Can Tea Breaks Boost Wellbeing? Here’s What The Science Says

Us Brits are known for our love of a good tea break. Commute from hell? Put the kettle on. Got some juicy office gossip? Tell me over a cuppa. To-do list through the roof? Time for a brew. Tea breaks are a pivotal part of working culture: a moment to pause, however hectic your day is, and whether you’re WFH alone or in a busy office and fancy a quick catch-up with your colleague. According to new research from the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP), over a third of Brits use tea as an all-important opportunity to take a break, with over half of those surveyed saying it helps them relax. But does the science stand up? 

What Are The Wellbeing Benefits Of Tea Breaks?

Morning and afternoon tea breaks first gained popularity in the 18th century, when employers began providing teapots and tea for staff – a way to boost productivity and break up long work days. By the 19th century, tea had become a staple drink in Britain, with the arrival of cheaper varieties of assam, darjeeling and ceylon meaning everyone could afford to drink more. Tea rooms started opening across the country too, serving pots of tea at very low prices, alongside home-baked cakes.

The tradition has stuck, but nowadays we’re turning to tea predominantly for its stress-reducing effects, if TAP’s research is anything to go by. Over 55 percent of those surveyed said tea gave them comfort, while 29 percent said it boosted their mood. So can a tea break really boost our wellbeing? In short: yes. TAP’s survey was paired with an analysis of the current science, which looked into 33 different studies, finding many science-backed perks of drinking tea.

‘The benefits of tea are part cultural and part science,’ says dietitian and TAP member Dr Carrie Ruxton. ‘Tea goes back a long way in our national psyche and we associate it with home, family, relaxing and being cosy. But there is also hard evidence linked to special bioactives found naturally in tea’. 

Reducing Stress

For example, a study from Japan found that simply inhaling the aroma from black tea lowered stress levels – with darjeeling in particular shown to boost most ahead of completing a stressful task. Researchers in the UK, meanwhile, found that drinking tea for six weeks resulted in lower levels of cortisol. 

This makes sense: many teas contain calm-inducing compounds, including GABA, a neurotransmitter that slows down the brain by blocking specific signals, and L-theanine, an amino acid found in black tea. These are found in varieties including oolong, black, green and matcha.

‘GABA is a naturally occurring amino acid which acts as a neurotransmitter and is known to regulate stress and sleep, so there is every reason to believe that teas which contain GABA will help to ease stress and improve sleep,’ says Dr Ruxton. ‘L-theanine has been shown to regulate sleep disorders via the GABA receptors and the neurotransmitter system, which relays messages between the brain and body.’

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Builds Social Relationships

Tea has long been lauded for its ritualistic quality – which translates to office environments, too. In an interview with the BBC, occupational psychologist Cary Cooper described breaks as a key way of coping with sedentary office life. ‘Nowadays we sit in front of screens not communicating eyeball to eyeball and even e-mail people in the same building,’ she noted. ‘We need to make people more active and see other people. The coffee break is one way of doing this.’

May Increase Productivity

It might be pulling you away from your work for a minute or two, but a tea break can actually make you more productive in the long run. This is a result of the caffeine, which can improve energy levels without the jittery effect coffee (typically higher in caffeine) sometimes brings. There’s science to support this: one study, for instance, connected tea consumption with increased work performance and reduced tiredness.

So can a cup of tea really fix everything? ‘Nobody is suggesting that a regular cuppa tea can solve all of the nation’s mental health woes,’ concludes Dr Ruxton, ‘but there’s good evidence that it can go a long way towards easing the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety.’ Time to put the kettle on.