GABA, Insomnia and L-Theanine
An Amino Acid Aids Sleep Without Side Effects or Next Day Fatigue
Aug 26, 2008
Poor sleep plagues millions of people with insomnia who struggle to fall asleep every night or who wake too early. Because restorative sleep is so critical to maintaining adequate immune system functioning and to an overall sense of well-being, many chronic insomniacs will do just about anything to improve the quality of their "ZZZs", including taking potentially habit-forming sleep aids.
Enter L-theanine, the non-addictive sleep aid tucked inside green tea.
L-Theanine To Promote Sleep
L-theanine (not to be confused with D-theanine which does not have the same properties) is a naturally occurring amino acid found in tea plants and the primary component in green tea. While L-theanine has been shown to reduce stress, promote relaxation without drowsiness, ease nervous irritability¹ and lower anxiety, it can also safely and effectively induce sleep.
What's so remarkable about L-theanine is its inherent paradoxical effect. Taken during the day, users experience a focused, alert sense of calm without feeling drowsy. Yet because it induces a state of relaxation, L-theanine can also help you fall asleep at night without the "hung over" or sedative effect the next morning, a common side effect common in some sleep aids.
L-theanine is responsible for counteracting the stimulatory properties of the caffeine in tea and inducing the production of alpha brain waves in the brain to create a state of deep relaxation and alertness. In addition, this extraordinary amino acid helps release the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) which in turn increases the pleasure/reward neurotransmitter, dopamine, (and in some cases, also serotonin), to produce a state of relaxation.²
Research Finds Link Between L-Theanine and Improved Sleep Quality
A research study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health in Tokyo³ gave 22 male subjects 200 mg of L-theanine before bedtime for six days. Results recorded through interviews, self-reported questionnaires and an actigraph to record body movement during sleep, indicated that the L-theanine improved the quality of sleep in all respondents, noting they felt “less exhausted” the next day.
The study also showed that for many of the subjects, L-theanine produced a significant increase in "sleep efficiency," the index of actual sleep time enjoyed between the time of falling asleep and waking. As a result, they reported a reduced need for sleep the next day as well as feeling a superior mental state before falling asleep and having fewer nightmares. Although none of the participants slept longer after taking L-theanine, the quality of their sleep improved significantly.
“Our clinical study strongly suggests that Suntheanine® supplementation of young men can improve both the quality of sleep and the mental state of being refreshed upon awakening,” offered Dr. Shuichiro Shirakawa, a professor at The National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry at NIMH in Tokyo. “These results add to previous human studies showing that Suntheanine® supplementation can foster a relaxed state, which may improve one’s entry into, and maintenance of, sleep,” he added.
Medication and Herbs for Insomnia Not Necessarily Safe Long Term
While many doctors continue to prescribe a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, (such as Valium), to treat sleep disorders, benzodiazepines are designed to be used as tranquilizers and muscle relaxants. One study4 found that depending on the quality of their patient’s insurance coverage, doctors were more likely to prescribe benzodiazepines for insomnia than the more costly, yet non-addictive sleep aids such as Ambien, CR, Sonata or Rozerem. In addition, while sleep aids and herbs such as Kava Kava, Chamomile and Valerian Root can help people fall asleep, they have the potential to harm the liver with long term use. Moreover, some people develop a tolerance to sleeping pills prompting them to increase their dose and to assume they're developing an addiction.
Study Reveals Difference Between Suntheanine® and Other Brands
Dr Daniel Armstrong, a Caldwell Professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University, and his analysis team reviewed a number of commercially available brands that claimed to contain pure L-theanine. Results revealed that a number of brands contained ingredients other than L-theanine. "We found all of those tested that are made through chemical synthesis or claiming to be extracted from green tea actually have about 50 per cent present as D-theanine," he said, adding that "the only material that proved to be pure L-theanine was the Suntheanine® brand, produced via biofermentation, which had more than 99.95 per cent L-theanine, our current detection limit".
Suntheanine® is the patented form of L-theanine and the trademark of Taiyo International, the company that originally isolated the amino acid into an effective supplement for consumers.
Additional Information:
GABA Foods: Anti-anxiety nutrition
Resources:
- Maurer, Richard. "Extract from green tea improves sleep." Original Internist. June 2004.
- Mason, Russ. "200 mg of Zen: L-Theanine Boosts Alpha Waves, Promotes Alert Relaxation." Alternative and Complementary Therapies. April 1, 2001.
- “Clinical study with Suntheanine® reveals superior quality sleep.” Taiyo International. March 1, 2004.
- "Addictive Sleep Medications Remain Popular: Older Patients Twice as Likely to Be Prescribed Cheaper, More Addictive Sleep Aids." WebMD Health News. June 1, 2005.
- “Scientist says most L-theanine products impure.” NutraIngredients USA. October 8, 2003.
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