How does caffeine affect anxiety? Discover the intricate relationship between this ubiquitous stimulant and its impact on mental health. Uncover the underlying mechanisms and explore effective strategies to manage caffeine-induced anxiety.

Caffeine’s Impact on the Central Nervous System

Caffeine, a widely consumed stimulant, has a direct impact on the central nervous system (CNS). It stimulates the CNS, leading to a cascade of physiological responses that can have significant implications for individuals with anxiety or those prone to it. By understanding the ways in which caffeine interacts with the CNS, we can better understand the connection between caffeine and anxiety.

The Physiological Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine can induce a range of physical symptoms that are often associated with anxiety, such as restlessness, nervousness, shakiness, agitation, pounding heart, and sweating. These effects are the result of caffeine’s ability to increase the production of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can contribute to feelings of anxiety and tension.

Caffeine’s Impact on Neurotransmitters

Caffeine can also disrupt the delicate balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. These neurotransmitters play a crucial role in regulating mood, emotions, and overall mental well-being. Caffeine’s influence on these neurochemicals can lead to imbalances that manifest as symptoms of anxiety.

Depletion of Essential Nutrients

Caffeine consumption can deplete the body’s levels of essential nutrients, such as magnesium and B vitamins, which are crucial for maintaining a healthy nervous system and managing stress. This nutrient depletion can further exacerbate anxiety by disrupting the brain’s ability to function optimally.

Caffeine and Blood Flow to the Brain

Caffeine has been shown to reduce blood flow to the brain, which can limit the delivery of oxygen, glucose, and other essential nutrients needed for the brain to function properly. This restriction of blood flow can contribute to feelings of anxiety and cognitive impairment.

The Role of Learned Associations

In some cases, the connection between caffeine and anxiety may be a learned association. If an individual experiences a panic attack or severe anxiety in a specific situation, the brain may subconsciously associate those feelings with the consumption of caffeine, even if the caffeine was not the primary trigger.

Caffeine Withdrawal and Anxiety

The effects of caffeine can linger long after the initial consumption, and the withdrawal from caffeine can also contribute to feelings of anxiety. As the body adjusts to the absence of caffeine, it can experience a range of withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, which can further exacerbate the connection between caffeine and anxiety.

Strategies for Managing Caffeine-Induced Anxiety

To effectively manage the connection between caffeine and anxiety, individuals may need to adjust their caffeine intake, explore alternative coping mechanisms, and address underlying nutrient deficiencies. This may involve gradually reducing caffeine consumption, incorporating stress-reducing activities, and ensuring a balanced, nutrient-rich diet.

Gradually Reduce Caffeine Intake

Abruptly cutting out caffeine can lead to withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety. Instead, try gradually reducing your caffeine intake over time to allow your body to adjust more smoothly.

Incorporate Stress-Reducing Activities

Engage in activities that can help manage stress and anxiety, such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, or regular physical activity. These practices can help counteract the effects of caffeine-induced anxiety.

Address Nutrient Deficiencies

Ensure that your diet is rich in the essential nutrients, such as magnesium and B vitamins, that are depleted by caffeine consumption. Supplementation may also be beneficial in some cases.

Identify Triggers and Patterns

Pay attention to when your anxiety spikes and try to identify any potential connections to your caffeine intake. This can help you better understand your individual response to caffeine and develop a personalized strategy for managing the connection between caffeine and anxiety.

By understanding the complex relationship between caffeine and anxiety, individuals can take proactive steps to manage their caffeine intake and find effective ways to maintain their mental well-being. Remember, the journey to managing caffeine-induced anxiety may be unique to each person, so be patient and open to exploring different strategies that work best for you.

The Connection Between Caffeine and Anxiety: Not Good!

The connection between caffeine and anxiety is as strong as a double shot of espresso. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system (CNS) and therefore has a direct impact on the brain and spinal cord. The caffeine we put into our bodies irritates the CNS, leading to multiple responses. One such response is felt in the connection between caffeine and anxiety. Caffeine can aggravate existing anxiety and panic disorders, and it can contribute to the development of new anxiety. Understanding caffeine and the CNS can help you make caffeine-related decisions that are right for you and your anxiety.

The Connection Between Caffeine and Anxiety: What Does Caffeine Do?

The US National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus lists people who should avoid caffeine. On that list are people experiencing anxiety. When you consider just a few of the effects of caffeine in the body, it makes sense. For the average person, more than 250 mg of caffeine per day (the equivalent of 1 or two cups of coffee, several cans of soda, or two eight-oz energy drinks) can cause:

• Restlessness
• Nervousness
• Shakiness or the “caffeine jitters”
• Agitation
• Pounding heart
• Sweating
• Sense of impending doom
• Fearful, worrisome thoughts and emotions
• Insomnia

These are all symptoms of anxiety. If you don’t have anxiety, caffeine can make you feel like you do, and in some cases, caffeine causes anxiety (see more foods that cause, trigger or worsen anxiety).

But why? Why is there a strong connection between caffeine and anxiety? We ingest caffeine, and it wreaks havoc.

There are many ways caffeine contributes to and aggravates anxiety. Caffeine:

• Increases stress hormones
• Reduces levels of important neurotransmitters
• Decreases blood flow to the brain
• Depletes magnesium in the body
• Depletes the body’s B vitamins
• Conflicts with female hormones estrogen and progesterone

All these effects work in concert. For example, with the caffeine-induced depletion of magnesium and B vitamins, the neurotransmitters that calm us and reduce anxiety—serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)—aren’t produced in the quantities the CNS needs. GABA is associated with panic attacks; without enough of this neurotransmitter, many people become more prone to panic.

Magnesium is an important mineral that caffeine unduly excretes from the body. Magnesium plays a significant role in our mental health, including staving off depression and anxiety. The more caffeine we consume, the fewer essential nutrients stay in our bodies to feed the brain well for mental health.

Blood flow supplies the brain with everything it needs to operate well. Caffeine partially dries up this rich river, thus restricting the oxygen, water, glucose, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals the brain uses to make neurochemicals and function smoothly in all its roles. Researchers have discovered that caffeine can reduce blood flow to the brain by 27% (Addicot, et al., 2009).

Think of your own health, wellbeing, and functioning when you are dehydrated and hungry. You might get weak, cranky, have a hard time focusing and making decisions, and anxious. So does your brain, and a depleted brain can be an anxious brain.

Caffeine can cause anxiety problems in women by disrupting the production and flow of female hormones. Symptoms of both menopause and PMS—including anxiety—can worsen with caffeine consumption.

Another Reason for the Connection Between Caffeine and Anxiety

Caffeine and anxiety team up to cause angst. A big part of the reason for this is the way caffeine acts in the body and impacts the brain. Another explanation that can be relevant for some people in some circumstances is that the brain thinks there is something other than caffeine causing anxiety.

It’s a learned association, and it happens as a self-protection mechanism. Someone has a panic attack or experiences severe anxiety in a given situation. The bran associates the circumstances and the environment with the anxiety and panic, and the relationship to caffeine consumption is lost.

Of course, this isn’t always the case. It happens often enough, though, that it’s worth paying attention to. If you’re prone to panic attacks, what, exactly, is happening when you have them? Can you point to a consistent connection between caffeine and your anxiety or panic attack? For example, do you experience horrible anxiety when you arrive at work every morning? Maybe it’s situational, but is there a chance that it is courtesy of your morning coffee?

Also, watch for when your anxiety spikes. Caffeine’s effects typically peak about an hour after consumption, but the effects can last for up to six hours. If your symptoms are striking hours after that energy drink, you could be experiencing caffeine withdrawal anxiety.

Each person’s sensitivity to caffeine is unique. The knowledge that caffeine can cause new anxiety to begin and existing anxiety to worsen can be a useful tool for reducing anxiety. If you consume caffeine and experience anxiety, you might consider tapering the caffeine to see if your anxiety goes down with it.

article references

How Caffeine and Alcohol Can Make Your Mental Health Worse

It’s no secret that living through the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2020 in general, has been emotionally exhausting. People have been isolated and social distancing, many struggling with losing a job or income. Some are treating extremely ill patients on the frontlines, dealing with the loss of friends or family members and so much more, all while trying to process an endless barrage of disasters, political turmoil and bad news unrelated to the pandemic. All this strife can be especially hard on anyone already coping with depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions.

