IS it possible to have too much tea?

Britains are famous for their love of a good brew - and to mark it, today (April 21) is National Tea Day.

But just how much does the nation drink? And how many people are sacrificing sleep for a bedtime cuppa?

Sofa and carpet specialist, ScS, has carried out a survey of 2,000 people to reveal some cheeky caffeine-based insights into the tea-drinking behaviour of us Brits.

The poll revealed that roughly five cups are consumed per day, per person, adding up to a whopping 225 MILLION cups of tea being gulped down each day in the UK.

The survey also delved into the preferred time to have a brew.

Just under a third (31%) have a cuppa at 8am, with afternoon pick-me-ups at midday (25%) and 3pm (27%).

One in 20 (5%) people admit to having a remarkable 12 cups of tea in a single day, while Northern Ireland guzzles down the most per person - at an average of eight cups each day.

When adding a spoonful of sugar to the mix, 37% have it, with the majority (82%) of those having one spoon or less.

Looking at the last brew of the day, a third (31%) confessed to having one after 9pm while curled up on the sofa or tucked up in bed, when most are settling down for the night.

However, when it comes to drifting off to sleep at night, over half (52%) confessed that tea disrupts their sleep.

Lisa Artis, sleep advisor from The Sleep Council, gave advice on why people should not enjoy a brew before bedtime.

“Caffeine is a stimulant which blocks the sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain, increasing adrenaline production, and making it harder to fall asleep," she said.

"Each cup of black tea contains approximately 40 to 70mg of caffeine, which is roughly half as much as is in a cup of coffee.

"When you drink a cup of tea, the caffeine is absorbed by your body in roughly half an hour. This then disrupts the function of one of the body’s key sleep-inducing molecules, adenosine.

“Every individual has a different reaction to caffeine, so it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact time to stop drinking tea before bed.

"Ideally, we should stop three to four hours before sleep. However, some may prefer to stop drinking it much earlier on in the day, and others have no problems when drinking tea just before bed.

"If you’re someone who can struggle to fall asleep, I’d suggest going caffeine-free earlier than you usually would, and see what happens.”

Commenting on the research, Dale Gillespie, from ScS, said: “It’s no shock to see how much the nation loves tea. Even I’ll admit that I can’t go without a cuppa to get me through the day.

"Although tea might be affecting our sleep, it seems as though nothing could stop the nation from drinking our beloved hot drink entirely, but it’s definitely worth being mindful when drinking lots of caffeine if we’re hoping for a better night’s kip.”

Here are the maps showing our tea-drinking habits...

Somerset County Gazette: Somerset County Gazette: