Why Does Beta Alanine Make You Tingle?

Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid that has become a crucial ingredient in pre-workout supplements. This substance helps you delay muscular fatigue, so you can push a little further to improve your physical strength, overall endurance, and body shape.

But there is something that many have noticed when taking beta-alanine: it feels tingly. Some describe the feeling like many tiny needles under your skin; they are not painful, but it might be scary for those who use it for the first time.

Why does beta-alanine make you tingle? Find out in this article.

Key Takeaways

• Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid that has become a crucial ingredient in pre-workout supplements as it helps delay muscular fatigue and improve physical strength, endurance, and body shape.
• Beta-Alanine causes a tingly sensation that is harmless but might be scary for those who use it for the first time. The tingle is a secondary effect that seems to activate transmitting signals in the nerves that cause the skin to experience temporary paresthesia.
• The Beta-Alanine tingle starts around 15 minutes after taking the dose and lasts for about 30 minutes, depending on the dose you took and your body's tolerance to it. To reduce the tingle, you can split the dosage during the day or consume it after eating.
• You should talk to a doctor before consuming supplements, especially if you are taking heart medications or drugs for erectile dysfunction, and keep Beta-Alanine away from children.

How Does Beta-Alanine Work?

Beta-Alanine favors Carnosine production, an organic compound that prevents the “burning” sensation of lactic acid in your muscles. Lactic acid builds while exercising, cleaning your cells from the chemical byproducts of your body burning energy, but in the process, the acid causes the “burning” sensation.

Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid does not cause soreness; this results from microscopic muscle tears that rebuild to be stronger.

In sum, Beta-Alanine helps produce Carnosine, which contains lactic acid from “burning” your muscles in that last rep or lap. And how is it related to the tingle? Well, the tingle is a secondary effect.

It seems to be that the amino acid activates transmitting signals in the nerves that cause the skin to experience temporary and harmless paresthesia, similar to when sitting with the legs crossed for too long— just a tingle among the benefits.

Benefits of Taking Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine is the perfect companion for athletes and anyone who performs high-intensity exercises or relies on anaerobic metabolism. Still, it can work for anybody seeking to improve their physical performance, but the benefits are not instant. 

The objective of Beta-Alanine is to produce Carnosine, and it takes up to four weeks of proper daily dosage from 3.2 grams to 4.5 grams to significantly increase the carnosine concentrations in your body. The path to better performance is long, but the results are worth it.

Risks of Taking Beta-Alanine

Although the FDA regulates dietary supplements as food, so producers do not have to prove their products are safe before selling them in the market, you should talk to a doctor before consuming supplements. Beta-Alanine may interact with heart medications and drugs for erectile dysfunction, disrupting their effects on your body.

Moreover, you should keep Beta-Alanine away from children and avoid using it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as the product’s safety has not been established for children.

How Long Does the Beta-Alanine Tingle Last?

According to Jamie Hickey, certified nutritionist and personal trainer by ISSA, the tingle starts around 15 minutes after taking the dose of Beta-Alanine, beginning in the neck and spreading to your shoulders and arms. 

For most people, the Beta-Alanine tingle lasts for about 30 minutes. However, this is a general answer, and the experience is different for each person. The length of the Beta-Alanine tingling depends on the dose you took and your body’s tolerance to it. These factors make the tingle last from a few minutes to an hour.

How to Stop Beta-Alanine Tingles

Are you tired of the Beta-Alanine tingling sensation in your body? There is a simple solution: split the dosage during the day instead of taking one hefty dose before training.

Remember that Beta-Alanine does not act immediately and takes weeks to show noticeable benefits, so taking one-third of the daily dosage after every meal has the same benefits as taking the whole dose at once. 

Still, taking one-third of the dose does reduce the tingle. You may also want to try consuming Beta-Alanine after eating to minimize the tingling effect.