Taking care of yourself right now may include understanding how a daily coffee or cocktail habit could be influencing your wellbeing. Everyday substances like caffeine and alcohol, when consumed in excess, can exacerbate underlying mental health issues like anxiety and depression. And seemingly harmless drugs in your medicine cabinet, like allergy or cold meds, can interact with medications used for treating mental health to bring about serious consequences.

Coffee Time

“When we’re talking about caffeine and about alcohol and their impacts on mental health, the topic that you start focusing on is sleep,” says Alexander Blount, a psychologist and professor emeritus of family medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Sleep has a big impact on how people manage their mental health and feel about themselves generally, says Blount. Loss of sleep contributes to the development of some psychiatric conditions, like depression and bipolar disorder. People struggling with their mental health are more likely to struggle with sleep, too. In fact, 50 to 80 percent of patients in treatment for mental health issues also report sleep problems, says Blount.

Caffeine in moderation acts as a mood brightener, says Blount. There’s a difference between drinking a cup of coffee or two in the morning to get started and feel a little sharper and drinking eight cups or more over the course of the day, he says. Even if you’re able to fall asleep after drinking that much caffeine, your sleep quality is probably poor. Poor sleep quality can cause problems for people struggling with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder in particular, says Blouth.

Too much caffeine can also increase existing feelings of stress and anxiety. Most people are familiar with the energy boost and jitters that can accompany getting a sudden shot of espresso or an energy drink. The substance increases your body’s alertness and in doing so can make someone already struggling even more anxious.

Cocktail Hour

Going heavy on the caffeine can also increase alcohol use, says Blount. Many people will have a drink or two to dull the effects of caffeine to help them go to sleep, he says. While alcohol may help you fall asleep, it often reduces the quality of your sleep, so you aren’t getting the deep rest your brain needs.  

There is a reciprocal relationship between alcohol and depression, he says. Alcohol also tends to increase depressive symptoms. And symptoms of depression can make people more vulnerable to alcohol abuse. It’s a vicious cycle: feelings of low self-worth and confidence can cause someone to drink more, which then can make them feel even worse about themselves.

“Alcohol increases risk of depression and depression increases risk of alcohol use,” says Blount.

Already, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a jump in the number of people reporting they feel depressed. A third of adults in the U.S. now show signs of clinical depression, according to a Census Bureau survey conducted earlier this year. People are isolated from friends and family, have lost jobs or are dealing with economic hardship and other stress that comes with weathering a global disease outbreak. Through it all, even during the most stringent lockdowns, liquor stores have remained open, which has boosted concerns from experts about alcohol dependence and relapse.

Cold and Allergy Season

Other substances you may have lying around your house or tucked in the cabinet also need to be used carefully. The ingredients in many common decongestants, cough suppressants and antihistamines interact with antidepressants and other medications used for treating mental health in a way that can either make those drugs less effective or create new, troublesome side effects.

For example, cough medicine containing the common ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM) shouldn’t be taken in combination with antidepressants Prozac, Zoloft or Lexapro. Doing so can cause your body to produce too much serotonin, leading to a condition called serotonin syndrome that can bring about increased anxiety, headaches, fevers and a host of other symptoms. In severe cases, it can be deadly.    

If you take medication for depression, bipolar disorder or another mental health condition, you should talk to your doctor before selecting an over the counter drug to alleviate a cough or runny nose. Don’t stop taking your medication, however.

If you want to start drinking less coffee or adult beverages, Blount recommends using breathing and mindfulness exercises to help reduce anxiety and connecting with friends and family over the phone or video chat to alleviate feelings of isolation. Changing your routine so that you replace that fifth cup of coffee or first beer with something else you enjoy, like going for a short walk, can help disrupt the pattern.

Caffeine’s Connection to Sleep Problems

Caffeine is a natural psychoactive substance widely used in foods and beverages across the world. Caffeine is found in many plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, cacao pods, and kola nuts. Caffeine is also synthetically produced and used in medications and energy drinks for its energizing and alertness-promoting effects.

Caffeine is most often consumed in drinks. Since there are so many variations in caffeinated products, it can be hard to know exactly how much caffeine is in a particular drink, especially a fresh-brewed cup of tea or coffee that has no label. Generally speaking though, coffee is the most potent and most consumed caffeinated beverage. A single eight ounce cup of coffee contains between 95-200mg of caffeine. For comparison, a 12 ounce soda contains 35-45mg, about half the amount of a weaker cup of coffee.

How Does Caffeine Affect the Brain?

When we consume caffeinated drinks and foods, our stomachs and small intestines quickly absorb the caffeine. The maximum effects of caffeine usually occur between 30-60 minutes within consumption, although this timing can vary widely among individuals. After being absorbed, caffeine is efficiently distributed throughout the whole body, and it crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Inside the brain, caffeine blocks adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a sleep-promoting chemical that is produced in the brain during our waking hours. Normally, adenosine builds up in the brain the longer we’re awake. The more it builds up, the sleepier we become. When caffeine blocks this process, we remain alert and vigilant.

Research has also shown that caffeine interferes with circadian melatonin rhythms, delaying the onset of sleep if consumed close to bedtime. Circadian rhythms are physiological patterns, like our sleep-wake cycle, that operate on a 24-hour clock. They are held in check by the external cycle of day and night, and by internal cellular processes. The buildup of adenosine contributes to this process, and caffeine’s interference with this process may explain its impact on circadian rhythm.

How Long Does Caffeine Last?

The effects of caffeine are measured by its half-life, which typically ranges from 4-6 hours. The half-life means the time that your body has metabolized, or processed through, half the caffeine you consumed. As a result, the six-hour half-life of a caffeinated beverage you consume in the afternoon could keep you up at night.

Some factors can slow or speed up the metabolism of caffeine. Nicotine use can reduce the half-life of caffeine by up to 50%, so frequent smokers process through caffeine much quicker, with a half-life as short as two hours. By contrast, pregnant women experience slower caffeine metabolism. It is recommended that those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid coffee, or limit intake to 16 ounces or less per day (about two cups of coffee).

During pregnancy, caffeine can be passed to the baby through the placenta. A trace amount of caffeine can also be found in breast milk. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and concerned about your caffeine intake, talk to your health care provider about what steps you should take to ensure optimum health for you and your baby.

How Does Caffeine Affect Sleep?

Caffeine can impact the onset of sleep and reduce sleep time, efficiency, and satisfaction levels. Older adults may also be more susceptible to caffeine-induced sleep troubles. Caffeine notably reduces the time of slow-wave sleep, which is the stage of deep, restful sleep that leaves us feeling refreshed and alert in the morning. Caffeine-interrupted sleep can lead to sleep deprivation the following day, which is characterized by fatigue and problems with learning, memory, problem-solving, and emotion regulation.

One study examined the effects of caffeine intake zero, three, and six hours before bedtime, and found that even caffeine consumed six hours before bed could reduce sleep time by one hour. In addition, study participants reported sleeping problems when consuming caffeine 0-3 hours before bed, but they did not realize their sleep was also disrupted when consuming caffeine six hours before bed. If you have difficulty sleeping, consider limiting any caffeine intake six hours before bed.

Can Caffeine Keep Me Awake?

Caffeine can cause a burst of energy as it stimulates the central nervous system . Most people drink coffee in the morning to help them wake up, but caffeine consumed at night can cause more harm than good. While caffeine can boost cognitive function in the severely fatigued, it cannot permanently ward off sleep or fix the effects of long-term sleep loss. Even though caffeine can marginally boost performance, it is no substitute for a restful, restorative night of sleep.

