Theanine may also increase alpha brain waves (α-waves), which are associated with a state of “wakeful relaxation,” selective attention mechanisms , arousal and mental alertness. Theanine seems to impact two important areas of the brain called the amygdala and hippocampus, which help control fear responses and memory. Theanine has been found to cross the blood-brain barrier, especially when given as an injection, and when taken orally it can increase brain concentrations of the compound for up to five hours. What does L-theanine do to the brain to help calm you down? L-theanine has anti-stress effects because it inhibits (blocks) cortical neuron excitation. Results after the mental tasks showed that L-theanine significantly inhibited the blood-pressure increase associated with stress, while caffeine tended to have a similar but smaller inhibition of blood pressure. Participants were placed under conditions of physical or psychological stress, in which they orally took either L-theanine + placebo, caffeine + placebo or placebo only. Both L-theanine and caffeine’s effects on mental task performance and physiological activities were investigated. ( 3) In one study, L-theanine was shown to reduce scores on a tension-anxiety test compared to placebo. If you suffer from nervousness, anxiety, depression or other stress-related issues, you can likely benefit from L-theanine’s relaxing effects, although it likely won’t have a strong enough effect to reduce severe anxiety. It is said to be “a relaxing agent without causing sedation,” meaning it can help improve your ability to deal with stress without making you feel lethargic or tired.

One of the most well-researched L-theanine benefits is its ability to promote relaxation and fight stress. Can Help Relieve Anxiety and Reduce Effects of Stress What are the benefits of L-theanine? Below are five ways it can benefit your sleep, mental health, cognition and more. However, studies suggest that both L-theanine and caffeine can have beneficial effects on cognition and mood when used appropriately. Because L-theanine tends to promote relaxation, while caffeine promotes alertness, the two have opposite but complementary effects. Is L-theanine the same as caffeine? No - the two are different, although they are both found in beverages, including green tea. Glutamate is considered an excitatory neurotransmitter, but L-theanine binds to the same receptors in the brain as glutamate and therefore has opposite, inhibitory effects. Glutamine is needed to produce the neurotransmitter called glutamate.

Glutamine is one of 20 naturally occurring amino acids in dietary protein and is the most abundant amino acid in the bloodstream, making up 30 percent to 35 percent of the amino acid nitrogen in your blood.

Both can be supportive of overall mental health and energy levels, but theanine is more capable of acting as a natural stress-reliever. L-theanine and the amino acid glutamine are structurally similar but have different effects and benefits. It may help improve the effects of drugs used to treat cancer drugs.High blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.Cognitive loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.Anxiety, depression and other mood-related disorders.What does L-theanine do for you? It is used to help prevent and treat conditions, including: L-theanine is considered a nondietary, nonessential amino acid because even though it has certain benefits, we don’t require it from our diets. The greatest sources of L-theanine in our diets are green, black and white teas - but because most people don’t drink very large quantities of tea on a daily basis, L-theanine supplements can be beneficial.Īs we’ll cover more below, drinking tea and taking L-theanine supplements can help reduce the effects of stress, protect the brain, support the cardiovascular system and much more. It’s a unique amino acid because it’s not used to form proteins - unlike many other amino acids, such as l-carnitine, leucine, lysine, methionine or tryptophan - and is not used to make enzymes. Most people don’t acquire a lot of theanine from their diets since it’s not available in many commonly eaten foods. It is known as natural ananxiolytic because it can have a calming, sedative effect on the body and mind without making you feel drowsy - which is why it’s often used to reduce anxiety, hyperactivity and sleep-related problems. What is L-theanine, and what is it used for? L-theanine (also called theanine, or sometimes r-glutamylethylamide) is an amino acid that impacts nerve impulses in the brain and the release of neurotransmitters, including GABA.

Theine definition