L-theanine

This week we are chatting about l-theanine. This non-protein amino acid has been getting some extra attention lately so we thought we would weigh in on it. We are chatting about how it can be useful for focus, stress management and sleep and the limitations that it has.

If you have questions, or topics that you want to hear about, head over to our Instagrams https://www.instagram.com/bayleethedietitian/ or https://www.instagram.com/brianna.dietitian/ and send us a DM! You can also follow the podcast https://www.instagram.com/mocktailminutes/

Featured Mocktails: 

Benny

Liquid IV

**Disclaimer** We are not your dietitian. This info is for education only. If you would like to receive personalized nutrition guidance please speak with a dietitian personally. 

Click play, sip back, and be empowered.

Transcript

Baylee 0:21

All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to this week's episode of Mocktail Minutes. This is Bailey.

Brianna 0:27

And this is Brianna

Baylee 0:28

This week I am drinking...

Brianna 0:31

Yeah

Baylee 0:31

What is the brand of this? I don't-- It says Benny, but I don't think it's the brand.

Brianna 0:37

Yeah

Baylee 0:37

it is. I don't know. It says Benny. It's a non-sparkling mint lemonade. This is actually really good. It does have cane sugar in it, but it must be, like, a very small amount because it says zero added sugars. But then sweetened with stevia, and has some lion's mane, ginseng, yerba mate, but it's very delicious.

Brianna 1:02

Bennies Or Benny

Baylee 1:04

For some reason I thought it was, like, a different brand, like, that they had different names, but maybe I'm just thinking of, like, the mom waters.

Brianna 1:12

talking about Yeah

Baylee 1:14

Mm-hmm. They do look similar.

Brianna 1:17

For caffeine-conscious besties They said

Baylee 1:19

Yeah.

Brianna 1:20

at Target Is that where you got it

Baylee 1:21

Yeah.

Brianna 1:21

Okay I'm just doing a plain sparkling water but I added some of the sugar-free strawberry Liquid IV

Baylee 1:28

Ooh,

Brianna 1:28

cause I

Baylee 1:28

that's a good idea.

Brianna 1:30

It's really good but you gotta I should've mixed it with a little bit of regular water and then poured the carbonated water cause if you mix it with the carbonation it kinda makes the carbonation go away But it's

Baylee 1:39

Mm.

Brianna 1:40

Yeah

Baylee 1:41

Okay. Well, today we are talking about L-theanine. We've mentioned this in a couple of episodes, and we realized we've never, like, really talked about L-theanine, what it is. But I am seeing it more common in supplements now, especially, like, supplements that they talk about sleep. I've also heard it used with, like, ADHD. So I think it's becoming more popular. Everyone's really focused on their sleep, I feel like, all the time. Between sleep and weight loss, that's how you sell a supplement.

Brianna 2:11

Oh yeah Sleep weight loss and if you could throw a little stress

Baylee 2:16

Yeah.

Brianna 2:17

Stress management in there which also L-theanine does I just feel like you're golden who doesn't want weight loss better sleep and less stress Yeah

Baylee 2:25

Literally.

Brianna 2:25

But L-theanine and I started looking into it a lot more in terms of ADHD cause it was It can Help if you're on if you take ADHD medicines it can help you not feel so whatever But L-theanine is an amino acid It's a non-protein amino acid so a lot of people when they hear amino acid they think proteins It's a non-protein amino acid found mostly in green tea I think other teas too but teas And it helps to promote calm focused mental state and is often described as relaxed but alert So Not drowsy Relaxed but not drowsy

Baylee 3:00

Yeah, like you're not gonna just like fall over and fall asleep. But with L-theanine, so it is going to affect basically your brain chemistry. So it crosses your blood-brain barrier, and it works to increase GABA, dopamine, and serotonin, so that's how it affects your, like, mood and relaxation. And then it also promotes alpha brainwaves, which is linked to calm focus, similar to like meditation. And then it helps to reduce the stimulating effects of caffeine. So that's where you get, like, smoother energy, less jitter. So I have seen it be added to, like, different energy drinks lately. That's why I almost thought this drink was going to have it because it is like an energy drink, but it does not, so I was surprised by that.

Brianna 3:47

A super popular one that I'm trying to think of that I know for sure has it

Baylee 3:52

I know. That's what I was I thought it was these, but I don't remember. But I have been seeing that more in, like, energy drinks having the L-theanine in it.

