L-Theanine and Melatonin: Effective for Better Sleep?

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Sleep is of crucial importance in our lives, and we do it for about 1/3rd of our time on this earth.

In my opinion, optimizing our sleep cycle is one of the best things we can do.

Our bodies look better, we remember more, are more productive during the day, hormone levels are better, etc.

However, sometimes my body simply refuses to sleep. I’m stressed out, or work too late, and can’t turn my mind off.

For this particular reason, I’ve been looking for natural supplements that can help.

I’ve learned about L-Theanine and Melatonin and decided to give them both a try together.

This article is written based on my own experience and the currently known research around both supplements.

In this article, I’m going to give you everything you need to know about L-Theanine and Melatonin.

In the practical information, I’ll discuss what the compound is, how it works, if it’s safe (who should avoid it), the (possible) benefits, and (possible) side effects.

Practical information about L-Theanine

What is L-Theanine?

L-Theanine is an amino acid that can mainly be found in black tea, green tea, and a few variants of mushrooms.

It’s not essential for the human body, and we don’t produce it ourselves.

How does L-Theanine work?

L-Theanine influences the neurotransmitters in our brains.

More specifically it increases the production of GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid), and the production of our happy hormones: serotonin and dopamine.

These play a role in regulating stress, mood, alertness, concentration, emotion, sleep, the perception of fear, etc.

Is L-Theanine safe and who should avoid it?

L-Theanine is generally recognized as safe by the FDA.

Doses of up to 900 mg daily have been found safe for 8 weeks.

The effects of higher dosages/ a longer duration are currently unknown but are POSSIBLY safe.

What are the benefits of L-Theanine?

L-Theanine can help with:

• Reducing anxiety/ fear
• Reducing stress
• Insomnia
• Improving mental focus
• Improving sleep quality
• Helping to relax
• Boosting the immune system
• Reducing blood pressure (by lowering stress/ helping to relax)

What are the side effects of L-Theanine?

The possible side effects of L-Theanine are almost non-existent to very minimal.

In high dosages it could cause:

• Nausea
• Irritability
• A headache
• An upset stomach

Practical information about Melatonin

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is the sleep hormone that’s produced in the brain.

It regulates your internal day/ night (24 hours in a day) schedule, called the cardiac rhythm, and helps you sleep.

How does Melatonin work?

The brain produces melatonin in response to darkness.

When there’s (a lot of) light your brain will make low amounts of melatonin, and when it gets dark it will produce a high amount of melatonin.

Melatonin is important because it triggers sleep, makes you feel tired, and eventually helps you go with the Sandman to the dream world.

However, the blue light coming from digital screens can prevent our brains from making enough melatonin, because it signals daytime instead of the necessary darkness.

Melatonin as a dietary supplement is used, for this reason, to fall asleep faster, and sleep better.

Is Melatonin safe and who should avoid it?

Melatonin is generally considered safe for healthy adults in responsible dosages (even found as safe in high dosages) for up to a couple of months.

There’s currently not enough research on long-term supplementation with melatonin, so long-term safety is unknown.

People with an autoimmune disease can best avoid supplementing melatonin.

What are the benefits of Melatonin?

Melatonin can help with:

• Falling asleep faster
• Better quality of sleep
• Increase sleep duration

What are the side effects of Melatonin?

In general, Melatonin doesn’t have any serious side effects.

The possible side effects of Melatonin in (very) high dosages are:

• Nausea
• Headaches
• Feeling dizzy
• Feeling agitated

Is it safe to take L-Theanine and Melatonin together?

Yes, if you follow the recommended dosages then taking L-Theanine and Melatonin together is safe.

L-Theanine has been safely used in research for dosages of 900mg for 8 weeks, but higher dosages (and longer durations) are POSSIBLY safe as well.

Melatonin has been used in research in dosages up to 12mg. However, the recommended dosage falls anywhere between 0.3-5 mg.

What dosage of L-Theanine and Melatonin should you take?

Dosage of L-Theanine

The ideal dosage of L-Theanine is for most people around 200-400 mg daily.

A very high-quality, lab-tested L-Theanine supplement from Nootropics Depot has a recommended dose of one pill of 200 mg daily.

Dosage of Melatonin

If you’re just looking for a sleeping aid, and don’t have very profound sleeping issues (in which case consulting an expert might be best), then you could start with taking a 0.3 mg dose of Melatonin.

