Find Calm in Chaos: How L-Theanine and Ashwagandha Can Help Your Mind Stay Sharp Under Stress
We all know stress is not great for our health both physically and mentally. Have you ever noticed that when you are stressed your ability to focus reduces? It is kind of ironic because usually, the things we are stressing about like university or work actually need us to focus more.
Too much stress can cloud our thinking impacting our ability to concentrate and think clearly leaving us feeling exhausted and mentally drained. 1 Our productivity can then be compromised, and we can end up not meeting our deadlines or goals.
That is why managing stress isn’t just about calming the mind but also helping maintain cognitive function and supporting mental concentration to be able to get you through those stressful times and complete important tasks instead of crumbling.
L-Theanine Calms the Mind in Just 3 Hours 2
In today's fast-paced world, finding the calm amongst the chaos can feel out of reach, with many people seeking gentle ways to calm the mind and maintain focus.
L-Theanine is an amino acid that is known to help mind relaxation, it has a unique structure allowing it to cross the blood brain barrier – basically it gets where it needs to go to calm the mind. It also assists the body to cope with environmental stress, sound pretty good right? 3,4
L-Theanine encourages alpha brain wave activity and modulates various chemical messengers. Alpha brain waves are associated with calming and relaxing the mind without causing drowsiness. Think being in a wakeful yet relaxed state like how you feel during meditative or mindful activities. 3,4
This amino acid calms the mind in 3 hours, assisting mind relaxation while aiding the body to cope with environmental stress through supporting a healthy stress response in the body. 2 Additionally, L-Theanine supports mental concentration, maintains cognitive function and therefore helps enhance attention span temporarily which is ideal for anyone who is feeling mentally overwhelmed from work, studies or personal responsibilities.
Ashwagandha for Stress and Mild Anxiety Relief
Withania somnifera commonly referred to as Ashwagandha has been well studied for its benefits on relieving symptoms of stress and reducing symptoms of mild anxiety. This herb has been used for over 3,000 years in Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine, and modern science has been catching up documenting its benefits of reducing symptoms of stress. 5
Ashwagandha is probably the first herb you think of when someone says they are stressed, additional benefits of this herb are that it also supports mental concentration and maintains cognitive function, two important factors when looking for additional support when you are stressed.
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen herb, this is due to its use in Traditional Western Herbal Medicine to help the body adapt to stress. An added benefit of this herb is that it also supports energy levels, something everyone needs!
It is important not to underestimate the power stress can have on our minds, whether that be day-to-day life or career-related stressors. Both L-Theanine and Ashwagandha can help maintain mental focus and clarity and support cognitive function when you have a mountain of tasks to tackle with pressing deadlines.
Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
References:
1. Liu, Q., Liu, Y., Leng, X., Han, J., Xia, F., & Chen, H. (2020). Impact of chronic stress on attention control: Evidence from behavioral and event-related potential analyses. Neuroscience Bulletin, 36(11), 1395–1410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-020-00549-9
2. Evans, M., McDonald, A. C., Xiong, L., Crowley, D. C., & Guthrie, N. (2021). A randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study to investigate the efficacy of a single dose of AlphaWave® L-Theanine on stress in a healthy adult population. Neurology and Therapy, 10(2), 1061–1078. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-021-00284-x
3. White, D. J., De Klerk, S., Woods, W., Gondalia, S., Noonan, C., & Scholey, A. B. (2016). Anti-stress, behavioural and magnetoencephalography effects of an l-theanine-based nutrient drink: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Nutrients, 8(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8010053
4. Yoto, A., Motoki, M., Murao, S. & Yokogoshi, H. (2012). Effects of L-theanine or caffeine intake on changes in blood pressure under physical and psychological stresses. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 31(28). https://doi.org/10.1186/1880-6805-31-28
5. Mirjalili, M. H., Moyano, E., Bonfill, M., Cusido, R. M., & Palazón, J. (2009). Steroidal lactones from withania somnifera, an ancient plant for novel medicine. Molecules, 14(7), 2373-2393. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules14072373
