Best Tea for Sleep and Anxiety

The best tea for sleep and anxiety is a caffeine-free blend of calming herbs: chamomile, lavender and valerian root. Their active compounds, apigenin, linalool and valerenic acid, calm the brain's GABA system and quiet the racing thoughts that keep you awake.* [1] [2] [3]

They work two ways at once: the herbs calm your nervous system, and the warm ritual tells your body it is safe to switch off. Because anxiety and poor sleep feed each other, a tea that calms one helps the other.

Why Anxiety and Sleep Go Together

Anxiety and sleeplessness form a loop. A worried mind keeps your nervous system on alert, raising stress hormones and making it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. A bad night then leaves you more reactive and anxious the next day. Research on sleep reactivity shows stress is one of the strongest triggers of disrupted sleep. [4]

Break the loop at either point and both improve. A calming evening tea is one of the simplest, most pleasant ways in.

The Calming Herbs That Help Most

Chamomile

The most studied calming herb. Chamomile's apigenin binds to the benzodiazepine sites on GABA-A receptors, quieting mental chatter.* [1] [5]

• In a randomized trial, chamomile reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety compared with placebo.* [6]
• In a long term trial, it reduced anxiety and helped prevent symptoms from returning.* [7]
• A 2024 meta analysis found chamomile improved sleep, especially staying asleep.* [8]

Lavender

The herb for a racing mind. Lavender's linalool and linalyl acetate calm the nervous system whether you breathe them in or sip them.* [2]

• In a randomized clinical trial, older adults who drank lavender tea twice a day had lower anxiety and depression scores.* [9]
• In sleep-disturbed new mothers, lavender tea reduced fatigue and low mood.* [10]

Lavender leads our Quiet Mind Tea, blended with rooibos, rosehip, elderberry, blueberry and rose.

Valerian Root

The deep calmer. Valerian's valerenic acid binds directly to GABA-A receptors, and its calming action has been shown in research to reduce anxiety-like behaviour.* [3] A review of around 60 studies concluded valerian eases anxiety and improves sleep quality.* [11]

Lemon Balm

A traditional nerve soother. In a clinical study, lemon balm extract eased anxiety and improved sleep problems in people with mild to moderate stress.* [12]

All of these are caffeine-free, and that matters: caffeine can worsen anxious feelings and disrupt sleep. [13] Any tea for anxiety should contain none.

 

Which Tea for Which Night

• Racing thoughts, can't switch off: Quiet Mind Tea, led by lavender.
• Anxious and can't fall or stay asleep: Sleep Restore Tea, led by valerian root and chamomile.
• Want the whole evening calmer: the Evening Unwind bundle, with Sleep Restore, Quiet Mind and Serene Tranquility.

How to Use Tea for Anxiety at Night

1. Start early: brew your cup 45 to 60 minutes before bed, as you begin winding down.
2. Cover it while it steeps: lavender's and chamomile's calming oils stay in your cup.
3. Write tomorrow's list: in a sleep lab study, writing a five-minute to-do list helped people fall asleep faster. [14]
4. Breathe slowly: in for four, out for six. Long exhales switch on your "rest and digest" nervous system.*
5. Sip slowly with the lights low and your phone out of reach.

Build it into a full routine with our evening wind down routine.

The Avodah Moment: Set It Down

Avodah means devotion and service. An anxious mind is often a devoted one: still carrying everyone's needs, still solving tomorrow's problems at 11 pm.

Tonight, set it down. Brew your cup, write the list, and let the paper hold what your mind has been holding. Wrap your hands around the warm mug, breathe in the lavender or chamomile, and exhale longer than you inhale. Nothing on that list needs you until morning.

You cannot pour from an empty cup. This is where you fill yours.

Shop Quiet Mind Tea | Shop Sleep Restore Tea

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best tea for sleep and anxiety?

A caffeine-free blend of chamomile, lavender and valerian root. Their compounds calm the brain's GABA system and quiet a racing mind.*

Does chamomile tea help with anxiety?

Yes. In randomized trials, chamomile reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety.* Its apigenin binds to the brain's calming receptors.

Can tea calm a racing mind at night?

Yes. Lavender's linalool and chamomile's apigenin calm the nervous system, and the warm ritual helps you switch off.*

Is caffeine bad for anxiety?

Caffeine can worsen anxious feelings and disrupt sleep, so a tea for anxiety should always be caffeine-free.

Is lavender tea good for anxiety and sleep?

Yes. In a clinical trial, lavender tea twice daily reduced anxiety in older adults, and it reduced fatigue in sleep-disturbed new mothers.*

When should I drink tea for anxiety?

In the evening, 45 to 60 minutes before bed, as part of your wind-down. Quiet Mind is also lovely as a calming afternoon cup.

References

1.          Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: a herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010;3(6):895-901. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2995283/

2.          Koulivand PH, Khaleghi Ghadiri M, Gorji A. Lavender and the nervous system. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:681304.

3.          Benke D, Barberis A, Kopp S, et al. GABA A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid, a major constituent of valerian root extracts. Neuropharmacology. 2009;56(1):174-181. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18602406/

4.          Kalmbach DA, Anderson JR, Drake CL. The impact of stress on sleep: pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. J Sleep Res. 2018;27(6):e12710.

5.          Viola H, Wasowski C, Levi de Stein M, et al. Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects. Planta Med. 1995;61(3):213-216.

6.          Amsterdam JD, Li Y, Soeller I, Rockwell K, Mao JJ, Shults J. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2009;29(4):378-382.

7.          Mao JJ, Xie SX, Keefe JR, Soeller I, Li QS, Amsterdam JD. Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2016;23(14):1735-1742. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S094471131630188X

8.          Kazemi A, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Eskandarzadeh P, Hashempur MH. Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2024;84:103071. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229924000591

9.          Bazrafshan MR, Jokar M, Shokrpour N, Delam H. The effect of lavender herbal tea on the anxiety and depression of the elderly: a randomized clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2020;50:102393.

10.      Chen SL, Chen CH. Effects of lavender tea on fatigue, depression, and maternal-infant attachment in sleep-disturbed postnatal women. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2015;12(6):370-379.

11.      Shinjyo N, Waddell G, Green J. Valerian root in treating sleep problems and associated disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2020;25:2515690X20967323. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2515690X20967323

12.      Cases J, Ibarra A, Feuillere N, Roller M, Sukkar SG. Pilot trial of Melissa officinalis L. leaf extract in the treatment of volunteers suffering from mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances. Med J Nutrition Metab. 2011;4(3):211-218.

13.      Klevebrant L, Frick A. Effects of caffeine on anxiety and panic attacks in patients with panic disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2022;74:22-31.

14.      Scullin MK, Krueger ML, Ballard HK, Pruett N, Bliwise DL. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: a polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2018;147(1):139-146.