Brianna 3:59

Yeah not

Baylee 4:00

But that is what helps to, yes, like reduce that ji- jittery type feeling.

Brianna 4:05

Here have 200 milligrams of caffeine but don't worry you're not gonna feel Which

Baylee 4:11

Yeah.

Brianna 4:12

may actually get some people in trouble cause they're like Oh I feel great I could have it I'm like I feel fine I'm like But it is backed by research So this is one of those things I think

Baylee 4:20

it's a

Brianna 4:35

stress and anxiety reduction So studies show L-theanine can reduce subjective stress and physiological markers like heart rate So lower heart rate And in one trial they found that 200 milligrams a day reduced stress and

Baylee 4:49

bit

Brianna 5:15

which GABA's another one that I feel like started getting popular for a

Baylee 5:20

of a buzzword.

Brianna 5:22

and then people kinda stopped but GABA definitely does help with sleep So it helps to increase the release of that It's an inhibitory transmitter that blocks nerve signals So of times if people have anxiety or sleep disorders Having GABA helps cause it increases that alpha frequency in the brain and again promotes relaxation So there's other things that it does but I think that's the most common when we're thinking of

Baylee 5:47

Mm-hmm.

Brianna 5:47

L-theanine

Baylee 5:48

And then we mentioned, like, the dopamine. So L-theanine increases dopamine levels, which improves your mood and increases alpha frequency brainwaves. So this pattern of brain activity is actually associated with relaxation overall. Another thing we think about with L-theanine is focus. So this is, I would say, kind of where people started looking into it more for, like, ADHD, and especially it's been added to that caffeine, because when combined with caffeine, it's gonna improve attention and reaction time, just, like, being able to switch tasks. But then I think about these things, and I'm like, you know, like, task switching actually makes us less, What's it called?

Brianna 6:36

Productive

Baylee 6:37

What am I... Yeah, that, like, functional. That does not sound right.

Brianna 6:40

yeah

Baylee 6:40

Yeah, it does make us less productive, This is a, like, a frustrating part with supplements is, like, we feel like,"Okay, if I take L-theanine, I'm gonna be so much more focused, and I can just do all my random things and be fine." But then it's like, okay, we, we still have to focus on the lifestyle side of things, and that's where I tend to get frustrated with supplements is, like, they make all these claims, and it's like,"Okay, I'm taking L-theanine now, so now I can just keep my life the same and my stress is down." Like, that's not exactly how anything works. It's kind of like a tool in the toolbox you have to build your house. You're not gonna build an entire house with a hammer.

Brianna 7:20

No.

Baylee 7:21

need other tools to put the f- walls up and everything.

Brianna 7:25

Yeah You're not gonna take an L-theanine supplement when you're on fire and then be like Oh I'm just gonna feel better while on fire

Baylee 7:32

I'm so good now.

Brianna 7:33

You have to move things around okay And yeah you're not gonna just take it and be like Oh now I'm super productive I could do multiple tasks You never do 100 things great Okay our brains are not wired for that does help with focus and so if you're someone who is struggling with I'm not I'm just trying to go to work and do my thing I'm having a hard time focusing Maybe you do have ADHD This could be maybe something to try but it's definitely not gonna be one of those things where I don't have to change anything and suddenly I feel great I could just do more

Baylee 8:02

Not quite. We cannot out-supplement our life or our eating or our lack of water or our lack of sleep We can use tools to help with those things. We have-- we've gotta just stop searching for all the supplements, and I say this and, like... So I do take Moon Brew now at night, and it has L-theanine in it. That doesn't mean I'm throwing all my sleep habits out the window. Like, I'm still focusing on pieces. It's using that in addition. So another thing it does help with is sleep quality, but it's not like a sedative. So L-theanine isn't just gonna like knock you out. It helps more to quiet the mind. So it's really helpful for people whose sleep issues are really driven by stress or just, like, overthinking, that tired but wired feeling. So it's been seen, like, two hundred to four hundred milligrams per day improved sleep efficiency and reduced nighttime wakings overall in a couple of just, like, small trials. So we are seeing that L-theanine may improve sleep quality because of the relaxing effects on our ner-nervous system, and it's also seen to, like, reduce sleep latency or, like, the time it takes to fall asleep. But it's different than melatonin, which we will get into.

