L-Theanine vs Magnesium Glycinate for sleep
Short answer: For sleep, users rate them about the same: 78% report improvement with L-Theanine (306 reports) and 80% with Magnesium Glycinate (527 reports).
L-Theanine has 18 meta-analyses and 78 randomized trials on PubMed; Magnesium Glycinate has 0 and 4.
Based on 2,343 reports about L-Theanine and 1,323 about Magnesium Glycinate. Not medical advice.
| L-Theanine Supplement | Magnesium Glycinate Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 55 | 60 |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 64% | 67% |
| Reports | 2,343 | 1,323 |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | CResearch: Limited |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 18 / 78 | 0 / 4 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Appetite % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | — |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 85% (339) | 67% (48) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 65% (80) | 63% (51) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 78% (306) | 80% (527) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 90% (881) | 78% (255) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 72% (164) | 70% (84) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 64% (11) | 88% (8) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | — | 89% (9) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | — | 100% (10) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 100% (5) | 91% (11) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | — | 57% (14) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 20% (10) | 53% (17) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | 50% (2) | 100% (5) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 83% (6) | 67% (6) |
| Skin & hair % reporting improvement | — | 75% (4) |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | — |
| Common side effects | drowsiness, brain fog, vivid dreams, fatigue | insomnia, anxiety, drowsiness, fatigue |
| Typical dose reported | 200 mg / bedtime | at sleep time |
This meta-analysis provides evidence that theanine plus caffeine, and theanine alone, could be beneficial for cognitive and mood outcomes. More research using tea beverages or tea-equivalent bioactive doses and research in free-living participants is needed.
Nutr Rev, 2025 ↗“This morning was my first time taking this combination along with my other daily vitamins and wow, what a difference it has made in my overall mood and anxiety!”
“The brain fog started lifting. The constant low-grade anxiety that I had accepted as "normal" started to ease.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate