Green tea helps maintain a healthy mind and body! Its effect on balancing the autonomic nervous system

Introduction

In modern society, it is easy to feel stress and the balance of the autonomic nervous system is easily disturbed.

Many people often feel irritated and anxious, and are looking for ways to relax their mind and body, even if just a little.

In fact, a certain ingredient in green tea may provide a clue to solving this problem.

This time, we will introduce the mechanism by which drinking green tea regulates the autonomic nervous system and how to drink it effectively.

When we feel stressed...

When an acquaintance says something nasty or nosy, or your boss suddenly gives you a task that you don't understand, many people feel anxious and stressed.

When we experience feelings like, "Oh, that's the worst..." or "Oh, I'm so frustrated," our limbic system, the part of the brain that controls our emotions, is activated.

This activation triggers a signal that a crisis is approaching throughout the body.

This then sends signals to the body's networks, including the immune system, autonomic nervous system, and endocrine system, affecting the entire body.

For example, suppressing the function of immune cells weakens the body's ability to fight viruses and bacteria that invade the body, making it more susceptible to infections.

It disrupts the endocrine system, causing increased blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as irregular menstrual periods in women.

In addition, if the balance of the autonomic nervous system is disturbed, various disorders such as insomnia, fatigue, and irritability may appear.

The body's crisis response is not a problem if it ends quickly, but if it becomes chronic it can lead to illness, discomfort, and even brain aging.

What is autonomic nervous system disorder?

As mentioned above, stress can cause a variety of physical and mental problems.

Symptoms vary from person to person, such as palpitations, shallow breathing, loss of appetite, etc. These symptoms are thought to be caused by an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system that controls the functions of our bodies.

The autonomic nervous system is broadly divided into two parts: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system is active when we are active or tense, increasing our heart rate and blood pressure.

On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system is active when you are relaxed or sleeping, slowing down your heart rate and stimulating digestive activity.

When we feel stress, our sympathetic nervous system becomes overactive, putting our mind and body in a state of tension. If this state continues for a long time, the activity of our parasympathetic nervous system decreases, causing the balance of our autonomic nervous system to be disrupted.

The balance between the two autonomic nerves is important

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems each have the role of regulating bodily functions in a relative relationship as shown below, and a balanced lifestyle rather than leaning towards one side can be said to be healthy.

The main functions of the autonomic nervous system

Body parts	Sympathetic nervous system	Parasympathetic nervous system
General	Activity, excitement, tension	Relaxation
Blood vessels of the brain	Contraction	Relaxation
pupil	open	close
saliva	Sticky	Smooth
Heart rate	increase	Decrease
Blood vessels	Contraction	Relaxation
Gastrointestinal	Suppression	Active
bladder	Contraction	Expansion

The relationship between green tea and the autonomic nervous system

In this context, green tea, which has long been popular among Japanese people, is attracting attention for its ability to balance the autonomic nervous system.

It is well known that when a person is relaxed, they produce brain waves called alpha waves.

For example, experiments have shown that when brain waves are examined during "pleasant times" when one is mentally calm, such as when listening to one's favorite music, relaxing in a bath, or taking a walk in nature, alpha waves, which are an indicator of relaxation, are produced.

Research has shown that theanine, an amino acid found in large amounts in green tea, has the ability to increase alpha waves.

In other words, drinking tea does more than just quench your thirst; it also has the effect of regulating brain function and promoting relaxation of the mind and body.

Why green tea regulates the autonomic nervous system

1. Theanine reduces stress response

As mentioned above, the component that contributes to the stress-reducing effects of green tea is theanine.

When we face something unpleasant or feel anxious, the sympathetic nervous system in our body becomes dominant, causing our body to tense up and our heart rate to increase.

However, theanine, which is abundant in green tea, helps the brain's neurotransmitter GABA function, which increases alpha waves in the brain and makes the parasympathetic nervous system dominant.

When you are relaxed, you will notice a lot of brain waves called alpha waves.

This is one of the indicators that the brain is in a relaxed state. Meanwhile, research has shown that an increase in alpha waves activates the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a relaxed state of mind and body.

In other words, alpha waves and parasympathetic nervous activation have a mutual influence on each other.

If you are feeling anxious and irritated, forcing yourself to drink green tea and ingesting theanine will help calm your stressed-out brain and relieve tension in your mind and body.

In particular, it has been confirmed that green tea brewed at low temperatures can suppress the stimulating effect of caffeine and maximize the relaxing effects of theanine.

One study found that a group of people who drank low-caffeine green tea had lower levels of salivary amylase, an indicator of stress, than a group who drank regular green tea.

This suggests that low-caffeine green tea may be effective in reducing stress on our bodies.

2. Aromatic components regulate the balance of the autonomic nervous system

The rich aroma of green tea is known to have a calming and relaxing effect on our minds, but this is not just a "good smell"; it has a profound effect on our minds and bodies.

In particular, it has been scientifically proven that it acts on the autonomic nervous system and has a relaxing effect.

Aromas smelled through the nose are transmitted to the limbic system via the olfactory bulb in the brain.

The limbic system is closely connected to the autonomic nervous system. Aromatherapy stimulates the limbic system, helping to regulate the balance of the autonomic nervous system.

Aromatherapy takes advantage of this bodily effect.

The calming effects of scents are widely used by the general public, such as by drinking herbal teas that are said to have relaxing effects, such as lavender, jasmine, and rosemary, or burning aromatic oils to help relax.

Some people may think that aroma and the scent of green tea are completely different things, but they are both aromatic components produced by plants.

One of the attractions of green tea is the aroma that rises when it is brewed, and it is said to have as many as 600 different aromatic compounds.

The list is long and varied, including the leaf alcohol found in sencha, the dimethyl sulfide found in gyokuro, and the pyrazines found in hojicha, but because green tea contains so many aromatic components, you can expect the same effects as herbal tea or aroma oils.

Recently, products have been released that allow you to burn green tea and enjoy its aroma, so why not give them a try when you're busy, tired, or want to relax?

5. Tips for drinking tea

In modern society, we are constantly under stress from work, relationships, etc. If you want to calm your mind, try taking a break with some cold-brewed sencha tea.

Green tea is rich in beneficial ingredients such as catechins and vitamins, but the ingredient that is most effective in reducing stress is theanine, a type of amino acid.

The more cover used for cultivation, the higher the theanine content, so gyokuro and matcha are especially recommended.

In addition, by brewing at a low temperature, you can efficiently ingest theanine and minimize the effects of caffeine. Drinking cold-brewed green tea that has been brewed slowly and carefully over time may help regulate your autonomic nervous system.

6. Control your autonomic nervous system by using it wisely

By consuming green tea properly, you may be able to start your day off right with a piping hot cup of green tea, and then drift off to sleep peacefully at the end of the day.

The caffeine in green tea stimulates the brain and improves focus, while theanine has a relaxing effect and promotes a state of calm.

By taking these two ingredients at the right time, you can balance your autonomic nervous system and optimize your daily rhythm.

For example, you can make the most of the effects of these ingredients by drinking different teas at different times of the day, such as drinking green tea brewed with hot water that contains a lot of caffeine in the morning and cold tea that contains a lot of theanine in the evening.

Recent studies have also shown that taking caffeine and theanine together can further improve focus and concentration.

This is thought to be because caffeine activates the brain, while theanine calms that excited state, creating a synergistic effect.

7. Summary

So, the theanine contained in green tea has a relaxing effect and helps balance the autonomic nervous system.

In today's busy society, the habit of drinking tea helps refresh the mind and body.

Green tea is not just a drink, it has a wide range of effects on our mind and body. Why not start drinking tea today?