There are only 24 hours in a day, and even with only those 24 hours, there are lots of things we want to accomplish. Whether it’s personal or career goals, we want something. But, one thing that has always been stopping us is burnout and stress.
Sometimes, no matter how much our mind wants to continue, our body is tired. And in cases where our body feels alive, our minds don’t want to think about anything. There’s always this sort of imbalance that we can’t always get ourselves into that flow.
For years, researchers have been looking for ways for people to cope with everyday stress triggers. And there’s one particular amino acid that they have found to help with these problems - and that is L-theanine.
In this article, we’re going to talk more about this substance: what it is, how it works, its benefits, and why it’s an essential ingredient. This way, you’ll have a better understanding of why it’s included in both our Energy & Focus and Calm & Clarity formulas.
What is L-theanine?
So, what is L-theanine?
L-theanine is an amino acid typically found in tea leaves and some mushrooms. It was discovered around 1949, and the scientists’ initial thought was that it only adds flavor to the tea. However, further research proved that there’s more to this substance than just getting rid of the tea’s bitterness.
It has been found that L-theanine also has a significant effect on our cognitive function, making us achieve a “wakeful relaxation” or the ideal state of mind. But, how does this work?
How does L-theanine Work?
If you are drinking tea, have you noticed how it helps calm you down? That it somehow releases any tension you’ve been feeling? Well, this is mainly because of the L-theanine substance.
It has been found that L-theanine decreases the chemicals in your brain that contribute to your stress and anxiety. And at almost the same time, it sends signals to your brain to stay calm. Here’s how that happens:
The first thing L-theanine does is it increases the levels of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), serotonin, and dopamine. These are calming brain chemicals or neurotransmitters that help regulate your cognitive skills. By increasing these chemicals’ levels, you feel more relaxed, and it even promotes better sleep.
Then, at almost the same time, L-theanine decreases “excitatory” brain chemical levels. These are chemicals in your brain that make you stressed and anxious. So, by doing this, L-theanine is protecting your brain cells from suffering those effects.
And lastly, L-theanine gets to enhance alpha brain waves. Since your mind is now in a calm state, it’s easier for you to get to that “wakeful relaxation” or that state where you’re just in that flow - relaxed, creative, and active.
Therefore, L-theanine brings you to that ideal state where you’re neither tired nor overly energetic.
L-theanine Benefits
With only the three steps enumerated above, L-theanine can already do a lot to your mind. And if you’re going to think about it, there are so many benefits that this simple substance can bring to you every day.
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Improved Sleep
Because your mind and body are now more relaxed, it’s a guarantee that your sleeping experience is improved. You’ll be able to sleep faster and throughout the night.
Now, it’s best to note that this substance is not putting you to sleep. Instead, it’s just making you fully relaxed so that sleeping is no longer a problem.
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Anxiety and Stress Relief
Another significant benefit brought by L-theanine is that it relieves you from stress and anxiety. Your mind just feels clear of any problems, and it’s what makes you function better.
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Increased Focus
L-theanine also helps increase your focus. Your mind is clearer now, so you’re no longer worrying a lot because you’re getting a lot of things done in a day.
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Enhanced Attention, Memory, and Learning
As mentioned earlier, L-theanine helps boost levels of the calming brain chemicals that regulate your cognitive skills.
Because of this, you become more alert, you have better energy levels, you absorb knowledge better, and more. There’s no longer anything there that can interrupt your memory and learning functions.
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Healthy Weight Maintained
L-theanine has always been found to affect weight loss. But the real reason for this is that it makes you less stressed and allows you to sleep well. Thus, helping you maintain a healthy weight.
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Better Immunity
Finally, since you’re already functioning better, you’re getting enough sleep, and you’re no longer pushing yourself to the point of burnout, you become healthier and happier. But other than that, it has also been found that L-theanine decreases infections in the upper respiratory tract and even helps prevent flu.
Why It Is An Essential Ingredient
At Neuro, the main goal is to help you achieve that ideal state of mind. The state wherein you’re not suffering from jitters because of extraordinary energy levels, and you do not also slump because of the low energy levels.
The ideal state is that balance where you are energetic yet calm.
How is this achieved? When we want high energy levels, the first thought typically is to get some caffeine into our system. It’s that energizer that keeps you awake so you can do more. However, too much caffeine will lead to caffeine jitters, which is no longer good.
And this is where L-theanine comes in.
It’s the best support caffeine needs to combat the adverse side effects it brings to the body. The result is an ‘energetic you’ that can function and think clearly.
Final Say
L-theanine alone is a great substance that already offers excellent benefits to the mind. And it’s the perfect substance that can balance out the effects of caffeine, which is why we found it necessary to include this ingredient.
Caffeine and L-theanine are two of the most essential ingredients on our Neuro Calm &Clarity and Neuro Energy & Focus products. One is formulated to harness and improve mental clarity, while the other helps you elevate your energy levels and sustain mental endurance to stay focused.
By combining the Neuro Calm & Clarity and Neuro Energy & Focus, achieving that ideal state of mind is easier.
Hero Image by Matcha & CO on Unsplash
