L-theanine is a natural amino acid, found in green tea plants (lat. Camelia sinensis). It works as an antioxidant and neuroprotectant, that helps you to relax, sleep better, and be more focused and concentrated.
But how should L-theanine be taken? Which time of the day is better, and should you take it on an empty or full stomach? Keep reading and find out more.
L-theanine - Benefits
L-theanine offers a great number of health benefits, such as:
- Increases of cognitive abilities and mental clarity,
- Decreases stress levels and anxiety,
- Helps you relax and sleep better.
To find out more details on health benefits of L-theanine, read our previous article:
L-theanine - When to take?
You can take L-theanine supplements any time of the day, and regardless of having eaten before or not. For the first couple of times, try taking L-theanine at the same time of the day, in the same way, and see how you feel.
One potential benefit of taking L-theanine is an increase in focus and concentration (1), so take it before you need it the most. Some people prefer to work in the morning, and others in the evening. You can then take it before you need it the most.
As L-theanine helps you relax and sleep better, try taking it an hour or two before going to sleep if you´re having trouble sleeping. You will see if this works for you after a couple of days.
Can I take L-theanine with alcohol?
One of the most usual claims regarding various medication or supplements is not to take them with alcohol. When it comes to L-theanine, it seems anything goes, and you can even take it with alcohol.
Interestingly, L-theanine can work positively on detoxifying alcohol from the bloodstream. This means that if you take L-theanine, the alcohol from your organism will clear up quicker than if you took no L-theanine. However, this claim comes from animal studies, and hasn´t so far been confirmed in humans (2).
Can I take L-theanine with coffee?
Just like caffeine, L-theanine naturally occurs in green tea plants. It´s not surprising that these two molecules interact, and even make each other actions more potent.
If you drink green tea, you´ll drink both L-theanine and caffeine at the same time, in moderate amounts. This means that if you take L-theanine supplements with coffee, you will only intensify the effects of both (3).
Literature:
- Li MY, Liu HY, Wu DT, Kenaan A, Geng F, Li HB, Gunaratne A, Li H, Gan RY. L-Theanine: A Unique Functional Amino Acid in Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) With Multiple Health Benefits and Food Applications. Front Nutr. 2022 Apr 4;9:853846. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.853846.
- Sadzuka Y, Inoue C, Hirooka S, Sugiyama T, Umegaki K, Sonobe T. Effects of theanine on alcohol metabolism and hepatic toxicity. Biol Pharm Bull. 2005 Sep;28(9):1702-6. doi: 10.1248/bpb.28.1702.
- Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutr Neurosci. 2008 Aug;11(4):193-8. doi: 10.1179/147683008X301513.