It is also proposed that the effectiveness of caffeine varies depending on the dose and the state of the individual. For example, the arousing effects of caffeine may benefit someone who feels foggy and tired. For someone who is already alert and aroused, however, caffeine may cause over-arousal and lead to anxiety, restlessness, and dependency.

Can Caffeine Cause Insomnia?

While there are short-term performance benefits to caffeine consumption, overuse can lead to insomnia symptoms or worsen pre-existing insomnia. Consuming caffeine to stay awake at night may lead to sleeplessness, anxiety, frequent nighttime awakenings, and overall poorer sleep quality.

In addition, caffeine from sodas has been linked to increased severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which is the primary characteristic of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Notably, this association was only found with caffeinated sodas, but not with coffee or tea, although it is unclear why. Regardless, those who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing may not know about their sleep disruption and find themselves attributing excessive daytime sleepiness to other causes. If you struggle with sleepiness during the day, it might be helpful to reevaluate your caffeine consumption, especially from sodas.

Does Caffeine Make Some People Sleepy?

Yes. It may seem counterintuitive, but some people feel like caffeine makes them tired instead of more alert. The disruptive effects of regular caffeine use on sleep can create a vicious cycle. Caffeine use causes sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation causes sleepiness the subsequent day, which in turn causes an increased need to consume more caffeine in order to cope with the sleepiness. Even with increased caffeine consumption, sleep deprivation catches up. People may be especially aware of their long-term sleep loss after they consume caffeine because they do not experience the pick-me-up they expected, and instead feel sleepy.

Sleepiness can also be a symptom of abstinence from caffeine, which is why regular caffeine users may feel overly sleepy in the morning when they have gone all night without caffeine.

How Much Caffeine Is Safe To Drink?

Since caffeine can be both beneficial and harmful depending on the dose, it is important to find a level of consumption that is healthy for you. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendation for safe daily caffeine consumption sits around 400mg, or 4-5 cups of coffee per day. A large cup of coffee can have up to 470 mg of caffeine content which is more than the daily recommended caffeine content. It is essential to read the fine print about what you’re drinking. Since there can be a lot of variation in the way people respond to and metabolize caffeine, talk to your doctor if you are unsure if your caffeine consumption is recommended.

How Many Hours Before Bedtime Should I Have Caffeine?

The recommended cut-off time for caffeine use is a minimum of six hours before bedtime. For example, if you typically go to bed at 10pm, avoiding caffeine after 4pm can help minimize sleep problems. If you find the six-hour recommendation is not enough, make note of the times you consume caffeine and how you sleep the subsequent night. You may find you sleep better with a longer period of caffeine abstinence before bed.

How Can I Tell if Caffeine Is Affecting My Sleep?

Are you struggling with insomnia, headaches, or anxiety during the day? This could be a sign of caffeine overuse and dependence. Troubles during the night, like frequent awakenings, inability to fall asleep, and nighttime anxiety may also be a sign caffeine is interfering with your sleep (14). If you find yourself excessively sleepy during the day and caffeine isn’t helping, it could be a sign you are sleep deprived from extended caffeine use. In that case, it may be time to put down the coffee and catch up on some much-needed rest.

How Else Can I Improve My Sleep?

Monitoring your caffeine use is just one way you can help yourself get regular, restorative sleep. Other lifestyle choices, like a healthy diet and exercise regimen, can contribute to healthy sleep. Good sleep hygiene is comprised of all the habits and routines that optimize your sleep quality:

•  Sleep environment: Cool, comfy, quiet, and dark. Give your body and mind a peaceful and relaxing environment to rest.
• Lifestyle: Moderate alcohol and caffeine consumption within recommended guidelines, exercise regularly, and don’t smoke!
• Routine: Make a regular bedtime, including scheduled time beforehand to wind down, dim the lights, and put away electronics and other stimulating activities.

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Can Caffeine Induce Anxiety Attacks? – Causes

The short answer is a definite yes. In looking over some of the more popular member generated content here on Anxiety Connection, I stumbled upon a post written by member Linda back in 2007 where she makes an amazing discovery about the source of her anxiety attacks. In her post entitled, “No Coffee, No Anxiety” Linda explains how she would have chronic anxiety and panic attacks during a stressful period in her life. Despite the fact that the stressors went away, she continued to have problems with anxiety. Then she found the one thing that really helped. Here is an excerpt of Linda’s story:

“I stopped drinking coffee because I noticed that it was making me feel a bit nauseated on a regular basis. I didn’t remove caffeine completely — I started drinking tea instead. It was about two weeks without coffee when I realized that the anxious feeling was gone. Completely. The ONLY change I made in my life at the time was cutting out the coffee. That was more than two years ago and the anxiety has never returned, even in stressful situations. It may sound crazy, but I’m a firm believer that coffee was the cause of my anxiety.”

Could such a story be true? Can a habit of millions of people around the world be an underlying source of anxiety for some? Many health experts including our writers here on Anxiety Connection have reported about caffeine induced anxiety. In a post entitled, “Diet and Anxiety” Eileen Bailey writes about the possible detrimental effects of caffeine: “While a small amount of caffeine may help some people be more alert and focus, excessive caffeine can have just the opposite impact, causing irritability, loss of focus and can cause people to feel jittery and anxious.” Jerry Kennard has also discussed some of the symptoms of caffeine induced anxiety, saying: “Caffeine can trigger a number of sensations including sweaty palms, a racing heart and ringing in the ears, that has been known to result in panic attacks. “

I am not sure how many people know this or not but there are actually four psychiatric conditions listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) as related to caffeine consumption. They include: Caffeine intoxication, caffeine-induced anxiety disorder, caffeine-induced sleep disorder, and caffeine-related disorder not otherwise specified (NOS).

For example here are the criteria outlined in the DSM-IV-TR for Caffeine intoxication:

-Recent consumption of caffeine, usually in excess of 250 mg (more than 2-3 cups of brewed coffee)

-Demonstration of 5 or more of the following signs during or shortly after caffeine use:

• Restlessness o Nervousness

• Excitement

• Insomnia

• Flushed face

• Diuresis

• Gastrointestinal disturbance

• Muscle twitching

• Rambling flow of thought and speech

• Tachycardia or cardiac arrhythmia

• Periods of inexhaustibility

• Psychomotor agitation

The above symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

The symptoms are not due to a general medical condition and are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as an anxiety disorder.

If your anxiety attacks come on in the morning following your morning coffee this just may be a pattern to examine.

We know that people with already existing mental health issues may be especially vulnerable to suffering from ill effects from caffeine consumption. Here are some things to know:

The pyschostimulant properties of caffeine puts people having bipolar disorder more at risk for having manic symptoms if they consume large quantities of caffeine.

In an article entitled, “Caffeine-Related Psychiatric Disorders,” author, R Gregory Lande states that high blood-caffeine levels are correlated with severe depression.

In a 2009 study, Antonio E. Nardi and colleagues, found that patients having an already existing panic disorder reacted with having increased anxiety and panic attacks after undergoing a 480-mg caffeine test.

One conclusion we can draw from such studies is that for some people, caffeine consumption can exacerbate the symptoms of existing mental health problems especially those who already suffer from anxiety.

Although there are a number of caffeinated beverages out there, coffee is probably the most popular among them. With a Starbucks on most every corner of urban streets, coffee consumption has steadily increased over the years. One estimate is that up to 80% of Americans drink coffee. And according to The National Coffee Association more young adults are drinking coffee than ever: “Young adults (18-24) who drank coffee consumed an average of 3.2 cups per day as compared with 3.1 in 2007, a significant increase over 2005’s level of 2.5 cups per day.”

The National Coffee Association also found that coffee outranked pop and soda as the favorite choice of caffeinated beverage: “In 2007, past-day consumption of coffee surpassed that of soft drinks for the first time. While the gap narrowed in 2008, daily consumption of coffee is still directionally higher. ”

It does appear that most Americans are getting their caffeine fix from coffee. The risk of adverse symptoms from caffeine consumption are related to dosage. The Johns Hopkins Baview Medical Center gives a rough estimate that adults consume approximately 280 milligrams (the equivalent of 17 ounces of brewed coffee or 84 ounces of soft drink) per day in the United States.

