Did you know that a tiny, barely noticeable amino acid could be the key to better sleep and true relaxation?
You may have heard that L-theanine can help you fall asleep faster or get a better night’s sleep. You can even pair it with a magnesium-rich hot beverage to enhance focus levels and attention span. It seems that L-theanine wears many hats – so many that it almost seems too good to be true.
So, how is it that one compound can be responsible for so many things? What is L-theanine, exactly, and how has it taken this long for it to reach the spotlight?
Let’s unpack the answers to these questions and more as we explore how L-theanine affects relaxation, sleep, and wellness.
Key Takeaways:
- L-theanine is an amino acid that’s abundant in tea leaves, especially green tea. It’s known for its relaxing, sleep-enhancing, and cognitive benefits.
- Because it’s structurally comparable to neurotransmitters like GABA, L-theanine can interact with the brain in similar ways.
- Potential benefits of L-theanine include better sleep quality, lowered stress, less anxiety, and improved attentiveness.
- L-theanine is generally safe and well-tolerated, but can cause mild side effects like headaches, nausea, and irritability.
See Related: 5 Best Sugar Substitutes for Better Health
What Is L-Theanine?
There’s a good reason that warm, sweet cup of tea has a reputation for being oh-so comforting. Spoiler alert: it’s not the cream and sugar (or lack thereof), and it’s not the blend of tea you choose. It’s something that’s too small to be perceptible by the human eye: L-theanine.
L-theanine is a unique amino acid commonly found in tea leaves, particularly green and loose-leaf teas. Like other amino acids, L-theanine is used by the body to make proteins, the building blocks of life. What makes L-theanine unique, though, is its potential mood-relaxing and calming effects.
We can likely thank L-theanine for most of the warm, fuzzy, and feel-good effects we get from sipping on a hot cup of tea. In fact, it’s so abundant that it can be responsible for up to 50% of the total amino acids in your cup!
It’s no wonder that L-theanine has gained popularity and public attention as a nootropic agent. In supplement form, L-theanine often comes in pill form or tablet form. But how does L-theanine actually perform outside of tea leaves?
How it Works
Before we can understand just what L-theanine does to the mind and body, we first have to take a brief neuroscience lesson.
Within the brain are compounds called neurotransmitters, which act as “chemical messengers.” They ensure that neurons can communicate with each other and other parts of the body, like nerve cells.
There are two specific neurotransmitters that are relevant when it comes to L-theanine:
- Glutamate. This is the most abundant “excitatory” neurotransmitter in your brain. When released, it stimulates or “excites” a nerve cell. It also ensures that chemical messages continue to move forward from one cell to the next, meaning it’s essential for proper brain function.
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This is a calming neurotransmitter that’s created from glutamate. GABA also plays a crucial role in sleep, anxiety regulation, and relaxation.
Both of these have structural similarities to L-theanine. That means that L-theanine can interact with the brain in ways that are comparable to glutamate and GABA. L-theanine has also been noted for its ability to enhance GABAergic activity, meaning it could lend a helping hand in brain functions related to GABA.
So, what does this actually mean in terms of experience? L-theanine can help regulate neurotransmitter systems that relate to stress, anxiety, and other cognitive capabilities. As a result, it may directly affect how our brains handle those challenges.
Put simply, L-theanine can help essentially streamline communication between our brain and nerve cells. And, since it only takes about an hour to cross the blood-brain barrier, it’s a relatively quick way to give yourself a boost.
What Are the Benefits of L-Theanine?
Commonly touted benefits of L-theanine include stress reduction, anxiety relief, improved sleep quality, better focus, and a state of relaxed alertness. Actually, there are so many reported benefits of L-theanine that it’s easy to get confused about how it can help you.
Some proponents claim that L-theanine helps you feel more alert and concentrated, but others say it helps them get a good night’s sleep. How, if at all, can both these things be true at once?
We already know that L-theanine is similar to both glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, and GABA, a calming neurotransmitter. Some research suggests that L-theanine may impact alpha waves in the brain that are associated with relaxation and selective attention.
In a nutshell, it seems that L-theanine can be both uplifting and calming – what makes the difference is how and when you take it. Your results may vary, but there are a few main benefits that are consistently supported by research and anecdotal evidence. Let’s take a look at each in more detail.
Better Sleep Quality
Perhaps no benefit of L-theanine is better known than its alleged ability to help you get better sleep. While research into how L-theanine affects sleep is definitely still limited, there is some evidence to support this claim.
For instance, one 2019 study explored the benefits of L-theanine and GABA supplement combinations on sleep quality and length. It found that the combination could increase sleep duration and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Another study focused on subjects with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can cause hyperactivity-related symptoms and insomnia. Researchers discovered that 200 mg of L-theanine twice daily for several weeks seemed to improve sleep quality for subjects.
