L-Theanine and Green Tea - What You Need To Know

With the cost of living rising, high energy bills, an on-the-go lifestyle and just about everything changing in the UK, life can get pretty stressful. While there are a ton of ways to cope, one way of staying calm may be increasing your intake of L-Theanine.

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in green tea, which in ample amounts acts as a buffer towards stress and anxiety. However, this isn't the only major benefit of  L-Theanine and green tea; there are a ton of benefits to your mental and physical well-being.

Today, dive in with us and learn everything you need to know about the two together and why you should be adding more to your diet. 

Green tea as a source of L-Theanine

With a range of different sources for the amino acid L-Theanine, one of the best readily available sources is green tea. It is found naturally in tea leaves and easily absorbed by the intestine and the blood-brain barrier.

Green tea, on average, can contain between 5-40 mg in a cup of l-theanine, depending on the type. The plant and shading options can influence the amount of l-theanine in the tea. It’s believed L-theanine helps increase alpha brain waves, encouraging relaxation and attention.

What are the benefits of L-theanine?

Just like many amino acids, there are a lot of benefits to adding L-theanine to your diet. Here are some benefits linked to L-theanine: 

Lowered anxiety and stress relief

L-theanine may help increase calming neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, encouraging relaxation. Research shows that L-theanine can help reduce stress and improve mood and sleep, more research is needed. 

Helps manage blood pressure

L-theanine supplementation is thought to help manage blood pressure during stressful tasks. It's believed to help the sympathetic nervous system and reduce stress-induced spikes in blood pressure, encouraging relaxation and a lower heart rate. 

Improved sleep

It’s believed L-Theanine can help support the blood-brain barrier and modulate neurotransmitters, increasing serotonin, GABA, and dopamine, which are closely tied to relaxation and sleep regulation. Research shows that L-theanine may help improve sleep quality and sleep efficiency, shorten the time to fall asleep for people with stress or mild sleep difficulties. 

Increased focus and concentration 

L-theanine is thought to help aid focus and concentration, creating a calm yet alert brain state, which can improve attention, reaction time and memory under stress or tiredness.  It’s believed L-theanine helps increase alpha brain waves, which are associated with wakefulness and focus as opposed to drowsiness. 

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