According to this same source:

• 100 mg of caffeine per day can lead to physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms upon ceasing to consume caffeine.

• 200 mg of caffeine per day can increase anxiety ratings and induce panic attacks for some individuals.

• Caffeine intoxication (see DSM-IV-TR symptoms listed in this article) can occur for some individuals when they consume caffeine in excess of 250 mg (more than 2-3 cups of brewed coffee) per day.

So let’s look at how much caffeine is included in various caffeinated beverages to make a comparison.
(Source: Mayo Clinic’s Nutrition and Healthy Eating.)

• Now I know why some of you are drinking the Mountain Dew in the morning. It is a soda with one of the highest amounts of caffeine. A 12 ounce can of Mountain Dew has a whopping 54 mg of caffeine in it.

• 12 ounces of Dr. Pepper has approximately 42-44 mg of caffeine.

• Diet Coke has more caffeine in it than the non-diet version. A 12 ounce Diet Coke has 47 mg of caffeine as compared to 35 mg in the same sized can of Coca-Cola Classic.

• Sodas like 7Up, Sprite, and Mug Root Beer are reported to have no caffeine.

• An 8.3 oz red bull energy drink has 76 mg of caffeine.

• I am finding out that one of my favorite beverages contains a lot of caffeine A 16 oz Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Latte has about 100 mg of caffeine. Yikes!

• A regular generic 8 oz cup of brewed coffee has a range of 95-200 mg of caffeine.

• Decaffeinated coffee usually still contains a little caffeine. An 8 ounce cup of generic decaf coffee can contain between 2-12 mg of caffeine.

• A 16 oz Starbucks vanilla latte has about 150 mg of caffeine in it.

You do the math. How much caffeine are you consuming in a day do you guesstimate? Do you feel that your caffeine consumption is causing you to be more nervous or prone to anxiety attacks? In my next post we will be discussing how to break an addiction to caffeine and how to deal with withdrawals. Stay tuned!

Sources:

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Washington, DC: 2000:212-5, 708-9.

Broderick PJ, Benjamin AB, Dennis LW. Caffeine and psychiatric medication interactions: a review. J Okla State Med Assoc. Aug 2005;98(8):380-4

Nardi AE, Valenca AM, Nascimento I, Freire RC, Veras AB, de-Melo-Neto VL, et al. A caffeine challenge test in panic disorder patients, their healthy first-degree relatives, and healthy controls. Depress Anxiety. 2008;25(10):847-53

Meet Our Writer

Anne Windermere

These articles were written by a longtime HealthCentral community member who shared valuable insights from her experience living with multiple chronic health conditions. She used the pen name “Merely Me.”

Caffeine and anxiety – why you should consider quitting coffee

Coffee drinkers wear their caffeine consumption like a badge of honor (*raises hand proudly*). But while there’s no question that coffee can make even the Monday-est of Mondays bearable, the truth is that the bev—and other caffeine-packed foods and drinks—might not be for everyone. Particularly those with anxiety.

“I don’t make any friends talking about this because everybody loves the caffeine. I get it, I get it, but I think that caffeine is an anxiogenic substance. That’s fancy medical speak for it’s like a drug that causes anxiety,” said holistic psychologist Ellen Vora, MD, a panelist at last week’s Well+Good TALKS: Generation Anxiety event at The Assemblage NoMad in New York City.

Photo: Elena Mudd

Dr. Vora said ditching coffee (and ultimately, all caffeine) is “low-hanging fruit” when it comes to dialing back your anxiety. And she’s not alone: Keri Glassman MS, RDN, says that caffeine is a stimulant to your nervous system. “It triggers your fight-or-flight response and this is known to make anxiety go up. It can also make you feel flat out moody and nervous,” she says.

While more research still needs to be conducted on the relationship between caffeine and anxiety, two separate studies have reported finding higher mean anxiety scores in participants “dependent” on caffeine than their non-dependent counterparts.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that drinking coffee automatically will give you anxiety. “Some people are able to tolerate caffeine any time of day with limited negative side effects or disruption to sleep hygiene,” says Becki Holmes, MS, RDN, LDN, and founder of Foodwit. However other people, like those who don’t drink caffeine regularly or who have pre-existing anxiety conditions, are more likely to experience increased anxiety symptoms from their morning joe. If you have a clinical anxiety disorder, Holmes recommends working with your doctor to suss out how caffeine may be affecting your “general well-being,” as part of a larger treatment plan.

“Nothing should happen cold turkey with caffeine because caffeine withdrawal is very real. You get headaches; you hate everybody.” -Ellen Vora, MD

All three experts agree that it can’t hurt to kick that morning cup of joe if you’re someone who deals with anxiety. But Holmes caveats that if you and your doc decide that caffeine breakup is the best course of action, remember that the stimulant appears in way more than just coffee beans. It’s also a mainstay in chocolate, some teas, vitamins, and even some headache medications. So until you settle into your new routine, you’ll have to be extra choosy about what ingredients deserve a spot on your plate (and in your medicine cabinet).

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But first, (you’ll have to quit) coffee. (See what I did there?)

“Nothing should happen cold turkey with caffeine because caffeine withdrawal is very real. You get headaches; you hate everybody.” Dr. Vora said. Instead, think slow and steady: “If it’s coffee, turn it into half [caf] and half [decaf], then turn into black tea, and eventually green tea, and eventually nothing,” she recommends. If you’re more of a coffee-to-go kinda gal, Holmes says to swap out your venti Starbs for a grande, then a grande for a tall. And so on.

Here’s what happened when one writer who *loves* coffee kicked the habit for the month, and what will likely happen if you stop drinking it. 

Can Decaf Coffee Cause Anxiety? Find Out Here!

Coffee is a remedy that helps us deal with the fast everyday life. Sometimes, it helps you focus, feel more energetic, or at least enables you to relax and have a moment for yourself. However, caffeine is a substance that can do the opposite when consumed in high amounts, causing anxiety and panic. So, if it’s the caffeine causing it, can decaf coffee cause anxiety?

Due to very low caffeine content, decaf coffee can’t cause anxiety. However, sensitive individuals can experience anxiety-like symptoms, such as jitteriness, shaking, etc. Also, other substances in decaf coffee can cause different problems, such as heart conditions, increased acidity, etc.

Also, you can experience anxiety symptoms linked to drinking decaf coffee, but it’s not a physiological source of those symptoms. For instance, if you drink coffee before work and work makes you anxious, you might subconsciously link that feeling with drinking decaf coffee.

If you aren’t sure whether you should switch from regular to decaf, you’re in the right place to find out. First, let’s break down everything from facts to myths about decaf coffee:

• How it’s made.
• How it differs from regular coffee.
• What side effects it has, and eventually, which one you should choose.

How Is Decaf Coffee Made?

If you ever tried decaf coffee, you’ll notice that there’s no distinguishable difference in taste from regular coffee. I always thought caffeine was responsible for the specific taste of coffee, but as it turns out, it plays virtually no role in it. While pure caffeine is very bitter, it’s so diluted in coffee that it’s tasteless.

That means that all the other substances found in a coffee bean remain intact in the decaffeination process, making me wonder how decaf is even made. There are several different methods for making decaf coffee. Still, all of them include water, organic solvents, active carbon, or carbon dioxide.

The solvents are typically ethyl acetate, methylene chloride, etc. The process begins before roasting the beans. First, green coffee beans need to be moisturized and swollen. You can do it either by submerging them in water completely (which takes longer) or steaming them (works faster, but can reduce the quantity of other substances in the beans if not done correctly).

After the green beans swell from moisture, you can use several methods for the next step. The slowest but safest way to extricate caffeine out of the beans is with water. Caffeine slowly dissolves in the water from the beans, so only a tiny amount is left.

