How Long Does L-Theanine Last?

L-theanine normally stays in your body for approximately eight hours after ingestion, and its effects will kick in within thirty minutes and last for about seven hours. However, this duration depends on several factors including the dosage taken, whether it was taken after a meal or on an empty stomach, and your metabolism.

Understanding these factors before you take L-theanine supplements is important because you’ll know how it works, when to take it, and what to expect. It’ll also help you avoid possible side effects, like weird dreams from L-theanine. 

What Determines How Long L-Theanine Lasts in Your Body?

Let’s discuss the factors that help you use L-theanine effectively to enhance your natural sleep:

Dosage

How much L-theanine can you take? Taking the right dosage of L-theanine is important because it determines the kind of effect you experience and the length of time you experience it.

Anything between 200 and 400 milligrams of L-theanine is considered a high dosage and it’s likely to cause more pronounced effects. For instance, because L-theanine helps to improve your mood and reduce anxiety, a higher dose might throw you into a frenzy or reduce your reaction time to situations that require your full attention.

Does L-theanine help sleep? It can, but exceeding the recommended dosage can also cause you to oversleep or feel lethargic during waking hours. Taking a larger dosage of L-theanine means that there will be a higher concentration in your bloodstream and your body will require more time to process it.

A lower dosage of L-theanine falls between fifty and one hundred milligrams. Although this dosage will still give you a calming effect, it’s usually milder and doesn’t last long. This is suitable for beginners because it can offer relaxation without making you feel sedated.

Metabolism

Your natural body metabolism rate can determine how quickly or slowly it takes for the effects of L-theanine to wear off. People with a slower metabolism often experience the effects for extended durations, even when they take lower doses.

Those with a faster metabolism may feel the relaxing effect for a shorter period, thus requiring a higher dose to attain the same intensity and duration as someone with a slower metabolism.   

With or Without Food

You can take this amino acid after a meal or on an empty stomach. Taking L-theanine on an empty stomach can speed up its absorption and result in a more intense effect, which can either be exactly what you want or lead to side effects.

Secondly, consuming L-theanine with a meal means it will compete with other amino acids for metabolism and absorption. This reduces the amount of L-theanine absorbed into your bloodstream, lowering the intensity and duration of the calming effect.

In Summary

The concentration of L-theanine in your body will reduce by half after about five hours. The effect will also begin to wear off gradually, depending on the dosage and rate of metabolism.

The relaxing effect may continue a little longer even as your body metabolizes and expels more L-theanine. Generally, things will begin to normalize after eight hours. If you want to learn more about how you can enhance natural sleep, check out Optimal Circadian Health’s online resources now!