Tag Archives: Stress

L-Theanine For Natural Anxiety and Stress Relief

Posted on by
1

Reduce Stress and Anxiety Naturally

It’s almost time for the holidays and this time of year can be a lot of fun with celebrations and family. I think everybody would have a much better time if we could just relax and enjoy ourselves and our families instead of stressing out. We all go through times of excess stress and anxiety, a little bit can be positive, too much can be overwhelming and unhealthy.  Unfortunately there is also a lot of extra stress and anxiety that goes along with the Holidays.

Supplements vs Drugs

I would like to share some of my favorite natural supplements for dealing with stress and anxiety. The reason I prefer natural supplements over drugs to deal with these kind of problems is that I believe supplements have much less side effects. I have been using all of these supplements personally for many years and have never experienced any adverse effects from them.  The first natural supplement for anxiety and stress relief  I’m going to share is L-Theanine.

L-Theanine

L-theanine (gamma-glutamylethylamide) is my favorite natural stress reliever. Theanine is the most abundant amino acid found in green tea, and to a lesser extent, in black tea. It is also found in the Bay Bolete mushroom. L-Theanine can cross the blood brain barrier and is able to block L-glutamate from binding to the brain’s glutamate receptors. L-Theanine is able to increase Dopamine, Serotonin, and  GABA (our brain’s natural opiate). It also increases alpha brainwave activity (Brainwaves in the frequency range of 8–12 Hz) which are associated with relaxation and meditation, and decreases beta brainwaves (brainwave activity between 12 and 30 Hz) which are associated with waking consciousness. This change in brainwave activity provides us with a very relaxed, serene feeling. Here is a coupon from Bodybuilding.com Take $5.00 Off Your $100 Order! Use coupon code 5off100.

NOW L-Theanine - 200mg/60 Vcaps

L-Theanine and Caffeine

I helped to create one of the original relaxation anti-energy drinks several years ago using l-Theanine and it was one of my favorite beverages ever.  I found that mixing this beverage with alcohol increased the effect of both the Theanine and the alcohol while decreasing the amount of alcohol needed for the desired effect. L- theanine also works synergistically with caffeine helping to achieve the desired alertness and mental sharpness from caffeine. It is also a great antidote for times when you have had too much caffeine, which seems to happen to me a lot.

Suntheanine is the best brand of  L-Theanine, in my opinion, because it is the only brand to use a patented bio-fermentation process mimicking the natural process of green tea which ensures that their L-Theanine is pure. Suntheanine achieved GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in 2007, allowing  it to be used as a food and beverage ingredient in amounts of up to 250 milligrams per serving, without any limit on servings.  Other brands of theanine can be either chemically produced or made as an extract of green tea and are generally less expensive than Suntheanine , however they are usually a mixture of both the L-Theanine and D-Theanine isomers, making them unable to be absorbed properly.

The next natural anxiety and stress relief supplement I’m going to share to share is Gaba.