More commonly, solvents are used to speed up the process. Substances like ethyl acetate or dichloromethane extract the caffeine from the beans more thoroughly and quickly. However, if the solvents aren’t appropriately removed after the extraction, they can stay inside the beans and cause health risks when ingested.

Finally, the most frowned-upon method is using CO2. It’s the most effective method but has the most health risks while operating.

The final step of the process is drying the beans to their natural moisture level. After that, they can be processed the same way as regular, caffeinated beans (roasted and ground). Note that the process can never extract 100% of the caffeine from the beans.

You end up with a caffeine content between 0. 05% and 5%, depending on the method and the type of beans used. For example, under European laws, roasted decaf beans need to contain 0.1% or less caffeine, while instant decaf needs to be under 0.3%.

That means that the decaffeination process reduces the caffeine level in the beans in the 97-99.9% range. If you are caffeine-intolerant, even decaf can cause some problems. However, the amount of caffeine in one cup is incomparable: 70-140 mg per cup in regular coffee, 1-7 mg in decaf.

Can Coffee Cause Anxiety?

If you follow the guideline definition of drugs – “a substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced in the body” – caffeine is the most widespread drug in the world. Too much of any drug can cause serious problems, especially for susceptible individuals.

A ton of studies concluded that there’s a direct link between high caffeine consumption and anxiety symptoms. For example, one research found that coffee can cause anxiety-like symptoms, including faster heart rate, jitteriness, nervousness, shaking, gastrointestinal problems, etc.

How much caffeine is too much is highly dependable on the person, though. Some may experience these symptoms from only one cup of coffee, while some individuals may never experience them at all. Caffeine-induced anxiety will happen more often to individuals prone to social anxiety, panic disorders, etc. 

An average person can ingest around 400 mg of caffeine a day (around for regular cups of coffee, depending on the coffee type) without feeling any anxiety-like symptoms. As I already stated, that number varies from person to person.

Also, if you’re addicted to caffeine and trying to reduce the intake or quit entirely, you can go into a caffeine withdrawal disorder. This is because your body needs caffeine to continue functioning normally. After all, it’s used to operate in specific conditions.

Caffeine blocks adenosine – a brain chemical that makes you feel tired – and stimulates the production of adrenaline – a hormone that increases energy. So if you consume coffee in high amounts regularly, your body will get accustomed to it and start producing more adenosine and adrenaline than usual.

If there’s no caffeine in your body to regulate it, as usual, you’ll develop withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, lack of concentration – all leading to anxiety. Therefore, too much caffeine can cause anxiety-like symptoms, but withdrawing it completely and abruptly can cause the same symptoms as well.

The withdrawal isn’t as severe as hard drugs (where abrupt withdrawal can lead to death). Still, it’s enough to cause a lot of discomfort, stress, and uneasiness.

Moderate coffee consumption won’t cause any anxiety-related symptoms for most people. Still, if you are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, you should cut back on your daily intake. Your anxiety might not be related to coffee at all, but it could be enhanced due to caffeine.

It’s always a bright idea to find the root cause of the problem to solve it. Switching to decaf might help you reduce anxiety while helping with withdrawal symptoms, too, as decaf still has tiny amounts of caffeine in it.

Can Decaf Coffee Cause Anxiety?

So, you’ve made the switch from regular coffee to decaf, but you’re still experiencing anxiety? While it’s probable for super-sensitive individuals, your decaf almost certainly isn’t the culprit behind it.

The ingredient causing anxiety symptoms is caffeine, and the amount of caffeine found in decaf coffee is too low to cause those symptoms. Therefore, you would have to drink around ten times more decaf to experience the same drawbacks you did with regular coffee (jitteriness, jumpiness, etc.).

Most likely, your anxiety from drinking decaf isn’t physiological but rather psychological. For example, your brain might be linking the taste or the fragrance of the coffee with other anxiety-related influences, like sleepless nights, going to work, or PTSD.

Also, decaf coffee can serve as a trigger when combined with other influences. For instance, being in a stressful situation can make you falsely ascribe drinking decaf to your anxiety, while in reality, the problem is what’s causing your anxiety in the first place.

Furthermore, even the slightest amount of caffeine can cause these symptoms if it reacts to some substances in various medications. Therefore, if you’re taking a new medication, you should read if it can react with caffeine. Even if you’re drinking decaf, the two compounds combined can cause you to feel anxious.

So, what did we conclude? First, while there’s a minimal probability that decaf can cause anxiety, you would have to be extremely sensitive to caffeine, as caffeine is the only substance found in coffee known to cause anxiety-related symptoms. 

Decaf is a great way to keep all the healthy benefits of coffee for your organism (like vitamin intake, better digestion, pure taste, etc.) while eliminating the unpleasant side effects of high caffeine consumption such as jitters, anxiety, etc.

Be that as it may, you should be careful about consuming too much decaf, just as you should be cautious with regular coffee. Decaf can have some side effects you probably aren’t aware of that can be far more dangerous than anxiety.

Decaf Coffee Side Effects You Didn’t Know of

If you don’t put too many sweeteners or unhealthy fats and additives into your coffee, it can be one of the healthiest beverages for your body. Especially if you switch to decaf – you’ll get rid of the side effects that caffeine can cause while keeping all those health benefits.

Although decaf can have other side effects you might not be aware of, they can get severe if you consume too much. Let’s take a look at all the good and bad side effects of decaf coffee. Most of them will relate to coffee in general, but numerous are specific solely for decaf.

Positive side effects of decaf coffee

Coffee is one of the best natural sources of antioxidants, and decaf coffee has right around the same amount of them as regular coffee. Unfortunately, the decaffeination process can reduce those levels by as much as 15%, but it usually makes no difference.

You need antioxidants to block free radicals in your body – reactive compounds known to cause oxidative damage, leading to heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer. The antioxidants in coffee are mostly polyphenols. That might cause a problem for rare people with a genetic intolerance to these compounds, but it’s an infrequent occurrence.

That’s not the only benefit of decaf coffee, though. While you don’t get the caffeine-related benefits such as alertness, focus, energy, etc., you also don’t get the caffeine-related issues, such as anxiety, insomnia, etc. But, at the same time, you get all the other nutrients found in regular coffee.

Decaf coffee contains magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin B3, all of which are crucial for proper body function. If you drink 2-4 cups of decaf every day, you can satisfy at least half of the recommended daily intake of those nutrients. In addition, if you drink decaf moderately, it can vastly improve your overall well-being.

While studies are more thorough for regular coffee, decaf is linked with reduced liver enzyme levels, pointing at a protective effect on the liver. Coffee is also linked to reducing type 2 diabetes risks – up to a 7% reduction per cup.

Finally, regular coffee can cause acid reflux and heartburn – it happens a lot after years of daily coffee intake or after consuming too much coffee daily over a shorter period. But, again, caffeine is the main culprit behind this problem, so switching to decaf can reduce the symptoms – even end them altogether.

Negative side effects of decaf coffee

Remember how I told you the decaffeination process usually involves chemical solvents? Well, if not adequately treated after, traces of those chemicals can remain in your decaf coffee. Some of those solvents, such as methylene chloride, are used for paint thinners and nail polish. So you can see how that may pose a health risk if ingested, right?

Of course, decaf has to go through several tests before being cleared to put on shelves. Still, the risk of the chemicals entering your body is severe. The consequences include affecting the central nervous system, organ irritation, and severe cases, triggering rheumatoid arthritis and being carcinogenic.

However, the possibility of being harmed by those chemicals from decaf coffee is minimal. Still, there are other risks you need to be aware of. The most significant risk is raising the cholesterol levels in your organism.

The decaffeination process works better on beans that can take more moisture in. That’s why beans with a higher fat content are used to make decaf. Instead of arabica, the companies use robusta beans with a high level of diptenes – compounds that stimulate the production of fatty acids in your body. 

Consuming them regularly and in high amounts can cause a significant rise in cholesterol, eventually leading to heart health problems.

Coffee (both regular and decaf) can interfere with nutrient absorption from food. As a result, you might have difficulty keeping them in your body, which can be problematic if you have a deficiency in iron, magnesium, or some other nutrient.

