Caffeine and Anxiety
Many of us start the day with coffee and it is something that we often don’t think twice about. One cup of regular coffee is about 80 to 100mg of caffeine, depending on your beverage of choice. Espresso is about 75 to 150mg a shot. Cold Brew is around 200mg per 16oz serving. Medical guidelines recommend no more than 400mg of caffeine per day. Of course there are individual differences to this standard, but this recommendation comes with the understanding that anxiety, difficulty sleeping, headaches, migraines, and high blood pressure are all risks of over indulgence in caffeine. Simultaneously, moderate caffeine consumption has many potential positive health benefits such as improving brain function, boosting mood, increasing metabolism, lowering risk of stroke, heart disease, and liver damage, as well as boosting beneficial gut bacteria.
“Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and acts in the brain through adenosine receptors, influencing attention, alertness, and producing anxiogenic effects, which may cause anxiety disorders” (Aniţei et al., 2011). Whenever someone comes in and we speak about anxiety, I always check food intake, hydration, sleep, AND caffeine intake. When your body experiences an increase in heart rate, it may believe that a disaster is imminent – hence activating the fight or flight system. Psychologically, your brain may interpret caffeine this way and it may cause anxiety or increase it, especially at doses higher than the 400mg recommended per day. It is important to note that caffeine can interact with treatment due to it’s addictive qualities, withdrawal, and impact on the central nervous system; “caffeine withdrawal has been added as a diagnostic category to the DSM-5 “(Hasin et al., 2013).
Caffeine effects the local release of dopamine in the brain, leading to anxiousness. Caffeine impacts the nervous system in three different ways that produce the psycho-stimulant effect it is known for. Self-limiting caffeine is a good place to start. Decrease your caffeine intake or avoid it all together to reduce any likelihood that caffeine could produce anxiety. If you are someone experiencing anxiety, and consume caffeine, cutting back on the caffeine intake and observing how it impacts your body and your feelings of anxiety is a good place to start when understanding what your baseline is and if caffeine increases that anxiousness or not.
Since 2005, anxiety disorders have increased by 15%, per the World Health Organization. An approximate 25% increase in global prevalence of anxiety was reported in 2019 during the corona virus epidemic. Living through a historical event, such as a global pandemic, understandably increased the presence of anxiety worldwide. Home confinement meant changes to sleep and eating habits, including {for many} an increased caffeine intake. Anxiety and stress levels increased in this time period.
Anxiety can manifest as physical tension, intense or excessive fear or worry, and other behaviors such as nail biting or cognitive symptoms like negative self-talk. These things can be difficult and distressing to control for people with anxiety disorders. If left unaddressed, these symptoms may persist for a long time.
“Anxiety disorders interfere with daily activities and can jeopardize a person’s family, social, school or work life, so research into the relationship between caffeine and anxiety has important public health implications.”
Caffeine consumption may have a detrimental effect on anxiety and may increase the risk of anxiety which is why observing your relationship with caffeine or coffee is helpful in anxiety treatment. If this article resonated with you, how you experience anxiety, or you want to learn more about coping with it; please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed mental health counselors.
Resources:
