
Most reputable supplement companies will list the specific form, and when I’m reading a label, I’m looking for l-theanine. So while theanine and l-theanine are often referred to interchangeably and are referring to the same amino acid, it’s worth double-checking the label.

When I’m looking at sleep supplements, I’m looking for l-theanine specifically (Though “theanine” and “l-theanine” are almost used interchangeably in the supplement world, it isn’t always, 100% the case, so it’s worth checking the label.) Soon, it became clear that theine was the same as the caffeine found in coffee and the term theine fell into disuse.Chemically, caffeine is 3,7-dihydro-1, 3, 7. It was found that people who had a dose of both caffeine and L-theanine were better at attentional switching and were faster and more accurate when doing so 44. That could be a reason why many people enjoy green tea for its calming effects and the effects it has on focus.ĭ-theanine is also a fairly common form of theanine (they’re chemical mirrors), but it’s not as well studied as l-theanine when it comes to the changes on mental state or relaxation. In other studies, it’s been found that L-theanine combined with caffeine produced even better results when it came to focus 43. L-theanine has also been shown to be synergistic with caffeine, meaning that when taken together, they accentuate the mental energy boost while potentially reducing the “jitters” some people feel when taking caffeine on its own. It’s the form found most commonly in teas, and it’s also the form most closely linked to the benefits of relaxation. Technically, l-theanine is a particular molecular form of theanine (called an enantiomer, if you want to get technical). (User mileage will definitely vary with that one, but I liked it!) But is theanine the same as l-theanine, the form seen on many supplement labels? It’s something I’ve seen in an increasing number of sleep supplements, including my favorite brand of ZMA (see why it’s my favorite here) and Alpha BRAIN, a nootropic formula I’ve found can benefit my sleep under the right circumstances.

Theanine is an amino acid that’s cited for its ability to calm the mind and body without sedating it.