While there hasn’t been enough research to know for sure, there are indicators and links that tie decaf coffee with the reduction of bone density. Coffee, in general, can cause increased acidity in your digestive system, usually, if you drink too much every day. That leads to a lousy calcium balance in your system, and calcium is responsible for the strength of your bones.

Regular or Decaf: Which One Should You Choose?

Before you answer this question, ask yourself what’s the main reason why you’re drinking coffee. Is it because of the energy boost the caffeine gives you or any other reason? If the answer is energy, choose regular coffee. If it’s the taste, aroma, health benefits, or other reason you might have for drinking coffee, choose decaf.

Decaf has all the nutrients regular coffee has, including vitamins, healthy fats, etc. The only thing you don’t have is caffeine, so you won’t experience the same benefits as you would with regular coffee, including alertness, better focus, energy, etc. All other benefits – including the specific taste – will still be present if you choose decaf.

If you feel anxiety-like symptoms and drink a lot of coffee every day, try switching to decaf to see if the symptoms will continue. Be careful how you do it, though, because if your body is accustomed to a lot of caffeine, you could go into withdrawal if you cut it off abruptly and experience many discomforts.

How to Switch to Decaf Coffee?

If you consume a lot of caffeine every day, switching to decaf abruptly can cause bad withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, etc. That’s why you should take steps when making the switch.

First, determine how much caffeine you intake every day. It’ll depend on the type of coffee you’re drinking and on the quantity. One cup is roughly 100 mg of caffeine, so go from there. If the answer is three or more cups a day, try replacing one cup with decaf. Slowly continue doing so until you’re entirely switched to decaf.

If you feel any withdrawal symptoms, try reducing the cup size first before changing to decaf. I’m a heavy coffee drinker, drinking around five cups a day. It became too much, and I needed to cut back. 

Now that I drink two to three decafs and two to three regulars a day, I feel rejuvenated. The energy-boosting stayed, but I have no acid reflux and anxiety symptoms I once experienced.

Caffeine: MedlinePlus

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is a bitter substance that occurs naturally in more than 60 plants including:

• Coffee beans
• Tea leaves
• Kola nuts, which are used to flavor soft drink colas
• Cacao pods, which are used to make chocolate products

There is also synthetic (man-made) caffeine, which is added to some medicines, foods, and drinks. For example, some pain relievers, cold medicines, and over-the-counter medicines for alertness contain synthetic caffeine. So do energy drinks and “energy-boosting” gums and snacks.

Most people consume caffeine from drinks. The amounts of caffeine in different drinks can vary a lot, but it is generally:

• An 8-ounce cup of coffee: 95-200 mg
• A 12-ounce can of cola: 35-45 mg
• An 8-ounce energy drink: 70-100 mg
• An 8-ounce cup of tea: 14-60 mg

What are caffeine’s effects on the body?

Caffeine has many effects on your body’s metabolism. It:

• Stimulates your central nervous system, which can make you feel more awake and give you a boost of energy
• Is a diuretic, meaning that it helps your body get rid of extra salt and water by urinating more
• Increases the release of acid in your stomach, sometimes leading to an upset stomach or heartburn
• May interfere with the absorption of calcium in the body
• Increases your blood pressure

Within one hour of eating or drinking caffeine, it reaches its peak level in your blood. You may continue to feel the effects of caffeine for four to six hours.

What are the side effects from too much caffeine?

For most people, it is not harmful to consume up to 400mg of caffeine a day. If you do eat or drink too much caffeine, it can cause health problems, such as:

Some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others.

What are energy drinks, and why can they be a problem?

Energy drinks are beverages that have added caffeine. The amount of caffeine in energy drinks can vary widely, and sometimes the labels on the drinks do not give you the actual amount of caffeine in them. Energy drinks may also contain sugars, vitamins, herbs, and supplements.

Companies that make energy drinks claim that the drinks can increase alertness and improve physical and mental performance. This has helped make the drinks popular with American teens and young adults. There’s limited data showing that energy drinks might temporarily improve alertness and physical endurance. There is not enough evidence to show that they enhance strength or power. But what we do know is that energy drinks can be dangerous because they have large amounts of caffeine. And since they have lots of sugar, they can contribute to weight gain and worsen diabetes.

Sometimes young people mix their energy drinks with alcohol. It is dangerous to combine alcohol and caffeine. Caffeine can interfere with your ability to recognize how drunk you are, which can lead you to drink more. This also makes you more likely to make bad decisions.

Who should avoid or limit caffeine?

You should check with your health care provider about whether you should limit or avoid caffeine if you:

• Are pregnant, since caffeine passes through the placenta to your baby
• Are breastfeeding, since a small amount of caffeine that you consume is passed along to your baby
• Have sleep disorders, including insomnia
• Have migraines or other chronic headaches
• Have anxiety
• Have GERD or ulcers
• Have fast or irregular heart rhythms
• Have high blood pressure
• Take certain medicines or supplements, including stimulants, certain antibiotics, asthma medicines, and heart medicines. Check with your health care provider about whether there might be interactions between caffeine and any medicines and supplements that you take.
• Are a child or teen. Neither should have as much caffeine as adults. Children can be especially sensitive to the effects of caffeine.

What is caffeine withdrawal?

If you have been consuming caffeine on a regular basis and then suddenly stop, you may have caffeine withdrawal. Symptoms can include:

• Headaches
• Drowsiness
• Irritability
• Nausea
• Difficulty concentrating

These symptoms usually go away after a couple of days.

FGBNU NTSPZ. ‹Musical Exogenous Mental Disorders ››

The use of caffeinated beverages as stimulants began in the 16th century, first in America and the East, then reached Europe in the 17th century. widely spread in European countries.

Caffeine is known to be found in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, cola and some other drinks. A cup of brewed coffee contains 90-140 mg of caffeine, a cup of instant coffee – about 70 mg, in tea (leaves or sachets) – 30-80 mg, cocoa – 5-50 mg, decaffeinated coffee – 2-4 mg [Jane J …H., 1989; Schuckit M. A., 1989]. Most caffeinated drinks also contain a significant proportion of oils, tannin (mainly in tea), theobromine (mainly in cocoa). Therefore, it can be difficult to identify with certainty the specific symptoms associated only with the use of caffeine in the form of coffee or tea. Abuse of caffeine can also be in the form of drinking chifir – a drink prepared by prolonged boiling of large amounts of tea (100-150 g) in a small amount of water (200-300 ml).When chifir is consumed, intoxication is associated not only with the intake of caffeine into the body, but also with the intake of other substances contained in tea and extracted from tea by boiling.

Caffeine is rapidly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, metabolized in the liver, excreted in the urine as metabolites (1% – unchanged). The half-life of the drug in blood plasma is 3-7 hours.

After taking a large dose of caffeine, a state resembling hypomanic is observed: increased activity, high spirits, a surge of strength, vivacity, a brighter perception of the environment, an accelerated flow of thoughts and associations.Subjectively, the activation of mental abilities and an improvement in memory are felt – as it were, an intellectual rise. Somatic changes correspond to this: an increase in diuresis, an increase in gastric motility and secretion of gastric juice, an increase in the function of the heart muscle and an increase in blood pressure.

Persons who regularly consume coffee develop a tolerance to caffeine. In these cases, the dose of caffeine can be increased up to 500 mg / day.

When using doses of caffeine from 240 to 720 mg, signs of caffeine intoxication can be observed: anxiety, anxiety, sometimes reaching a degree of pronounced agitation, panic attacks, depression, insomnia.Consumption of large doses of caffeine can also contribute to the exacerbation of mental disorders, in particular, increase anxiety and anxiety in patients with depression. With the abuse of chifir, convulsive seizures, confusion can be observed; also described transient delirious states lasting 1-2 days [Stolyarov GV, 1964]. The lethal dose of caffeine is 20 g (with large individual differences).

