Wearable sleep trackers can monitor and report on data to help quantify the reduced oxygen saturation that sleep apnea sufferers often experience–but what is the difference between an Oura Ring and a Fitbit, and can modern tech really track symptoms reliably? Those who use the Oura Ring for wellness monitoring generally find that the data relevant to their sleep apnea is more accurate, but many of the advanced wearable devices provide baseline sleep quality and quantity statistics.

Let’s look at the data and metrics a tracker provides, as well as some other ways to incorporate sleep tracking into your sleep apnea approach.

How Can Smartwatches and Wearables Help Monitor Sleep Apnea?

A growing number of devices on the market offer some level of sleep monitoring, from the Apple Watch to the Oura Ring and the Fitbit band we’ve mentioned. Samsung Galaxy Watches now come with a Health Monitor app as standard, which detects signals of poor sleep quality or disrupted rest. The later Apple Watch Series has a Breathing Disturbances tracker built into the operating system.

You can also try varied methods of addressing snoring or intermittent pauses in your breathing, such as a nose ring for sleep apnea.

Symptoms and Data Monitored by Wearable Tech During Sleep

Depending on the device you have or intend to buy, wearables can tell you:

• The time you spend sleeping each night
• How that sleep is split between deep and light sleep and periods awake
• The amount of time it takes for you to sleep once in bed
• Whether you are likely to feel rested and energetic through ‘sleep scoring’

More advanced devices can also capture data on blood oxygen levels, which can tell you if you have experienced sudden dips during sleep due to temporary pauses in your breathing. The relevance and usefulness of this information may vary. However, you might compare sleep scoring with and without a nose ring or mouth guard or see how changing your sleeping position affects your rest.

Other Ways of Tracking Sleep Apnea Breathing Disturbances

Physicians and sleep specialists rarely rely on non-clinical tech to monitor sleep apnea symptoms. Still, they might recommend sleep tracking to enable them to review how your sleep patterns and oxygen levels are stabilizing.

• Home sleep tests, such as overnight pulse oximetry tests, use a clip with a small light sensor attached to your finger. At-home sleep analytics can measure blood oxygen levels, breathing patterns, airflow, and heart rate.
• Nocturnal polysomnography testing is more intensive and uses equipment that monitors a broader range of health markers, such as movements in your arms and legs, lung and brain function, and heart rates, alongside blood oxygen levels.

The difficulty may be that some smartwatches, wearable tech, and portable devices do not have a clinical level of accuracy or cannot be fully calibrated, which means the results may not be conclusive or may be subject to a margin of error.

Which Is the Best Sleep Apnea Tracker for Everyday Use?

Ultimately, the right tracker or wearable may depend on your budget, general lifestyle, and the value you extract from the data provided. Acting on your sleep monitoring reports and understanding which changes have positively impacted your sleep isn’t always easy, which could mean an expensive smartwatch has little effect.

If you’re looking to take a proactive approach to sleep apnea, we recommend using some of the many resources available from Optimal Circadian Health, including the comprehensive Sleep Apnea Solution guide or one of the masterclasses hosted by sleep apnea specialist Dr. Dylan Petkus. Equipping yourself with knowledge about how and why sleep apnea occurs may be more effective than the smartest tech and give you actionable steps to put in place and promote healthier nighttime breathing!

Although L-theanine can be an effective natural agent for promoting relaxation and cognitive function, questions have been raised about its safety–especially during pregnancy. There is limited information about how safe L-theanine is for pregnant women. If you are pregnant, you should consult with a healthcare provider before taking L-theanine.

It’s also important to find relevant and useful information about L-theanine and its side effects to know how to use it and what to expect. For instance, it’s important to understand the relationship between L-theanine and dreams, lethargy, and sleepiness.

In this article, we’ll discuss the safety concerns regarding using L-theanine when pregnant and the possible side effects.

What Is L-Theanine?

L-theanine is an amino acid commonly found in green tea leaves and mushrooms. It’s available in two main forms: D-theanine and L-theanine. However, L-theanine is the most common form.

You can take natural L-theanine in your daily cup of green tea or mushroom intake or as a supplement. Supplements are mainly available in the form of tablets. L-theanine works the same way as glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter that helps with memory and mood regulation.

However, L-theanine can block glutamate’s efforts to regulate your body’s response to stress, as L-theanine lowers cortisol. By inhibiting the activities of glutamate, L-theanine reduces cortisol production, which is a stress hormone released by the adrenal gland as a stress response mechanism.

Can Pregnant Women Take L-Theanine?

Although L-theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that has very few side effects, there’s no scientific evidence to show how safe it is to take during pregnancy. Furthermore, if you prefer taking L-theanine through drinking green tea or eating mushrooms, there’s no way to measure how much of the amino acid you’re ingesting, which increases the potential risks to your pregnancy.

More research needs to be done to establish how this amino acid might affect your pregnancy or baby’s development. Remember that L-theanine inhibits the activity of neurotransmitters in your brain and nervous system–there’s currently no conclusive evidence that indicates how this can impact human fetal development.

In Conclusion

Because there isn’t a lot of data that determines whether or not L-theanine is safe to take when you’re pregnant, most experts would say to avoid taking it altogether or to consult with a licensed medical provider before taking it. Always talk to your healthcare provider before adding a new supplement to your daily regimen–especially when you’re pregnant, and especially if research on the supplement is limited.

Are you looking for safer ways to enhance natural sleep or for new approaches to sleep apnea? When you’re pregnant, your rest matters. Promote easy nighttime breathing by taking our Sleep Apnea Assessment or checking out our Breathing Routines Audio today!

