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"Mr. Zhang, do you drink these teas every day?" The doctor looked at the report in his hand and frowned slightly.
In the hot summer months, the sun scorches the earth and the air is filled with a suffocating heat wave. Zhang Wei, a programmer at a well-known IT company, decided to take a shower at home. His life has always been hectic and hectic, with countless codes and projects on a daily basis. Just as he was taking a shower, he suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell in the bathroom. After relieving himself, he felt that the situation was serious and hurried to the hospital.
In the hospital, after a series of examinations, he was surprised by this sentence from the doctor.
"I drink a cup of tea every night, thinking it helps digestion and relaxes my nerves." Zhang Wei scratched his head and said with some embarrassment.
"Here's the problem," the doctor took a deep breath and began to explain, "that drinking tea after dinner, especially green tea, black tea, and other teas that contain more caffeine, may affect your sleep quality. Lack of sleep can lead to a series of health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc. ”
Zhang Wei looked dazed, he never thought that a small cup of tea would cause so many problems.
"Doctor, can you elaborate on that?" Zhang Wei sincerely asked.
"Of course," the doctor put down the report and began to give Zhang Wei a vivid health lesson, "Let's start with caffeine." Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, which increases alertness and reduces feelings of fatigue.
It works primarily by inhibiting a neurotransmitter called adenosine, which works by promoting sleep and relaxation. When caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine, you feel more awake. ”
"But the problem," the doctor continued, "is that when you drink tea after dinner, this caffeine stays in your body for a long time. The half-life of caffeine is about 3-5 hours, which means that even if you drink tea at 9 p.m., half of the caffeine is still in your body by 1 a.m. As a result, the quality of your sleep will suffer. ”
"Sounds reasonable." Zhang Wei nodded, but he was obviously not quite satisfied with this explanation.
"Let's look at some specific data." The doctor turned on the computer and presented some of the findings, "One study found that consuming more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day significantly increased the risk of insomnia.
While a cup of medium-strength tea contains about 30-50 mg of caffeine, if you drink one cup every night and accumulate over time, the problem will become serious. ”
"So, are there any other health effects besides sleep problems?" Zhang Wei began to be a little worried.
"Yes," the doctor nodded, "long-term caffeine intake not only affects sleep, but also increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure." Studies have shown that people who consume more than 400 mg of caffeine per day have a significantly increased risk of developing high blood pressure. For people with heart disease, caffeine may also trigger irregular heartbeats and increase the risk of heart attack. ”
Hearing this, Zhang Wei couldn't help but swallow his saliva, "So serious? ”
"That's right," the doctor smiled and reassured, "but you don't have to worry too much, as long as you adjust your eating habits, the problem can still be solved." ”
Zhang Wei nodded and decided to quit tea after dinner from today.
However, the story doesn't end there. A few months later, Zhang Wei's colleague Li Ming suddenly fainted in the office. Li Ming's situation is similar to Zhang Wei's, he also drinks tea every night and often stays up late to work overtime. After being taken to the hospital, doctors found that Li Ming's blood pressure was alarmingly high, and an electrocardiogram showed a significant irregular heartbeat.
"It's tea after dinner again." The doctor shook his head helplessly, "It seems that this problem is more common than expected. ”
The doctor then convened a mini-health talk detailing the dangers of drinking tea after dinner and sharing some real-life cases.
"One patient, Ms. Wang, drank a cup of green tea every night and thought it would help with digestion. As a result, she often wakes up in the middle of the night, has difficulty sleeping, and has little energy during the day. Over time, she began to gain weight and her blood sugar became unstable.
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After our advice, she stopped the tea after dinner and switched to tea during the day, and as a result, her weight and blood sugar gradually returned to normal. ”
Another case is a Mr. Chen, who is in his 60s, who likes to drink black tea and watch the news in the evening. As a result, his blood pressure has been poorly controlled, and he is often dizzy. The doctor advised him to stop drinking tea after dinner and made some lifestyle adjustments, as a result of which his blood pressure slowly returned to normal.
Through these cases, the doctor further highlighted the potential dangers of drinking tea after dinner and advised everyone to drink tea drinks before 3 p.m. to avoid affecting sleep at night.
Zhang Wei and his colleagues have finally realized that health problems often lurk in habits that seem inconsequential. So, they decided to promote a healthy lifestyle within the company, promoting tea during working hours during the day and avoiding caffeine at night.
Over time, not only have they been more productive, but their physical condition has also improved significantly. This small health crisis turned out to be a major turning point in their lives.
However, the end of the story does not mean that everything is solved. Zhang Wei's friend Xiao Li suddenly asked, "So, will drinking other beverages, such as alcoholic beverages, have similar health problems after dinner?" ”
With this question in mind, Zhang Wei came to the doctor's office again to figure out the answer.
The doctor smiled and said, "That's another interesting and important question. Alcoholic beverages have different mechanisms of action from tea, but their health effects cannot be ignored either. ”
"First of all, alcohol directly affects the central nervous system, and while it can relax and promote falling asleep, in fact, it can interfere with the sleep cycle, especially the deep sleep phase. This means that you may fall asleep quickly, but you don't sleep soundly, and you tend to wake up in the middle of the night and feel tired the next day. ”
"Secondly, alcohol intake will also increase the burden on the liver, and prolonged heavy drinking may lead to serious problems such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. In addition, alcohol can also affect the gastrointestinal tract and increase gastric acid secretion, leading to gastritis, gastric ulcers and other problems. ”
"So, it's best to avoid alcoholic beverages after dinner. If you want to relax, you can choose some caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, such as warm water, honey water, milk, etc. ”
After listening to the doctor's explanation, Zhang Wei and Xiao Li suddenly realized.
They decided to stop drinking tea and alcoholic beverages in the evenings and instead choose a healthier lifestyle.
Through this experience, they learned a lot about health and became more mindful of their lifestyle habits. Zhang Wei sighed: "Health really starts from little things, and any small habit may have a profound impact on our body. ”
This story teaches us that every detail in our lives deserves attention because they can have an important impact on our health. I hope that everyone can take inspiration from this and live a healthier and happier life.
What do you have to say about this? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!
References:
[1] Wu Qian. The Practical Effect of the New Model of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diet Care Health Service, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine Management, 2024-05-14