Brianna 9:20

Yeah and I was just looking up cause I've been wanting to try the one that you have I was looking at Usually I like MagSoothe and I was I thought it had magnesium with L-theanine It does not It's just magnesium

Baylee 9:33

The Moon Brew does have the magnesium in it too.

Brianna 9:37

I'm gonna tr yeah and those two combinations is really helpful for that latency Like you were talking about Oh it's taking me so long to fall asleep Magnesium and L-theanine that is it's gonna be your

Baylee 9:47

That's a good combo, and I do... I'll text you. I have-- I guess if you're listening now, you can try and see what's available, but Moon Brew did message me. If you message them on Instagram like,"I would like to try this. Can you send me some?" And send them code BaileysGift, then if there's some left that you can get a free canister of it. But Josh and I have both been using it at night, and it was funny. The first night he took it, he was like,"I didn't think I was ever gonna wake up." I was like, Yeah,"'cause you s- he sleeps terrible. Like, he just moves around so much, it drives me nuts. So it does really help that sleep quality, and yeah, having it in combination with that magnesium, I was looking at it, and I was like,"There's some, like, good stuff in here," and it, it tastes so good. And, like, tastes like hot chocolate And there's no, like, there's not all the sugars in it, so even better.

Brianna 10:41

Yeah I was gonna say like Just Ingredients their little nighttime chai I don't know if it has l-theanine It for sure has ashwagandha which a lot of people confuse the two They work a little different and we've talked about... Have we talked about ashwagandha We have right

Baylee 10:55

I feel like we have... I don't think we've done, like, an actual episode on it.

Brianna 11:01

Yeah I don't Yeah But we've

Baylee 11:04

We've talked about it. Maybe that'll be another focus.

Brianna 11:07

I think when we talked about

Baylee 11:09

I think we talked about it, like, in a stress episode.

Brianna 11:12

Yes or the umbrella term for what ashwagandha is I am

Baylee 11:16

oh, we talked about it, adaptogens.

Brianna 11:19

thank you That's the

Baylee 11:20

Oh. I We had an episode on adaptogens, so we talked about ashwagandha,'cause ashwagandha is an adaptogen.

Brianna 11:28

Yes There we go

Baylee 11:29

Man.

Brianna 11:30

gonna bu that was gonna buck me but okay

Baylee 11:33

disclaimer in now that this is for general nutrition education. Always consult your primary provider before changing any of your supplements, as always.

Brianna 11:43

Yes 100 This is just you know We're not telling you to do it okay

Baylee 11:49

the other thing it is helpful for, I would say probably the last thing that's more commonly talked about, like, there is some research around, like, its immunity benefits and everything, but there's also early research around cognitive protection. So some evidence is suggesting that we have, like, neuroprotective effects with L-theanine. But not super great now, still working on that. So then we talked about how L-theanine has also been looked at to help ADHD. Now, a couple caveats with this. So number one, helps improve focus, especially, like, if- Paired with caffeine. On its own, L-theanine promotes calm, but when combined with that caffeine, it can enhance attention in a way that's more relevant for ADHD. So it helps to reduce mental noise and distractibility, and can improve that task switch- switching and sustain attention. But again, like, we still have to do the lifestyle pieces. Like, a- an important part with ADHD is having systems in place to run your life better, so we still have to focus on those. Like, again, it's not,"Oh, we can do this and life's all good," but it can be helpful it can just kind of like take the edge off while preserving focus.

Brianna 13:05

Yeah Yeah Which we I'm not gonna Maybe we should do an ADHD episode ADHD it also reduces hyperactivity imp-impulsivity So this is more mild but it can help So because it's increasing the calm-the calming neurotransmitter GABA it helps to reduce like restful-restlessness impulsivity and the like I can't sit still feeling

Baylee 13:26

Mm-hmm.