L-theanine is a popular amino acid that occurs naturally in green tea. It can inhibit the production of a stress hormone known as ‘cortisol’ through its calming effect.

L-theanine–just like any other supplement–can affect you in different ways. This is why it’s important to understand how this amino acid works. L-theanine is not for everyone, so always consult with a licensed healthcare professional before introducing L-theanine into your daily regime.

L-theanine can come with side effects that can impact your daily life. For instance, some people experience vivid dreams with L-theanine. There also isn’t conclusive evidence that L-theanine is safe to use during pregnancy.

In this article, we’ll discuss how L-theanine may be able to help lower your cortisol levels, as well as other strategies to enhance natural sleep.

How Does L-Theanine Lower Cortisol?

Enhanced Calmness

L-theanine can offer enhanced relaxation without making you feel lethargic. L-theanine promotes the production of dopamine and serotonin in your brain, resulting in a calm–yet focused–mental state.

This effect can regulate your body’s response to stressful situations, thus lowering your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a steroid hormone released by your adrenal glands to regulate your body’s response to stress. High levels of cortisol can cause headaches, sleep issues, and more.

Does L-theanine affect blood pressure? It can–with its calming effect, this amino acid can keep your heart rate low, thereby stabilizing your blood pressure.

Increased Dopamine and Serotonin Levels

L-theanine promotes the release of essential neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that are important for regulating your mood.

These neurotransmitters also counteract the adverse effects of the stress hormone through their relaxing effect. So, taking a safe dose of L-theanine in stressful situations can balance your body’s stress response and keep cortisol levels low.

Regulated Adrenal Gland Activity

This amino acid regulates your adrenal gland activities. These glands are responsible for producing cortisol. When you can regulate your body’s stress response, you may experience a controlled release of the stress hormone.

Research Findings

A study conducted by PubMed revealed that L-theanine can influence the psychological and physiological effects of stress by blocking the binding of amino acids responsible for enabling the nerve cells in your brain. These cells regulate various processes in your brain and nervous system.

This study also revealed that L-theanine can lower your heart rate, thus reducing the activation of your nervous system, which triggers your adrenal glands to release cortisol during stress. In the randomized trial, participants exhibited a significant reduction in cortisol production in response to stress in under three hours after taking L-theanine. This finding emphasized the amino acid’s influence on the production of cortisol and overall stress regulation.

Final Thoughts

Numerous studies have supported the connection between regular intake of L-theanine and reduction in the negative effects of overproduction of cortisol in the body. Therefore, you should talk to a qualified medical professional for advice on the amount of L-theanine you should take to reduce cortisol levels in your body.

Looking for other ways to enhance natural sleep? Check out our Breathing Routines Audio and other resources to get your sleep back on track today!

Research shows that high blood pressure increases the risk of other severe health problems, including stroke, heart attack, and other heart complications. L-theanine can help lower your blood pressure by reducing stress and promoting relaxation. The calming effect lowers your heart rate, keeping your blood pressure down.

How Does L-Theanine Influence Blood Pressure?

As we’ve discussed above, L-theanine can lower high blood pressure by reducing stress and enhancing relaxation thus lowering your heart rate. Here is a breakdown of how this process works:

Reduces Stress and Enhances Relaxation

If you’ve heard about the calming effect of L-theanine, then you may be wondering: Does L-theanine lower cortisol? Cortisol is a stress hormone released by your adrenal glands to regulate your body’s response to stress. It causes high blood pressure, weight gain, sleep disruption, and inflammation. L-theanine can drop cortisol levels significantly, thus lowering your blood pressure and improving the quality of your sleep.

Can L-theanine cause vivid dreams? Although this claim hasn’t been scientifically proven, it may indicate that enhanced relaxation and cognitive function could lead to more vivid dreams. The calming effect offered by L-theanine also reduces anxiety–which is another major contributor to increased blood pressure. It increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine in your brain, which can improve your mood, enhance relaxation, and manage stress.

Reduces Nervous System Activities

Your nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight mode when you face a stressful situation, which raises your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. Does L-theanine work for anxiety? It can!

Regular intake of L-theanine can reduce the activities of your nervous system, leading to relaxed blood vessels and lower blood pressure.

Reduces Oxidative Stress

An imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body leads to oxidative stress, leading to damaged cells. L-theanine increases antioxidant properties in your body, protecting your blood vessels against inflammation.

This means that it can help your blood vessels be elastic enough to allow free flow of blood without constriction, keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level.

Key Considerations Before Taking L-Theanine

While L-theanine can reduce anxiety, stress, and high blood pressure, too much of it can have adverse effects on your body. For instance, a higher dose could lead to a lethargic feeling and disrupted sleep.

Additionally, avoid combining L-theanine with caffeine because the latter could disrupt the relaxing effect of L-theanine, which may interfere with your sleep. 

The Bottom Line

Research has shown that doses of 200 milligrams or more of L-theanine have been studied for their potential to support relaxation and calmness. Some studies have explored its effects on stress and blood pressure, though individual results may vary.

Although L-theanine can lower your blood pressure through enhanced relaxation, reduced stress, and regulated nervous system activities, you should always consult with a licensed medical professional before taking L-theanine.

For more information and advice on how to promote natural sleep, check out the resources from Optimal Circadian Health. We’re dedicated to helping sleep apnea patients overcome their sleeping problems naturally without the use of CPAP machines!