Let’s face it — your phone is perhaps the first thing you reach for as soon as you wake up and the last thing you use before you sleep at night. This perpetual need to stay connected and consume content is only fueling more stress and disrupting sleep cycles in individuals around the world.
In fact, Americans today have a daily average screen time of 7 hours and 4 minutes, a figure that has only grown in recent years. There has never been a better time for you to do away with the endless scrolling and mindless binge-watching and replace them with mindful habits.
Your Digital Routine Might Be a Health Hazard
Stress. Anxiety. Addiction.
These are just a few well-documented side effects of leading digital lives. Scientifically speaking, the prolonged exposure to blue light from your late-night binge-watching and doomscrolling hampers your sleep cycle by delaying the release of melatonin, a hormone released specifically in darkness.
What’s more, a medical study even points out that by reducing the daily average screen time, you can boost your sleep duration and lower evening cortisol (stress hormones) by 20%.
That said, if you are looking for a highly effective and exciting alternative to all that screen time, allow me to introduce you to the elusive world of tea rituals.
Unlocking the Power of Tea Rituals and Ceremonies
To the uninitiated, tea rituals may often seem a tad overdramatic, but it is actually a centuries-old tradition that is making a comeback thanks to the modern obsession with optimal wellness.
A recent study by mental health researchers reports that individuals who incorporate tea drinking and related rituals into their daily routine tend to be more psychologically resilient. The study even highlights that the real practitioners of tea rituals successfully replace the anxiety-inducing parts and habits (read: coffee drinking and endless content binges) of their days with moments of tranquility and meaningfulness.
In fact, a survey even highlights that not only are Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado among the premium matcha-consuming states in the USA, but a large number of people in these states opt for matcha over coffee.
“The fact that Gen Z drinks 25% more matcha highlights how younger generations seek natural ways to cultivate a centered feeling—beyond the high-energy jitters fueled by coffee. For brands, this means creating experiences and products that connect with their desire for mental clarity and purposeful daily habits.” – Kiyomi Koike, founder of Yu Tea Co, ITMA Certified Tea Master.
Tea rituals are slow and highly sensory experiences that are much more satisfying and engaging compared to the dopamine-chasing applications and content. In fact, brands like Yu Tea will help you blend in nutrition and wellness into your tea rituals and ceremonies.
That’s not all, though.
L-theanine, an amino acid you can get from green tea, can put your brain in the right state for restful sleep. Tea rituals and ceremonies are considered very relaxing and therapeutic, calming your nerves and senses, and are associated with a satisfactory sleep cycle.
Whether you develop an interest in conducting hand-whisked matcha rituals or experiment with pour-over rituals with loose-leaf blends, you can create highly calming and clarity-inducing experiences every day. In fact, because of their structure, tea ceremonies are often associated with increased cognitive function in individuals who practice them.
Swap Your Screens for Serene Rituals
So the good news is that tea-drinking is no longer just a British stereotype or a thing that “health-conscious” people do. Taking a break from your daily dopamine-releasing binge-watching or scrolling, and investing in a mindful tea ritual or ceremony can be the welcoming change that finally helps you clock in a full night’s restful sleep. If you don’t know where to start, look for tea culture workshops and ceremonies happening in your vicinity, and attend one to fully understand what you are getting into.
So, the next time you brew a cup of tea and treat it as just another Tuesday, think of the many psychological and even physiological benefits it offers.