For the past 9 months or so I have suffered from heartburn and insomnia during my pregnancy. The heartburn seemed to intensive mainly at night making my insomnia even worst.
I have always been a lover of tea, Moroccan green tea is my favorite, an infusion of green tea with mint and an exaggerated amount of sugar. I always have mint and ginger around the house but I needed something that would relax me and facilitate my sleep but most importantly I needed something to ease my stomach.It was important for me to understand the reason’s behind my intensive, painful heartburn and insomnia since I had never had experienced these symptoms prior to being pregnant.
During pregnancy, the placenta produces the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the uterus. This hormone also relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, allowing gastric acids to seep back up, which causes that unpleasant burning sensation.
In my research many websites mentioned that pregnancy insomnia can be caused by discomfort, frequent bathroom trips, leg cramps, anxiety for the baby’s arrival. Although, all of these reason’s can cause insomnia and it was the fact during my first pregnancy. However, this time around I was not able to fall asleep because of these reasons. Heartburn had a huge influence but anxiety, stress and even depression had suppressed my sleep. I had talked to the doctor, family and friends and no one was able to help until I made my discovery. The only thing that helped me and I wished I had discovered this sooner was Lavender Chamomile tea, with fresh green tea, ginger and honey.
This tea is a miracle, you see I didn’t purposely go to the store one day to pick up these specific items. I always get my usual mint and ginger in the produce isle but I needed some tea and I stumped upon this bad boy, Organic Chamomile with Lavender tea and knew that I had found the key elements to help me with relaxation, distress and stomach discomfort.
I will disclosed the health benefits of each product seen bellow for a better understanding how the tea is a miracle for sleeping deprivation and stomach discomfort (this is not a cure for clinical insomnia and serious or chronic digestive disorder.)
Mint Benefits:
There are so many benefits but I will mention only a few, to see all benefits visit, www.organicfacts.com.
Digestion: Mint is a great appetizer or palate cleanser, and it promotes digestion. It also soothes stomachs in cases of indigestion or inflammation. When you feel sick to your stomach, drinking a cup of mint tea can give you relief. Also, if you are someone who travels long distances via plane or boat, the menthol oil derived from mint can be very soothing for nausea and related motion sickness.
Depression and Fatigue: Mint is a natural stimulant, and the smell alone can be enough to charge your batteries and get your brain functioning on a high level again. If you are feeling sluggish, anxious, depressed, or simply exhausted, mint and its derivative essential oils can help. It can be ingested, applied topically in a salve form, or inhaled as a vapor, and all of those techniques can give you a much-needed boost! A popular way to get good results in an easy manner is to put a few drops of mint essential oil or menthol oil on your pillow at night and let it work on your body and mind while you sleep. (www.organicfacts.com)
I wasn’t even aware that mint helped with anxiety and depression but this could have helped me with the insomnia as the reason why I was not able to sleep was due to my battle with anxiety and stress.
Ginger Benefits:
Ginger is one of the most ancient spices in worldwide cuisine. It has become well-known for its various health benefits, which include its ability to boost bone health, strengthen the immune system, increase your appetite, prevents various types of cancer, improve respiratory conditions, aid digestion, eliminates arthritis symptoms, reduce excess gas, enhance sexual activity, and relieve pains related to menstrual disorders, nausea. (www.organicfacts.com)
What a powerful root/spice, I cannot believe the amount of benefits this root contains. I have a funny story to share. Well, one day I bought with me some lemon, mint, ginger and honey to work because I was feeling under the weather. I had left the ginger in the kitchen counter while my cup with water was heating in microwave and one of my co-workers said when looking at the ginger, “Who ever left this piece of chicken behind, if you don’t claim it I will eat it”. I giggled of course and told him that what he was seeing was ginger and not chicken. He was shocked by the confusion, he didn’t even know what ginger was. This might sound strange but it’s very common that people are not aware of this root.
If you heard of it or seen it, how often do you use it? And did you know you can use it for tea?
Chamomile and Lavender Tea:
Chamomile:
- Insomnia and other sleep disorders
- Anxiety and Panic Attacks
- Muscle twitches
- Wounds, burns, and scrapes
- Skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, chickenpox, and diaper rash
- Stomach problems such as menstrual cramps, stomach flu, and ulcers
Lavender:
Some of the most important health benefits of lavender include its ability to relieve stress, improve mood, promote restful sleep, reduce inflammation, lower skin irritation, prevent infections, eliminate dandruff, and soothe stomach bloating.
Sleep Issues: If you regularly struggle with insomnia, apnea, or restless sleep patterns, it can seriously impact your life. By brewing a few lavender flowers in hot water, you can steep a wonderful tea that has been used to induce sleep and relaxation for thousands of years. This is closely linked to the flower’s impact on the nervous system, and can also help to clear your mind of negative thoughts or clutter. Lavender is commonly combined with meditation techniques, either in essential oil or aromatherapy form. (Lavender)
Recipe:
- hand full of mint
- Chamomile and lavender tea
- 1 tea spoon of ginger
- honey or sugar
Place all the above ingredients except honey and sugar in a tea infuser. Place the infuser onto the tea pot and boil for about 3-5 minutes. Let the tea pot sit in the stove for about 1-2 minutes in order to get a strong taste out of the ginger and mint. Once ready poor it in a cup with honey or sugar and enjoy! If you do not have a tea infuser you can boil some water and put all ingredients in the cup with the honey or sugar once the water comes to a boil pore it onto the cup and let it sit for 1-2 minutes and enjoy!
Andrea Blossom 
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