Brianna 13:27

this effect is much more subtle than like an actual ADHD medication obviously but it can be helpful and then it helps with the anxiety that worsens ADHD symptoms So like the racing thoughts the overwhelm which turns to avoidance which turns into procrastination So L-theanine can help to lower the stress response in the moment So the heart rate the feeling of feeling really anxious and create a more stable mental baseline that effect indirectly improves focus and e-execution

Baylee 13:58

Mm-hmm. So then the sleep support side of things. Sleep issues are very common in ADHD, that L-theanine can help, like I mentioned, the sleep quality and just that ability to kind of shut down a little bit at night. And then, like, the better sleep you have, the better cognitive function you have the next day. And when we're looking at studies with L-theanine and ADHD, there is one that showed... It was a small study with a group of boys with ADHD that they took 400 milligrams per day, and they did see an improvement in sleep quality, but not core, like, ADH s- ADHD symptoms directly. Some trials show improvements in attention and reaction time, but overall the evidence is promising, but kind of just really limited. Most benefits are indirect, not just like,"Everything is better, I don't have ADHD

Brianna 14:55

Right

Baylee 14:57

number one, with caffeine, having that caffeine/L-theanine combination. It's also can be used alone- So feeling overwhelmed or just social anxiety, L-theanine can be helpful there. It could be used at night. But overall, I would say it can help people who have, like, anxiety, caffeine sensitivity, poor sleep. But there's always, like, the caveats. Like, if you're really don't feel great drinking caffeine, maybe the... Like, you're not deficient in caffeine. Maybe there's other things you need to focus on with your sleep patterns and your bedtime routines, things like that. But overall, it's not going to significantly improve, like, your working memory or your executive dysfunction, like planning and organizing. Effects are subtle. It's not a replacement for medication or therapy or structured routines, especially when we're thinking about in terms for using this for ADHD.

Brianna 15:54

100 And that's a big one is again it's a tool We're not looking for it to be like the magic wand L-theanine is considered really safe It's generally considered very safe but obviously that doesn't mean it doesn't have downsides or that it may not be safe for some people So potential side effects are headaches which is pretty rare dizziness and then mild GI discomfort which I feel like those three things are side effects for everything But

Baylee 16:20

Yes.

Brianna 16:21

And then important considerations would be like blood pressure So because it can lower it if you're someone who is on antihypertensive medications you may wanna watch it and then like sedation stacking like combining alcohol and sleep meds and other calming supplements Again you're just gonna have a compounded effect Be careful And then always pregnant and breastfeeding just because there's not enough data because it is unethical to test things in pregnant women Doesn't mean it's not safe but and also that's the same with kids It's so hard to test kids and pregnant women cause again if something went wrong we can't be like Oops that's not healthy We just

Baylee 16:56

Yeah. mean, even full-grown adults, like, we don't like to test things. Be like,"Let's see if you die if you take this type of thing." So I mean, that's what's tricky about nutrition in general, is like it's hard to do a lot of testing like that. The other thing with L-theanine is we mentioned the melatonin. Melatonin is super common. This is what most people turn to or think of when they think of, like, sleep's not going great. So the Moon Brew I talked about, and a lot of s- newer sleep supplements that I've been looking at, they are taking out melatonin. That is not... Yeah, that is not part of the equation. So when we look at the difference, L-theanine kind of calms the nervous system. It gives you, like, that relaxed focus, more of a gradual wind down. It does not directly induce sleep. Is a hormone that your body naturally produces. It kind of signals sleep timing, so thinking like circadian rhythm, which we have had an episode of that, and it tells your brain,"It's nighttime. Go to sleep." It does not reduce anxiety or stress directly. So indirectly, they can both help with sleep. The reason why a lot of people are taking out melatonin when focusing on these, like, sleep supplements, melatonin isn't dangerous for most people at low doses, but daily use kind of has some trade-offs with it. It's not recommended to use melatonin daily, which is what I see a lot of people doing, and that's why their sleep continues to not be great. So

Brianna 18:28

Yeah

Baylee 18:46

You can also have more morning grogginess, and this is especially common if you're taking over, like, five milligrams. So if we think about it, a lot of people start, they're like,"More is better,"

Brianna 18:58

Yeah

Baylee 19:34

it's a bit of a confusing circle, That's where, like, we can notice it works initially, and then it just becomes less effective over time. So there's not true tolerance in, like, the classic drug sense, but more of a signal de-desensitization and behavior masking effect. You know, when... I would say melatonin makes more sense for, like, jet lag, shift work. I mean, those would be, like, my top two things,

Brianna 20:01

Yeah

Baylee 20:02

honestly. Yeah.

