Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea: A Review

Sleepytime Tea is the most famous flavor from Celestial Seasonings Teas in Boulder, Colorado. If a store carries just one brand of Celestial Seasonings, Sleepytime Tea is usually the one. Since its introduction in 1969, there have been many imitators in name or in ingredients. But none of the imitators can quite match the original.

Sleepytime Tea is one of those teas that you either love or hate. For people not used to herbal teas, it will taste weak. For people who enjoy herbal teas, then this will be a treat. But don't let the name and the cute sleeping bear design on the box fool you -- Sleepytime Tea will not get you sleepy unless you use it to chase a Xanax.

Ingredients

Sleepytime Tea is a blend of relatively inexpensive herbs, including lemongrass, chamomile, spearmint, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn and rosebuds. If you are allergic to ragwort or any member of the ragwort family -- such as chamomile -- then you need to stay away from Sleepytime Tea.

There is no caffeine to worry about and, according to Celestial Seasonings, the tea is certified kosher. I'm not sure what "certified kosher" has to do with herbal tea, but still a nice piece of tea trivia to know.

Some people prefer to drink Sleepytime Tea hot while others prefer it iced. Although there are sweetening ingredients like spearmint and orange blossoms, many people will prefer to add sweetener. Do not use white sugar or it will wind up tasting like liquid children's fruit-flavored breakfast cereal. Brown sugar or honey works much better.

Advantages

Sleepytime Tea goes well with foods of many kinds, including a late-night snack. It's a great alternative to caffeinated beverages. Although not as sedative as the box claims, the ingredients in the tea can help relax the digestive muscles. Some women also find the tea useful in helping to relieve mild menstrual cramps. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those women.

But the tea also tastes good by itself as an accompaniment to reading a book. Over time, this tea can be used as a part of a ritual to help wind down and relax before going to sleep. Sometimes herbal teas can help curve cravings for rich foods that really should not be eaten before bedtime. Herbal tea is also more hydrating than caffeinated tea, so you will not need to get up to use the toilet as often if you drink this before bed. Well, that's the theory anyway.

Disadvantages

The taste is something that you need to grow into. The taste is very mild and bland. However, after about two weeks, the tastebuds can be trained to pick up on more subtle flavors if you make an effort to cut back on saturated fats, salt and sugar. In this way, Sleepytime Tea can be used in a diet program or help a queasy stomach after a dietary indiscretion.

If you've never drunk herbal tea before, then only have one cup of Sleepytime Tea to start with, just to be sure your body can adjust to it. Keep to only three cups a day, otherwise you may get diarrhea. But each person reacts differently to the herbs in Sleepytime Tea.