What is L-Theanine?

L-Theanine is an amino acid that is derived from tea leaves. L-theanine has been shown to promote relaxation without inducing drowsiness, improve concentration, aid in sleep quality and reduce levels of anxiety. It is known as a non dietary amino acid which means it is not required by your body for survival and it is rarely ingested in effective quantities through your diet.

Benefits & Functions

Benefit: L-Theanine can promote relaxation without drowsiness. 

Down regulation is something that many people struggle with. People are great at pounding stimulants to get them through the day but when the time comes to relax it can be a real struggle to do so effectively. L-Theanine not only helps you relax but it does so without making you feel drowsy, so you can make the most of your relaxing time without having to fight the urge to sleep. 

Function: How can L-Theanine promote relaxation without drowsiness? 

L-Theanine gets to work in your brain after ingestion. It promotes relaxation by binding to the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, excitatory neurotransmitters fire your brain into action and are one of the main contributing factors to your inability to switch off. L-Theanine blocks the effects of glutamate which then leads to a more relaxed state. L-Theanine manages to promote relaxation without inducing drowsiness by simultaneously increasing alertness and concentration. 

Benefit: L-Theanine may help improve concentration.

Improving concentration can vastly improve all areas of your life be it your performance in the gym, the boardroom or your social life. Distractions are rife in today’s world with social media and smartphones leading you astray at every opportunity which makes everything you do take twice as long. L-Theanine can help you to zone on your task at hand. 

Function: How can L-Theanine help improve concentration? 

L-Theanine has nootropic qualities and has been shown in clinical studies to improve attentional switch, intersensory attention, and rapid visual information processing. L-Theanine achieves this by producing alpha waves and increasing the presence of GABA in your brain. Alpha waves are typically present when you are in a state of deep relaxation, with your eyes closed but are not yet sleeping. GABA is your primary calming neurotransmitter which puts your brain into a relaxed state of mind and blocks out all your scattered thoughts.It is the synergy of these two factors that makes L-Theanine so effective at improving concentration. 

Benefit: L-Theanine can help improve sleep quality.

When it comes to sleep most people focus on the amount they need, e.g ‘I have to get my 8 hours’, but what about the quality of your sleep? After all, you could sleep for 10 hours but if the overall quality of those 10 hours is low then you are still going to be drowsy, low on energy and reliant on stimulants when you wake up. Sleep quality is rarely even thought about as something to focus on despite the numerous effects it can have on your daily life. 

Function: How can L-Theanine improve sleep quality?

Most sleep aids act as a sedative which means they attempt to make the desire to sleep overwhelming or, in other words, they force you to fall asleep. L-Theanine works in a much more effective and subtle way by reducing stress levels, blocking the effects of excitatory neurotransmitters, increasing GABA production and easing your brain into a more relaxed state that is free of erratic thoughts. 

Benefit: L-Theanine can help relieve symptoms of anxiety.

Anxiety symptoms include feeling worried or nervous, being uneasy about the outcome of something, strong feelings of apprehension and fear about the consequences of an upcoming event or decision. Anxiety can be difficult to combat however, L-Theanine can help relieve some symptoms of anxiety by positively influencing your state of mind on a neurological level. It can help you form some semblance of order out of the chaos in your mind that is apparent when you are suffering from anxiety. 

Function: How can L-Theanine relieve symptoms of anxiety? 

L-Theanine reduces symptoms of anxiety by enhancing alpha brain wave activity and increasing the production of GABA. One of the positive side effects of increased GABA is an increase in dopamine, the ‘feel good’ hormone, and increased dopamine also leads to less serotonin. The combination of these factors coupled with the ability of L-Theanine to clear your mind of chaotic and sporadic thoughts make it effective at reducing the symptoms of anxiety.

Where can you get quality L-Theanine?

Optisom by ATP labs has been formulated with clinically effective doses of L-Theanine. Optisom has been formulated to be the gold standard of sleep and stress relief supplementation with clinically proven ingredients with effective doses. (N1TEN = 10% off)

Nutri-Dyn carries pure L-Theanine that you can take during the day if you need some assistance to combat anxiety or mental stress without the additional sleep aids. Automatically get 10% off HERE