When You Switch From Coffee To Tea, This Is What Happens

The world is divided into coffee drinkers and tea drinkers and, once you've chosen a side, it's unlikely you'll ever willingly switch over. But the benefits of drinking tea on a daily basis rather than coffee are well-documented. As Reader's Digest advises, making the switch could help you sleep better, lower your cholesterol, and even whiten your teeth over time, according to experts.

However, switching from coffee to tea is a big change and you should also be prepared for negative side effects including headaches induced by withdrawal symptoms from caffeine, the content of which is typically higher in coffee than in tea. You might find your mood badly affected, too, as coffee has been shown to lower the risk of depression.

Still, if you're considering making the switch, for whatever reason, there are several things to consider about how ditching coffee for tea may impact your life, for the good and bad.

A writer noted in The Leader News that making the switch made her less reliant on caffeine overall, which can only be a good thing. She advised that typically, she can drink a cup of black coffee and feel fairly alert, but she usually needs another pick-me-up later in the day. Tea, on the other hand, had a much more calming effect than coffee. She could drink it around 6 p.m., and feel her energy levels increase but in a more natural way, so she didn't worry about sleeping later on.

Overall though, the biggest impact was on her reliance on caffeine in general, which she felt was significantly decreased. However, writing in Insider, another adventurous writer noted that, although switching to tea regulated her sleep and cleared up her skin, in the end, she returned to drinking coffee because her energy levels remained basically the same. She did, however, plan to cut back a little and felt more capable of doing so as a result.

Regardless of your general preference, there's no denying the health benefits of making the switch from coffee to tea. As Sonya Angelone, MS, RDN, CLT, advised Reader's Digest, pressed coffee contains compounds that increase bad LDL cholesterol, which may increase your risk of heart problems. Swapping out coffee for tea could lower your cholesterol, or even improve it. Coffee also tends to cause acid reflux and heartburn.

Controlling your caffeine intake is easier with tea overall, because there's less contained in each cup, so you're less likely to go overboard and end up wired. Likewise, too much coffee in your system makes it harder for your body to absorb magnesium, leading to muscle cramps and restlessness. Tea also hydrates your body better than coffee. It could even lower your risk of getting cancer because tea, and in particular green tea, contains very potent antioxidants which help to fight cancer-causing molecules in the body.