Brianna 20:03

or if you obviously this oh this could be everyone but let's say you just have an intense day in front of like screens constantly or getting like a ton of blue light cause blue light blocks melatonin Maybe right Cause there's been times where I'm like Oh I literally was on screens all day It was late I did not manage that well Okay But the thing with melatonin is it is a hormone and anytime you have too much of a hormone your body stops listening to the signal It is better to get natural melatonin production and that's with early morning light So early morning light stimulates melatonin production that in theory should start to work within 12 hours So if you think about it got early morning light at 8 o'clock By 8 o'clock a.m by 8:00 p.m I'm starting to get more calm I'm like ready to be in a relaxed state Notice how that's starting to happen 12 hours before If you just take a ton of melatonin right before sleep it's not gonna work as well like the way melatonin is supposed to work It has a time but you're right I see people taking it constantly And this is something like if you have kids with ADHD I've heard doctors be like have your kids take melatonin at night cause the ADHD medication makes them really wired Okay Durds it's not I'm against it but there's way more better things you could do there's tons of kids L-theanine magnesium supplements maybe that could be better It's just

Baylee 21:24

Mm-hmm.

Brianna 21:24

It doesn't work the way it's supposed to and then you feel

Baylee 21:26

Keep

Brianna 21:26

the next day and then you drink a ton of caffeine and then you feel more jittery and then you have less good sleep and you kinda just keep you keep it going

Baylee 21:34

the vicious circle going, and we don't even realize it. That's why I, I think it was important that we did this episode because I've been looking more into, like, L-theanine, but I also know, like, most people are gonna turn to melatonin. That's what's commonly known to help sleep. And it is challenging, like, even with our jobs. Like, we both are virtual dieticians. Like, we work online all day long, and

Brianna 22:00

Yeah

Baylee 22:01

so, like, if I were to take melatonin every night, like, that's not... Because this is my every day. And so thinking about, okay, what are we doing? So that's where I prior- prioritize either I make sure I get one outside walk in a day. Sometimes I actually get three, and it depends on how the day goes, but, like, I try to get in in the morning or in the afternoon or at nighttime. It, it can be helpful to get it as, like, the sun's going down, going outside. That also helps set your circadian rhythm. So doing things like that, taking time away from screens as able, wearing blue light blockers even throughout the day. Or then, yeah, like, there's been some times where it's like, okay, we had calls all day on the computer, and then, oh, we have a workshop we're doing tonight, so then it's, like, literally 12 hours of sc- staring at a screen.

Brianna 22:50

And

Baylee 22:51

So just being aware.

Brianna 22:52

at some point you're on your phone right at

Baylee 22:54

Yeah.

Brianna 22:55

you're on your phone

Baylee 22:56

but that other part

Brianna 22:57

Yeah So if you're thinking I need help with relaxation circadian rhythm sleep I would say long-term L-theanine probably fits better because it's not going to override hormones it doesn't force sleep timing and it doesn't It works on stress pathways more appropriately instead of messing with your circadian rhythm It supports your natural circadian rhythm So Food for thought But again we're not a doctor we're not your dieticians We don't know your all your medical history It's just info

Baylee 23:27

Here's your info.

Brianna 23:29

Here's your info and then do with that what you will You're welcome

Baylee 23:33

Yeah. We're just here to provide the information so that way you're aware because yeah, we don't know what we don't know, and we're all doing our best, and that was a big point of creating this podcast is to educate and just to, like, let you know what's going on in the world, and it helps keep us up to date on everything'cause it's very hard to keep up with everything.

Brianna 23:51

Yeah Yeah and I love it when I feel like there's always something coming up every week I have clients being like Have you heard of this diet Or Have you heard of this supplement Or What do you think about this And I'm like Okay

Baylee 24:01

No, I have not.

Brianna 24:03

it helps us keep up to date with e everything's always changing It's always super intense There's always something sparkly out there Most of it isn't worth your time but sometimes yeah like this L L-theanine I would say yeah, it would get the green light from me Cool I like

Baylee 24:18

Yeah. I think it's funny'cause some of our followers have mentioned too, where they're just like,"At this point, I'm just skeptical of every supplement that people recommend." Like, honestly, that's not a bad thing. I kind of am too. But something like this or, like, creatine, they could be good additions.

Brianna 24:34

Yeah Yeah I know That's always my initial thought is like Nah it probably

Baylee 24:37

Nah. No, thanks.

Brianna 24:39

Make myself look into it I try to like but yeah let's be real

Baylee 24:44

Yeah. All right, everyone, we hope this episode was helpful. Let us know if questions came up. Send us a DM@mocktailminutes, and we will be back next week with a brand-new episode. Bye.