The Caffeine and Theanine Combo
The caffeine and theanine combo is a classic focus stack. This product has a 2:3 caffeine to theanine ratio (100 mg and 150 mg respectively) for optimal energy without the jittery feeling often associated with taking caffeine alone. Learn more about this classic combo from Nootropedia.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the most popular stimulant in the world. Caffeine’s pairing with l-theanine is found in green teas, although the ratio is significantly different.
L-Theanine
Theanine’s purpose in this stack is to mitigate the negative effects of caffeine, primarily the anxious feeling you may experience with too much caffeine.
Why They Go Together So Well
According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, we are at peak performance when we have a moderate level of arousal, or stress. This stress to performance relationship is illustrated below:
Caffeine causes arousal, while theanine prevents the arousal to performance curve from being too far to the right. If a task is too difficult or if you are overstimulated, you will find your working memory, decision making, and multitasking capabilities diminished.
Dosage Warning
Do not take more than two capsules within a 24-hour period. If you are sensitive to caffeine or have a low tolerance, break open the capsule and start with about half the dosage.
If you have any existing cardiac issues then abstain from caffeine. See your health care provider if you have any other medical issues before taking caffeine.
When to Take
As with other caffeine sources, this works best in the morning and around midday (1pm-3pm). But do not take caffeine within six hours of bed time as caffeine’s half-life is 5 to 6 hours.
What if You Take this Before Bed?
There are ways to flush caffeine out of your system. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), plus plenty of water will do the trick. However, this could have you running to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Another solution is taking rutaecarpine.