A very high-quality, lab-tested Melatonin supplement from Nootropics Depot has a recommended dose of one capsule of 0.3 mg daily.

Who should avoid taking L-Theanine and Melatonin?

The people that fit into the following category should certainly avoid taking L-Theanine and Melatonin together:

• People with autoimmune disease

Possible benefits of taking L-Theanine and Melatonin together?

By taking L-Theanine and Melatonin together, you could get the following benefits:

• Improved quality of sleep
• Falling asleep easier
• Increased sleeping duration
• Reduced stress, fear, and anxiety
• Improved energy and mental focus
• More able to relax
• Reduced blood pressure (lower stress/ more relaxed)
• A better immune system

Possible side effects of taking L-Theanine and Melatonin together?

Based on current knowledge about L-Theanine and Melatonin, the following side effects might occur:

• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Nausea
• An upset stomach
• Irritability

When is the best time to take L-Theanine and Melatonin?

The best time to take L-Theanine and Melatonin is at night about 30-60 minutes before going to sleep.

This will help you relax, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve your overall quality of sleep.

Do I recommend taking L-Theanine and Melatonin together?

In my opinion, L-Theanine and Melatonin are a miracle combination for improving sleep quality.

My sleep cycle can suffer from time to time, but these supplements help me to consistently fall asleep fast, sleep deeper, and feel more refreshed when waking up.

I tend to overthink a lot while lying in bed at night, which would previously cause me to lay awake for a long time.

Also being able to relax better, and the reduction in stress and anxiety are very noticeable after working till late at night.

Both Melatonin and L-Theanine have been/ will stay in my daily supplement stack.

If you’re interested in the benefits and don’t fall into a category that should avoid these supplements, then I can recommend giving these a try.

I take the L-Theanine and Melatonin from Nootropics Depot because it’s high-quality and lab-tested.

I take one pill of 200 mg L-Theanine and one capsule of 0.3 mg Melatonin at night before going to sleep.

You can check out the L-Theanine by clicking here, or the Melatonin by clicking here.

How do I stack L-Theanine and Melatonin with similar supplements?

I have some other natural compounds in my daily supplement stack, that have similar benefits, and that I take together with L-Theanine and Melatonin.

Most of these supplements come from Nootropics Depot, but some come from Bulk Supplements.

In my opinion, these are very high-quality, and I like that all of these supplements are lab-tested.

The list below explains why I take each supplement, where you can find them, and for some, I've written an in-depth review as well (I've included the two supplements in this article).

Tongkat Ali

Great for: improving testosterone, increasing strength, a better body composition, better sex life, more energy, and better stress control.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Cistanche Tubulosa

Great for: improving testosterone, increasing strength, a better body composition, more energy, better mood, and improved cognitive abilities (like memory).

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Ashwagandha KSM-66

Great for: improving sleep quality, decreasing anxiety, better stress control, improving testosterone levels/ muscle & strength gains, more energy, and better mood.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Magnesium

Great for: over 300 biochemical reactions in our bodies, better sleep quality, bone- and heart health, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression, etc.

To check it on the site click here.

Fenugreek Powder

Great for: boosting (free) testosterone, better sexual health, boosting performance and results in the gym, lowering blood pressure, and increasing milk production in breastfeeding women.

To check it on the site click here.

Epicatechin

Great for: boosting athletic performance, decreasing/ eliminating muscle soreness, a faster rate of muscle/ strength gain, a better body composition, retaining muscle during off times, improved cognitive abilities, better mood, and possibly improving testosterone.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Longvida Curcumin

Great for: reducing inflammation, reducing pain, improving cognitive abilities (memory/focus), and potentially a better mood/ faster muscle gains.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Maca Root Extract

Great for: improving sexual health, more energy & stamina, better cognitive ability & memory, and alleviating menstruation pain (for women).

To check it on the site click here.

L-Theanine

Great for: better quality sleep, feeling more relaxed, reduced stress/ anxiety/ fear, and improved mental focus.

To check it on the site click here.

Green Tea Extract 45% EGCG

Great for: Improving metabolic function, faster fat loss, better skin, reducing inflammation, and overall health.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Melatonin

Great for: overall better quality sleep, increased sleep duration, and falling asleep faster.

To check it on the site click here.

Also possible to stack with Horny Goat Weed

Great for: sexual health (mainly improved blood flow to the penile tissue), reducing anxiety, better mood, and possibly improving testosterone/reducing inflammation and pain/ more energy.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.