L-Theanine is a popular and necessary supplement in the modern age, saturated with stress and restlessness. People turn to self-medication with alcohol and fast food for comfort, but this only serves to wreck their health — both mental and physical.
Those in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle may consider other pathways to ridding stress from their lives.
This is why we recommend the addition of L-Theanine into your diet, either via supplementation or in teas.
Why You Should Supplement L-Theanine
What is L-Theanine?
L-Theanine is a water-soluble non-essential amino acid, that isn’t produced by the body, that is found in teas and some mushrooms.
It is most commonly associated with black and green tea. Alongside anti-oxidants or catechins found in green tea, they can make the difference for your wellbeing.
1. It Can Combat Stress and Anxiety
Stress, as it well known, can kill.
Not only can stress kill you, but it will kill you slowly — starting with disrupting fat loss and muscle gain.
Stress — cortisol — is catabolic, meaning that it promulgates muscle wastage, as well as having a nasty habit of lowering your testosterone levels.
L-Theanine can come to the rescue and dispel both stress and anxiety.
One study found that it can quell the symptoms of stress and anxiety in sufferers of Schizophrenia [R].
Some nootropic and pre-workout supplements contain L-Theanine to take the edge off the stimulants’ side effects, namely jitteriness and anxiety.
It also pairs well with magnesium — which we have written about in the past.
2. L-Theanine Can Help Improve Sleep
Sleep and recovery are extremely important — not just to making progress as a lifter — but also to improve your life expectancy and quality of life.
Decent sleep quality can DOUBLE your testosterone levels. Imagine how your quality of life could improve by doubling your testosterone levels.
Poor sleep is linked to a slew of negatives such as poor cognitive function, reduced athletic performance, cancer, lowered immune system, and more.
L-Theanine can help improve your quality of sleep.
3. Improved Focus
As we have mentioned, it is often added into pre-workout supplements and nootropic stacks as it helps take the edge off the rougher side-effects of stimulants.
However, in addition to taking the edge off, studies found that L-Theanine also improved focus when paired with caffeine at lower caffeine doses.
Coupled with its anti-anxiety and destressing qualities, L-Theanine can be a powerful aid to situations requiring problem solving.
4. Immune System Boost
Studies have shown that this naturally occurring amino acid can help boost the immune system — particular for upper respiratory tract infections and the flu [R].
Another study — that requires further substantiation — indicated that L-Theanine could help with reducing gastrointestinal inflammation [R].
Discerning lifters should place emphasis on improving their immune health as sick days can eat into your progress at the gym.
5. It Can Lower Your Blood Pressure
Perhaps this is because it can reduce anxiety and stress, but L-Theanine has been shown to lower blood pressure in a number of studies [R].
High blood pressure is something all lifters should get under control if they’re in it for the long haul.
Stimulant enthusiasts and some enhanced lifters may look to consider either supplementing L-Theanine or sipping on some tea to help get their BP down.
This, in turn, will assist with improving sleep quality, as we previously mentioned, which can go a long way in improving your life for the better.
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