In both cases, L-theanine’s ability to promote better, more restful sleep was evident, similar to that of GABA.
Bonus: Can GABA Help You Sleep Better?
Reduced Anxiety and Stress Levels
Do you reach for a hot beverage, whether that be green tea with honey or hot cocoa with stevia leaf extract, to calm down after a chaotic day? You’re not alone. What you may actually be reaching for is a natural way to boost levels of crucial neurotransmitters.
Evidence suggests that L-theanine can elevate levels of not only GABA but also dopamine and serotonin. All of these can help promote feelings of relaxation and lower anxiety levels. Other studies have similarly demonstrated that using L-theanine can support stress management and manage stress-related symptoms.
Improved Mental Clarity
A sneaky benefit of L-theanine is its cognitive function enhancement properties, which researchers are still trying to fully understand. What we can observe is that L-theanine seems to boost attention, focus, and some kinds of cognitive functions. These mental health benefits are heightened when L-theanine is taken with caffeine.
When taken in the evening, L-theanine may help you feel mentally alert enough to avoid drowsiness even as full-body relaxation kicks in.
Is it Safe? L-Theanine Side Effects & Risks
L-theanine is typically considered safe for most people. However, it’s always best to check with your primary care provider before taking any new dietary supplement. This is especially true if you have any underlying health conditions, take medications, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
As with anything you put into your body, L-theanine can also come with some side effects. Fortunately, these are uncommon and tend to be mild. If they do emerge, though, side effects of L-theanine may include:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Irritability
- Jitteriness
How to Use L-Theanine for Sleep & Relaxation
Ready to see how L-theanine can transform how you experience nighttime? Here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you get started.
- Choose the Right Setting: Remember that it can take up to an hour for L-theanine to begin to work its magic. Take your L-theanine at a time and place that makes sense for your goals.
- Consult a Healthcare Provider: If you take any prescription medication in the evening or before bed, be sure to talk to your provider before trying L-theanine. It can, however, be taken safely alongside melatonin.
- Avoid Caffeine Consumption: When using L-theanine for sleep and relaxation, caffeine is not your friend. Since caffeine actually enhances L-theanine’s excitatory effects, it will do the opposite of helping you sleep better. Plus, caffeine itself can contribute to insomnia. Try to limit or avoid caffeine altogether in the hours leading up to bedtime.
- Practice Good Sleep Hygiene: Create an evening routine you enjoy, and stick to it. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to wind down and relax so that when it’s time to sleep, your mind and body are on the same page.
It’s also a good idea to keep a sleep journal to help you track how your body responds to different dosages of L-theanine.
L-Theanine Dosage Recommendations
Most healthy adults can take between 200 and 500 mg of L-theanine per day. It’s not recommended to exceed 500 mg in one day. Higher doses are more likely to cause adverse effects.
Start low and slowly adjust your dose as needed to achieve your desired effects.
Sip Your Way to a Great Night’s Sleep: L-Theanine Hot Chocolate Mix
Combined with the already impressive potential health benefits of hot chocolate, L-theanine and GABA promise to help revolutionize your evening wellness routine.
That’s why we’ve formulated our Mindful Evening Hot Cocoa Mix with both, giving your body what it needs to calm the nervous system and sink into a state of relaxation.
Each serving is also enhanced with 3 mg of melatonin to send you drifting into a deep sleep. Just mix in the warm liquid of your choice and enjoy! It’s a natural addition to a relaxation-focused routine that’s sure to make each night special.
Looking for a sugar-free alternative? Our Sugar-Free Mindful Evening Cocoa is made with organic stevia to help you avoid an evening sugar rush.
Leverage the Power of L-Theanine for Yourself
If you’re looking for a wellness gem that can help you kick anxiety to the curb, catch some much-needed shut-eye, and settle into a relaxing evening, L-theanine could be a good fit.
Taking L-theanine about an hour before you’d like to relax or go to bed ensures you’ll be plenty calm when it’s time to unwind. At the same time, L-theanine isn’t so sedating that it will leave you too fatigued to enjoy the hours of tranquil bliss it brings.
The best way to know what L-theanine can do for you is to give it a try. Pair it with other ingredients, like melatonin or GABA, to take things a step further. It won’t take long before the stresses of the day melt away.
There you have it – that’s the tea on this wellness superstar.
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Mindful Nutrition is a veteran-owned company with a passion for health and mental wellness. We use natural ingredients to support both body and mind, including melatonin, GABA, ashwagandha, and L-Theanine. Our hot cocoa blends are vegan, non-GMO, and plant-based, designed to promote relaxation, calmness, and better sleep. We utilize third-party testing on all products to ensure purity, quality, and safety. To stay connected and learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
