The Connection Between Caffeine and Anxiety
A staggering 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day by the human species. A huge part of our daily lives, caffeine in the form of hot, strong coffee has become the most popular beverage of choice in nearly every country across the world.
Whether you like coffee or not, chances are you consume caffeine regularly via energy drinks, chocolate, or green tea. Caffeine gives us energy and the ability to concentrate, two things which have become fundamental in up keeping the speed of modern day life. The effect on our productivity and focus levels make it is easy to see why we have become so addicted to this naturally-occurring substance.
But caffeine doesn’t just provide us with energy. Because it increases the pace of circulation as well as act as a nervous system stimulant, there are a whole range of negative side effects that can develop when consumed too often or in too high doses. One of those main negative side effects is anxiety.
What is the Link Between Caffeine and Anxiety?
Caffeine can both mimic and/or trigger a state of anxiety. So not only does it create symptoms that are similar to those associated with anxiety (leading to a form of default anxiousness), it can also genuinely trigger those prone to anxiety into an acutely agitated state.
Let’s look at what happens inside your body after consuming a standard 250 ml cup of coffee (equivalent to 95 mg of pure caffeine):
- Increased heart rate
- Heightened blood pressure
- Increased production of stomach acid
These three main physical effects of caffeine consumption are often the causes behind unpleasant developments like headaches, digestive discomfort, heart palpitations, nausea, and mental confusion. Sound familiar? If you are a person who suffers with an anxiety disorder, these effects are a regular occurrence. By consuming caffeine, an anxiety prone individual may struggle to maintain a sense of calmness and mental clarity even more so than on a normal day.
Curbing the Caffeine Habit
Even if you are not an anxiety prone individual, curbing your intake of caffeine can be an extremely advantageous decision. Not only will it prevent you from eventually developing a predisposition to caffeine-induced anxiety, but it can result in a number of physical health benefits like better mineral absorption, weight loss, better sleep, and more balanced hormones. This will leave you feeling better when you want to earn real money too.
One of the best ways to reduce your consumption of caffeine is to receive it through substances other than coffee. For example, there is a small but notable amount of caffeine to be found in green tea, raw cacao, and guarana berries.
By using any of these naturally occurring foods as a substitute for your morning cup of coffee, you can simultaneously remove an anxiety-inducing factor from your life and introduce a new and healthy treat into it at the same time.