#1

I suffer from stress / anxiety. Even though almost all possible stress has now been removed, it still seems like I’ve not returned to a normal more relaxed state.

Has anyone here been in a similar position and tried either L-Theanine or Ashwagandha. If so I would appreciate hearing from you and any advice you can provide.

One more question. I see that Dr. Alan Green mentions Ashwagandha as possibly helping

"Ashwagandha (supplement) has a possible weak effect and could be beneficial to increase length telomeres. However, short telomeres is still waiting for an effective treatment. "

Is this something anyone here has considered and based on his comments chosen to supplement with Ashwagandha?

Thanks

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#2

FWIW: I personally think there is no comparison, L-theanine provides almost immediate relief. Ashwagandha may provide more health benefits and may provide stress relief with long-term use.

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#3

That’s what I felt also. However my problems seem to be high cortisol and seems like Ashwaganda might be better to help manage that. Right now I’m still learning so grateful for any advice that people have.

#4

There are a number of meditation/breathing techniques that help with calming the HPA axis. I use box breathing, but loads of them work.

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#5

There is also data suggestion L-Ornithine may be helpful with stress. I think Blagosklonny has recommended it as part of his longevity protocol (or one of them).

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#6

A possible cause of anxiety can be either an excess or deficiency of Methyl groups.
If you have recently started taking Methyl B12/Methyl Folate/TMG, you could have excess methyl groups. (Try taking Niacin to fix).
On the other hand if you have recently started taking Niacin/Niacinamide/NR, you could be deficient in methyl groups. (Try taking TMG to fix).

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#7

Thanks for your advice. How much time do you do the box breathing for each day?

#8

I was taking NMN with TMG but now switched to taking 150mg of Niacin and 1g of TMG each day. From any experience do you have, do you think the TMG might be too much or okay?

I think a lot of my stress problems are from overthinking. I’ve always been the person who thinks a lot about everything and often wish I could be like some of my friends who seem to have not a care in the world. Well having said that, the one guy that didn’t have a care in the world just passed away from a heart attach a year ago as he didn’t watch his diet or physical condition.

#9

I tend to use it to bring my heart rate down at night if I wake up in the middle of the night. I don’t necessarily spend that long. May be a total of 10 mins per day.

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#10

Overthinking can kick off the HPA axis. You can see that with an increased heart rate. It is a good idea to use a fitness tracker of some form to see this.

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#11

Agree there but my heart rate is usually quite slow. However if I were to describe the way I feel I sometimes feel my body is like a car engine that’s running at 1,000 RPM, and I’d like it to feel like a car engine that’s switched off.

#12

I’ve tried l-theanine in 200 - 400 mg doses for about a week and a half now. The first few times I took it, I noticed a slight decrease in anxiety, but ever since I haven’t noticed much improvement.

#13

try taking cortisol manager at night (you can find it on amazon). It has a mix of these type of ingredients

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#14

Phosphatidylserine for high cortisol

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#15

Hello, Thanks for your reply. That’s the first time I have heard of that supplement. Are you taking it or do you know anyone who’s taking it?

#16

There is that. There is also Phosphorylated Serine which is known as Seriphos. Personally I take Seriphos from time to time which does seem to help in managing the HPA axis.

#17

I take both before bed, notice I am less stressed and I don’t wake up with my mind racing in the middle of the night as I have in the past. Worth trying for sure…

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#18

update: tried 600mg l-theanine during the daytime and around 1.5 hours later i noticed a significant reduction in my anxiety levels

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#20

I echo the comments about meditation. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a specific meditation class, was shown to be as good as escitalopram, the most effective anti-anxiety drug. It also has other benefits. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is as Effective as an Antidepressant Drug for Treating Anxiety Disorders | Georgetown University Medical Center | Georgetown University

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#21

This was the version I took last about 10 years ago