Substance in Green Tea Calms and Increases Focus

green tea

One of the challenges for people who experience both anxiety and focus issues, such as a combination of PTSD and ADD, is to calm the anxiety without decreasing focus.  Many anti-anxiety drugs have side effects of sleepiness and relaxation, calming the brain, but as one woman reported, “they also make me dingier.”

On the other hand, when a stimulant like Adderall is used alone to help with focus, it can increase anxiety in those who struggle with it. Often we have to use a combination of supplements or medications to help a client achieve “relaxed focus,” an ideal balance in the brain.

Can Green Tea Help Those With Anxiety & ADD?

A study from Japan has found that daily supplements of L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea, may help people with anxiety also focus on their daily activities. A win-win for many with a dual diagnosis of anxiety with attention deficits.

L-theanine may help reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve the quality of sleep. Though it is found in tea, the level is low (less than 2 percent). So the effective dosage levels (of 100 – 200mg/day) cannot be delivered from drinking tea but must come from a supplement.

The new study confirmed the dose of 200 mg for “enhanced performance in visual attention task, and reaction time response, among the subjects with higher anxiety.”

The l-theanine appears to work by changing the electrical activity in the brain by increasing alpha waves, measured by EEG. Results of the test showed that highly anxious students receiving the L-theanine displayed a slowing of their heart rate, improved attention and better reaction times, compared to members of the same group receiving placebo.  This is a significant improvement over many conventional anti-anxiety treatments that often have side effects of drowsiness, slowed reflexes, or impaired concentration.

Other Health Benefits of Green Tea

In addition to reducing stress and promoting relaxation, there are other health benefits associated with green tea. In moderation, green tea is great for an energy boost since it has only half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee and the l-theanine will keep you focused and not craving more and more. Not only does green tea help keep weight off, boost exercise ability, help muscle recover faster from a workout, but it improves attention span as well.

At Amen Clinics we encourage our patients to drink unsweetened green tea two or three times a day. Researchers from China found that when people drank two to three cups of green tea per day their DNA actually looked younger than those who did not.

To get the brain you want, try practicing healthy brain habits. For instance, if you are relying heavily on coffee, make small changes to wean off coffee and add green tea into your diet. You can have better energy and focus by paying attention to the health of your brain.

At Amen Clinics, we want to help you learn more about your brain and how you can make it better, not only for yourself but for the generations that follow. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit.

13 Comments »

  1. Does L-theanine cross the brain blood barrier?

    Comment by Betty Jo Thornburg — July 5, 2017 @ 6:38 AM

  2. Yes.

    Comment by ride2live — July 5, 2017 @ 8:55 AM

  3. Either re-written or something –

    “In addition to reducing stress and promoting relaxation, there are other health benefits associated with green tea. In moderation, green tea is great for an energy boost since it has only half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee and the l-theanine will keep you focused and not craving more and more. Not only does green tea help keep weight off, boost exercise ability, help muscle recover faster from a workout, but it improves attention span as well.”

    Simply drinking ONE CUP of green tea will not provide the correct amounts of the L-The* – so taking a supplemental dose of it in a capsule / etc. form is necessary. They also state to drink 2-3 cups of green tea daily; which still will not give you the “desired” levels; but SOME IS BETTER THAN NONE.

    While the original article, if not above was poorly written – I don’t know; yet MOST OF US have the capacity to understand what is being presented even if not 100% dead spot on per a journalism / English majors scoring over it.

    Comment by Terry Swift — July 5, 2017 @ 9:38 AM

  4. Yes! Exactly my concerns!

    Comment by MarBeth — July 6, 2017 @ 6:29 AM

  5. I drink 3 to 4 cups of green a day for digestion, weight control and the balanced mental stamina it gives me through the day. This balanced mental stamina comes from just the right balance of caffeine and l-theanine. I’ve been taking l-theanine supplements for years to quell anxiety. I’m also getting treated for bipolar disorder which is under control but I still have issues with anxiety and I find when it’s acute I take 100mg of Mental Calmness by Natural Factors which balances me. L-theanine produces the chief neurotransmitter GABA which controls all your other neurotransmitters and keeps them in check. GABA also can be taken as a supplement. It’s also being used as a psychiatric drug in very high doses for controlling bipolar disorder. So even though the above article was written in a little bit of a confusing way, I think it was meant to promote l-theanine as a supplement for treating accute symptoms which you would need a larger amount of than just having a few cups of tea. But green tea is a great place to start. It makes me feel great and enhances all the other healthy choices I’m making for my brain and body.

    Comment by Laura Taylor — July 6, 2017 @ 12:36 PM

  6. ha ha
    I’m hardly an english major…not by a long shot. Nor am I being overly critical or nit picky on how the article was written. I was, and still am, completely confused.
    Thanks for adding the words that completely change the meaning of what was written. Who knows if you are right.
    I was honestly just looking for a simple clarification from whomever wrote this article.

    Comment by Mike Downey — July 8, 2017 @ 12:55 PM

  7. I like coffee with stevia and coconut oil . It wakes my brain up. For some reason caffeinated green tea makes me edgy .

    Comment by Suz — December 28, 2017 @ 6:09 PM

  8. Laura can I ask what brand of the tea you prefer?

    Comment by Jill Kostro — February 28, 2018 @ 11:34 AM

  9. The best way to combat this is by having more good bacteria than bad in your gut. How do you do that?

    Comment by Surgeon — April 2, 2019 @ 3:09 PM

  10. By eating fermented products. Nature already provides good bacteria without the need to take probiotic supplements.

    Comment by Vanessa — June 17, 2019 @ 10:54 AM

  11. Would also love to know what brand of tea works best for those who have success with it. I imagine organic and high quality is best but they do seem to vary.

    Comment by Felicia Libo — September 25, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

  12. As a cautionary note, those with histamine issues may not do well with green tea. Histamine can cause brain fog and a host of unpleasant symptoms. I fare better taking L theonine in supplement form.

    Comment by Melissa Riddle — December 6, 2021 @ 12:24 PM

  13. I imagine the organic and high quality is best, but they seem to vary. For those who have had success with green tea, I would love to know what brand of tea has worked best.

    Comment by Magali — April 7, 2023 @ 6:14 AM

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