Do you want to sleep better and deeper? Chances are, if you’re reading this page, that you would love to sleep deeper and feel more refreshed in the mornings! If you want to find out what the connection is between l theanine and sleep and how l theanine can help you sleep deeper and wake up with more energy… then continue reading!
L theanine and sleep
Most people nowadays don’t sleept enough. For some of you it might be that you have an intensive job and social life that leaves you not enough time to get your 8 hours a night.
And for others it might be that you do have the time… but you lie awake at night in bed, wondering why you can’t sleep.
Whatever the reason why you’re not sleeping enough, l theanine can help you sleep better.
The reason that l theanine and sleep go so well together, is that l theanine increases the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. This causes the brain to feel more relaxed. And as a result you’ll feel more calm.
Usually I take l theanine for focus and productivity. But once a while, if I’m having trouble sleeping, I’ll take an extra high dose of theanine. I find this always makes me feel really mellow and relaxed. I always quickly doze off after taking a big spoonful of theanine.
Why is L theanine and sleep a good combination?
Like we just discussed, l theanine makes your brain feel more relaxed. And that in turn makes you more likely to fall asleep. But there’s more.
Not only does l theanine make it easy for you to fall asleep. But it also increases the quality of your sleep. Studies have done on people with ADHD, and it was pretty clear that their sleep quality increased.
Now, you might not have ADHD, but with our hyper-connected world it sometimes seems to me that everybody is suffering a little from some attention deficit 😉
And what’s more – I’m not the only one who notices this great effect of l theanine and sleep. There are literally hundreds of people on forums and other websites saying the same thing.
But of course you shouldn’t take my word for it. The best way to find out if l theanine helps you sleep deeper and faster – is to take it a couple of times before you go to bed!
This way you’ll find out for yourself if l theanine is a supplement that works well with your body.
How to use l theanine to sleep better
If you’re curious how you can use l theanine if you want to sleep deeper and better, here’s what I recommend you do:
Take 100-300 mg 1 hour before you go to bed
Pretty self eplanatory. If you usualy go to bed at 11 PM, then you take a teaspoon of l theanine at 10 PM. You might want to get a little scale to exactly measure how much you’re taking.
The first time I recommend you take 200 mg. If it doesn’t work, you can always try to up the dose to 300 (or maybe 400, for larger persons).
And if 200 mg works, you can either take a little less the next time you need to sleep well – or keep on using 200 mg. After all, you don’t have to be economical with theanine because:
- Theanine is very cheap. You can get a 200 gram bag (that’s over 1000 tablespoons) for around $50.
- If you take theanine in excess to what your body can use, your body will get rid of the excess theanine through your urine.
So, feel free to experiment to find out what your optimal dose is for theanine and sleep!
Can you take l theanine daily?
Another question I often get is whether you can take l theanine daily. It’s a good question, since there are a great dela of supplements that work less effectively if you use it mroe often.
But theanine is not one of them. I’ve found that unless you’re using l theanine for focus & productivity purposes – it doesn’t lose its effect if you use it daily.
However, with that said. There’s one thing somebody recently pointed out which is very true for l theanine and sleep…
One thing to watch out for when taking l theanine for sleep
If you want to take l theanine to sleep better, then I highly recommend that you have at least 7-8 hours of time in which you can actually sleep.
if you don’t have this time to sleep, chances are that you’ll wake up a little groggy. Why? Because theanine will allow you to sleep very deeply. And if your body’s natural rhythm wants it to sleep for around 7-8 hours, and you sleep only 5 for example… you’ll wake up from a very deep sleep, and it might be tough to wake up at first.
So, if you’re planning on taking l theanine for sleep, it might be wise to arrange your schedule so, that you can get 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Which is not a bad idea in any case!
Other sleep tips besides taking l theanine:
- Make your room as dark as possible – this will help your body to sleep very deeply. Black-out curtains will help you a lot.
- Turn of your phone – one of the worst things you can do for your sleep is to leave your phone turned on. Sounds and vibrations will interrrupt your sleep cycle and you’ll drastically reduce the amount of time you spend in deep sleep.
- Eat lightly before bed – while it’s alright to eat something before bed, don’t stuff yourself. Your body will spend all its energy on digesting food instead of recovering your body and mind.
- Leave the window open – cooler temperatures are better for sleeping. Plus some fresh air is always a good idea.
If you want to sleep better, than theanine is a great option for you to sleep deeper and better. It will help you wake up feeling more refreshed and you’ll be better able to handle the day. You’ll also have more energy because you’re sleeping better.
P.S. Want to find out what other amazing benefits theanine has to offer? Read my complete l theanine here to find out!