Have you ever sat down to study after lunch and suddenly just felt the urge to take a big nap? Your mind wanders from the homework on calculations of the return on investment to the warmth of your bed. Sounds pretty accurate, right? Well, you are not alone. 

This is actually a medical condition known as “food coma.” In medical terms, it is called Postprandial Somnolence. Don’t worry, it is nothing serious. Actually, it is pretty common and can be prevented by going for a walk, choosing to eat a smaller meal or even consuming tea after the meal. 

There are many types of tea, so which one do you choose?

Black tea

Black tea is the low calorie drink that can help you get back on track to studying in no time. Black tea may not satisfy your taste buds, but sometimes the bad taste should be overlooked. 

Black tea has been shown to improve mental performance. This means more focus, more alertness, and less time spent on that homework whether it be solving chemistry problems or trying to find the glitch in your Python code. 

Chai Latte 

Warming up your body through this fusion of spices and milk, chai latte is proven to be beneficial for uplifting your mood and also promoting digestion. Hence, this is great for consumption during your post-meal fatigue. Now sold in Starbucks and also at Da Vinci’s, be sure to stop by and try it out. 

If you don’t have the time to go to these vendors, consider buying tea bags to steep and make your own chai. To reap the most benefits, it is important to remember that chai is a fusion of different ingredients; each ingredient serves a unique purpose in the blend. Personally, I recommend adding, at the minimum, ginger and cardamom.

Boba Tea

If I were talking about tea and I didn’t mention this one, it would be unjust. Boba tea is a favorite. I don’t know if I would recommend this to be consumed right after a big meal but definitely would recommend experimenting with this as an afternoon drink. 

Also called bubble tea, this is considered to be more of a treat due to its sweetness. However, boba is a great drink to have on the go. There are different types of boba tea, so you can experiment with the type of tea to include like black tea and green tea. There are just too many combos to list.

Green Tea 

This one is great because it boosts your metabolism. It can be drunk alone, but it does taste slightly bitter. Personally, I enjoy it on occasion with some lemon. Green tea can also be combined with honey; I recommend experimenting to see which combo best suits your taste. 

This tea is also proven to improve mental alertness, so it is slightly comparable to black tea in its effects on mental performance. However, it has half the amount of caffeine compared to that in black tea. Additionally, green tea can be a remedy for your post-exam headaches. This one can also be bought in the form of tea bags if you’re feeling like having instant tea.

So, that’s the tea. I hope you find this to be helpful in combating your post-meal fatigue. 

Commentary writer Vidhi Parekh can be reached at [email protected].