Withdrawal symptoms after chronic use of substances containing caffeine usually occurs a few hours after the last intake.It is characterized primarily by intense headaches that can be relieved only by caffeine, as well as muscle tension, severe irritability, anxiety, depressed mood, and a feeling of pronounced fatigue. Feeling of restlessness in the legs, arms, tremors, drowsiness are characteristic. This syndrome develops after abrupt cessation of high doses of coffee in 25% of individuals [Jaffe J.H., 1989].

Among the medical consequences of caffeine abuse, an increase in blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, and tachycardia should be noted.Persons who consume more than 5-6 cups of coffee a day are 2.5 times more likely to develop myocardial infarction [Schuckit MA, 1989], diarrhea, pain in the stomach and intestines, and even peptic ulcers are noted in 20% of cases. A teratogenic effect in pregnant women has been described, since caffeine can pass through the placenta. Individuals who use chifir chronically develop personality changes of the psychopathic type with noticeable mood swings, affect incontinence, and social decline.

90,000 CAFFEINE is… What is CAFFEINE?

90,000 Caffeine: supplement your breakfast with psychoactive drugs

Did you take a dose of psychoactive drugs this morning? If you’ve had your morning cup of coffee, the answer is yes! In fact, caffeine is the most commonly used drug in the world.

But what is caffeine? And besides getting up and ready to face the day, how does it affect your body?

The chemical composition of caffeine

Caffeine is a natural substance that acts as a stimulant. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline substance with a rather bitter taste. Chemically linked to the amino acids guanine and adenine found in our DNA and RNA, caffeine is a purine alkaloid, more specifically trimethylxanthine.

Coffea Arabica: Grown, Processed, and Gives you your morning caffeinated flavor.

Caffeine is found in leaves, berries, nuts and seeds of plants such as:

• Coffea Arabica (used to make morning cup of joe)
• Thea sinensis (tea plant)
• Spicy cola (nut, also known as cola, added to tea or soft drinks)
• Theobroma cacao (key ingredient in cocoa and chocolate)
• Paullinia cupana (guarana used in snacks and energy drinks)

Lift your body and brain

If you are one of the millions of people who find it difficult to function without morning coffee, you are already familiar with the pleasant sensations of drinking caffeine.

Also, please: caffeine gives you a boost of energy and is a legal drug that is easily absorbed by the body.

It wakes you up, gets you high and makes you feel a little more “human.” This is achieved through:

• Increased breathing (breathing)
• Increased mental alertness
• Reduced fatigue
• Increased heart rate
• Increased physical energy

Caffeine is well absorbed by the body, which means that you will feel its incredible effects within 5-30 minutes after its use.

How does it work?

Although consumption of caffeine has earned an almost mythical reputation as an energy source. This is not a magic elixir.

On the contrary, caffeine affects the body in different ways. It is a central nervous system (brain and spine) stimulant that also acts on some parts of the autonomic nervous system.

One of the mechanisms responsible for the effects of caffeine involves blocking adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that is produced by the breakdown of ATP, the main source of energy for your cells.Adenosine perfectly relaxes muscles and causes vasodilation. As a neurotransmitter, adenosine acts as a central nervous system suppressor that promotes sleep and prevents arousal. Thus, by penetrating and binding to adenosine receptors, caffeine blocks adenosine, which can make your muscles relax and dilate your blood vessels, and also keeps you from feeling relaxed and sleepy.

Another mechanism involves ryanodine receptors, which are commonly found in cardiac and skeletal tissue.This leads to an increased heart rate due to the caffeine causing an abnormal release of intracellular calcium. Some people may experience caffeine-modulated arrhythmias.

Caffeine also stimulates the production of other neurotransmitters and hormones, such as catecholamines (common types include dopamine, adrenaline / epinephrine, and norepinephrine), which prompt your body to go into a hyperglycemic state – a fancy way of saying you’re excited about high blood sugar, red liquor not required.

How much does it cost?

Caffeine is one of the very few psychoactive CNS stimulants in the world that has no restrictions or rules. To give you an idea of ​​how popular it is, imagine that around 10 million tons of coffee beans are consumed worldwide every year.

Too Much Good: Too much coffee can lead to unpleasant side effects, but too much pure caffeine can be fatal.

Depending on the type of coffee beans used, a cup of coffee usually contains 80–175 mg of caffeine.The average person needs to consume 50-100 cups of coffee a day to reach toxic levels.

However, do not overdo it or you may experience unpleasant side effects, including:

• Fever increase
• Frequent urination
• Dehydration
• Dizziness and headaches
• Heart palpitations (palpitations)
• Anxiety and excitability
• Anxiety and irritability
• Shaking hands
• Insomnia
• extreme fatigue follows.

While a few cups of coffee are harmless, pure caffeine can be powerful! Consuming 10 grams (roughly one tablespoon) of caffeine powder can be fatal for most people.

Tough Concert: Quitting caffeine is no joke. It is recommended that you gradually reduce your caffeine intake.

A couple of cups a day is enough to develop a caffeine tolerance. If this is your habit, abruptly stopping caffeine can result in:

• fatigue
• moodiness
• persistent headaches
• sweating
• muscle pain
• anxiety.

These caffeine withdrawal symptoms occur 12-24 hours after your last cup and can last for about seven days. The best way to avoid this is to gradually reduce your daily caffeine intake.

Chemwatch is here to help

We may not be able to help you quit caffeine (we are headquartered in Melbourne, so we are much better off recommending where you can find healthy foods), but when it comes to chemical safety, we are at the top of our game.If you have any questions about the safety, storage and labeling of your chemicals, do not hesitate to contact us. Our friendly staff draws on decades of expertise to offer the latest industry information and advice on how to stay safe and comply with chemical regulations.

Sources

90,000 What is the relationship between caffeine and anxiety?

Caffeine is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system.Drinking caffeine with caffeine, soda, or tea stimulates the nervous system and the body produces and releases adrenaline in response. In turn, this can cause anxiety or anxiety in the user and a rapid heart rate until the caffeine wears off. There are many other side effects of caffeine, but concern is especially common. The link between caffeine and anxiety is also one of the most studied aspects of the drug.

As a central nervous system stimulant, caffeine is a psychoactive drug, which means that it can affect the user’s brain.In many countries, most drugs that can do this are either completely banned or can only be legally used with a doctor’s prescription. Caffeine is one of the few substances that cross the user’s blood-brain barrier, but remains legal in most jurisdictions. Due to this ability, after consumption, effects such as anxiety and vigilance are to be expected.

Too much caffeine can cause anxiety disorder. In fact, the disorder can be serious enough to warrant medical attention.This type of anxiety can be a general anxiety that makes the person worry unnecessarily, or panic attacks that interfere with the person’s daily life. However, anxiety about caffeine can manifest itself in other ways as well. For example, a caffeine user may develop obsessive-compulsive tendencies or schizophrenic symptoms.

While caffeine and anxiety are scientifically linked, it is believed that caffeine rarely causes serious anxiety. It is possible that this effect of caffeine occurs more frequently than many doctors believe.This is because caffeine anxiety is reportedly often misdiagnosed as a health problem. When a misdiagnosis occurs, the patient may be given prescription drugs to treat anxiety when one could simply eliminate or seriously reduce their caffeine intake.

Caffeine and anxiety are still actively researched by scientists. It is generally believed that only particularly high doses cause very severe attacks of anxiety, although some people may experience mild anxiety simply by drinking their morning coffee.However, caffeine consumption isn’t always bad. For example, research shows that low doses of caffeine in certain drinks can help prevent heart disease.

In conclusion, caffeine and anxiety are often directly related to each other. If you are experiencing anxiety, it is important for the user to evaluate his or her daily consumption of foods and beverages that contain a stimulant. The problem can be solved by simply eliminating or reducing your caffeine intake.As with many stimulants, the user may experience mild withdrawal symptoms with sudden dosage changes, such as headache and irritability, for up to one week.

