bed will help you sleep. In part, this is because milk contains tryptophan and melatonin, both of which promote relaxation and sleep. Although some argue that milk doesn’t contain enough of either of these compounds to revitalize your sleep cycle, there is still something to be said for using a familiar childhood tradition to help us relax.
But there are other ways to use milk to make it even more relaxing at the end of the day. For instance, in the Ayurvedic tradition of medicine, there are several spiced milk drinks loaded with health benefits, including relaxation. There is Golden milk, which contains ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon, as well as moon milk, which contains turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, and ashwagandha.
Fruity Drink
Vitamin C is also known to lower cortisol levels in the body, and if there is one kind of beverage that has vitamin C, it’s those that contain fruit. But relaxation doesn’t end with vitamin C. Individual fruits have their own relaxation properties.
Bananas contain tryptophan, coconut lowers blood pressure, and mangoes have serotonin. In other words, a tropical smoothie can do wonders to help you relax.
Water
When most people think of beverages that promote relaxation, their thoughts don’t immediately jump to a glass of water. But stress is on the long list of negative impacts dehydration has on the body. When you are dehydrated, your organs don’t function properly, and your cortisol levels rise as a result. Sometimes, at the end of a long day, it’s a good idea to reach for a glass of water before you reach for anything else.