OTHER LANGUAGES

90,000 Caffeine Overdose Symptoms | Bonapeti.ru

The Caffeine Industry is a big business that rests on the shoulders of its many consumers who consume coffee in the form of morning coffee or soda.However, caffeine consumers ignore its damaging effects on the body.

This substance is found in coffee, chocolate, tea and other products known as pain relievers such as acetaminophen and aspirin. It is also used in another medicine, the antihistamine for drowsiness. For people who are accustomed to caffeine , stopping the usual doses immediately leads to headaches that last from several days to a week or more, depending on the degree of addiction.This is just one of the 90,022 symptoms associated with caffeine .

Morning coffee is an obligatory ritual for millions of people around the world. Many of us cannot imagine starting the day without a fragrant drink, and this is completely normal. But when we drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day instead of one, side effects can occur, some of which are quite serious.

Caffeine has a direct effect on the central nervous system. This is a well-known stimulant capable of eliminating drowsiness and fatigue for a short time, restores the acuteness of thought.It is beneficial in small doses, but addiction produces a condition known as caffeinism.

What is caffeinism?

Caffeinism is a dangerous condition and anxiety caused by caffeine. This is an intensifying form of caffeine poisoning that can occur after taking large amounts of caffeine for 4 weeks or more. The main symptom is a growing urge to take more and more doses of caffeine, regardless of the source.

Symptoms of a caffeine overdose

Addicted people experience physical ailments such as headaches, muscle tension, anxiety, nervousness, dizziness, nasal congestion, nausea, fatigue, tremors, and irritability.These are just a few of the side effects of caffeine that are found in most addicts. They are more mental than physical, as mentioned in Irs Wolinsky’s 1998 book Nutrition in Exercise and Sports.

Caffeine overdose leads to problems such as:

1. Severe stomach pain

2. Excitement

3. Confusion

4. Dehydration

5. Shortness of breath

6.Muscle tremor

7. Vomiting, sometimes even blood

8. Temperature

9. Tinnitus

10. Irritation

11. Rapid pulse

12. Frequent urination

13. Convulsions

14. Insomnia

15. Mastopathy

16. Anxiety

Caffeine causes unnecessary insulin to be produced in the blood, which poses a potential health risk.It also affects your period, making it more painful than usual.

There are two main side effects of caffeine .

The first is associated with the fact that it is a diuretic, i.e. Liquid foods containing caffeine lead to dehydration, which in turn leads to fatigue.

The second negative effect is that it acts as a stimulant.

Stimulants are ghost reactors that cause stress in the body without supplying it with essential vitamins and minerals.In this way, we use the available nutrients and energy to cope with this imaginary obstacle.

The stress caused is similar to the stress caused by any unpleasant life situation and indirectly affects the heart and the physical health of the body, both externally and internally. External effect of caffeine – weight loss, pallor of the skin, wet eyes and others.

Thanks to caffeine, nutrients needed for various bodily functions are quickly redistributed, but have a long-term negative impact on human health.To avoid this deficiency, the body needs the right nutrients. Only then will you feel good, making it easier to overcome the effect of caffeine and only then – to overcome the addiction itself.

How to stop using caffeine?

People do not need caffeine to feel refreshed and rested, and our ancestors, who did not know caffeine, but managed to wake up properly, are proof of this.

If you are taking too much caffeine , try reducing the dose first.If you stop drinking coffee right away, your body will be stressed and will immediately react by constantly turning its thoughts to the desired cup of coffee. Replace your afternoon coffee with a glass of juice or tea, changing your habit. If you feel like coffee, have a glass of warm water. It will moisturize the body and cleanse your thoughts.

Many of us drink coffee to quickly gain strength. Exercise has a very good effect, so get up and move, especially during the day when sleepiness is at its peak. This is a great way to reduce caffeine withdrawal symptoms .

If you want to completely limit your caffeine intake, be very careful with the so-called. hidden sources of caffeine. Read the food packaging and find out where the ingredient might be. Be consistent in your desires and do not set yourself too short a time limit to stop using caffeine, as its effects are very strong and it takes some time to clear the body of the need for it.

More than one cup of coffee is harmful? – Look At Me

Each week, Look At Me explains why a common misconception is wrong.Today we are talking about how many cups of coffee you can drink per day without fear for your health.

Read also:

The science of coffee: what is known
about the most controversial drink

Approval:

Drinking more than one cup of coffee a day is not worth it: it is bad for anyone.

Although coffee is the main drink of creative people, many are wary of it. Primarily because it contains caffeine, which in large quantities can cause insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, heart palpitations, digestive problems, cramps, trembling limbs and even hallucinations – not to mention addiction.Fearing a list of these ailments, many prefer to either drink coffee rarely when they want to pamper themselves, or limit themselves to one cup a day – because it is supposedly impossible to do more.

MIKHAIL GINZBURG

Director of the Institute of Dietetics
and Dietetic Therapy

“Caffeine constricts blood vessels, which leads to high blood pressure. It is advisable to limit coffee to one cup a day, it is even better to switch to coffee with a reduced caffeine content (this is indicated on the label).

SOURCE

Why is it wrong:

Three to five cups of coffee a day are not only healthy, but also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Anything can be harmful in large quantities – even a seemingly harmless drink like tea. But several cups of coffee a day are even healthier than one. This follows from the recent regulations adopted by a group of American experts. The regulations were developed for the government FDA and USDA.

Experts have traced a pattern that shows that several cups of coffee a day reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, while the risk of other diseases does not exactly increase. Complications can begin if you take more than 500-600 mg of caffeine per day, which is more than five regular cups of coffee. To die from coffee, you have to take about 14,000 mg of caffeine, or about 140 cups – hardly anyone would dare. And if so, then you should not deny yourself the pleasure if after one cup of coffee you want a second, and after the second – a third.The main thing is not to overdo it with sugar – this, as follows from the standards, is the source of many troubles.

TOM BRENNA

nutritionist

“The coffee is fine. I don’t want you to think that he cures cancer – no one thinks so. But there is no evidence that it increases his risk – on the contrary, there is evidence to the contrary. ”

SOURCE

photos via Kuba Piechota, Shutterstock (1, 2)

90,000 Coffee at risk – BBC News russian

The worst drought in Brazilian history hit the coffee regions of the country hard.In Minas Gerais, where more than half of Brazilian coffee is harvested, yields are 20% lower than in 2013.

Production of high quality arabica beans dropped by a year from July 2014 to June 2015. The long drought, coupled with the heat in the state of Espirito Santo over the next two years, also influenced the harvest of the more resilient robusta, which tastes noticeably rougher.

Throughout the country, a drought dried up local reservoirs that farmers used to irrigate plantations.At the same time, in a number of cities, government officials have banned or limited irrigation to ensure, in their opinion, more efficient water use.

August 2014

August 2013

Satellite images show changes in water levels in the Jaguari Reservoir, São Paulo, Brazil after the 2014 drought.Image: Nasa Earth Observatory by Landsat

“Over the past three years, rainfall in the region has been below normal and our crops are suffering from it,” says Inácio Briosi, a farmer at a coffee plantation in Espiritu Santo

Briogshi lost half of his crop in 2016 and expects his plantation harvest to be 60% below average.

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“There is nothing to collect here”
Coping with drought in Brazil

The footage and interviews were filmed in early 2016 in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. The BBC spoke to the same farmers in May 2017 and they said the situation has worsened this year.

One drought is not yet talking about climate change, says Dr. Peter Baker, a member of the Coffee and Climate Initiative, which is partly sponsored by coffee producers.However, such extreme natural events pose a major challenge to the coffee industry.

“It’s not just that temperatures are constantly rising. The biggest damage is caused by prolonged weather events that last for months,” says Baker.

Climate modeling studies indicate that more extreme temperatures are linked to climate change, according to Richard Betts, head of climate impact research at the Hadley Center of the UK Met Office.

Droughts and rising temperatures on Earth will be increasingly influenced by the weather, he says.

“As temperatures rise around the globe, droughts have become more dangerous: warming increases evaporation, which in turn causes more soil to dry out,” says Mr. Betts.

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