Caffeine Withdrawal And Back Ache
Now, the other side of the coffee cup! If you are a regular coffee drinker and decide to suddenly drop your intake or stop completely, you might experience withdrawal symptoms from the stimulant. Besides getting a headache or feeling tired and sleepy due to the absence of the energy boost from coffee, you may also experience joint pain and overall muscular stiffness typically in the shoulders and neck, radiating towards other parts of the back as well. This kind of pain symptom stemming from stiffness tends to develop only once you cut back on your coffee consumption and begins around 12 to 24 hours after you stop drinking coffee. Symptoms tend to be worst at between 20 hours and 51 hours and will usually last no longer than 9 days.12
Anxiety Mood Alteration And Your Cuppa
Caffeine is known to have an impact on your mood. While low quantities of caffeine, under 200 mg, can boost your mood and lift your spirits, having more than 200 mg could actually induce a negative mood. Anxiety and nervousness linked to high coffee consumption in turn put you at risk of mood disorder-related backaches. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America suggests that anyone with anxiety problems and pain should cut back on coffee intake due to its tendency to increase acidity, interfere with sleep, and worsen anxiety.9
How Does Caffeine Reduce Muscle Pain
Robert Motl, PhD, one of the researchers and a former competitive cyclist, says its become increasingly common for athletes to consume a variety of substances that include caffeine, motivated by the notion that it will help you metabolize fat more readily.
But that idea isnt supported by compelling research, he says.
Motl, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says he had found in earlier research that caffeine affects a system in the brain and spinal cord involved in pain processing, which led him to speculate that it could reduce pain.
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What we saw is something we didnt expect, he says in a news release. Caffeine-naive individuals and habitual users have the same amount of reduction in pain during exercise after caffeine.
More research, he says, might answer the question of whether a reduction in pain could result in an improvement in performance of athletes.
If you go to the gym and you exercise and it hurts, you may be prone to stop doing that because pain is an aversive stimulus that tells you to withdraw, he says. So if we could give people a little caffeine and reduce the amount of pain theyre experiencing, maybe that would help them stick with that exercise.
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The Impact Of Caffeine Tolerance
The habitual consumption of coffee will cause your body to build up a tolerance to caffeine so its pain-relieving effects will not be as apparent, therefore, to benefit from the pain-relieving effect of caffeine you would need to drink more than your body is used to.
Given that people build up a tolerance to caffeine, be aware that if you usually drink caffeine every day and then you stop suddenly, this can actually both cause and worsen muscle pain and headache. With this in mind, it is important to modulate your caffeine intake to help ensure that your body doesnt build up too much of a reliance on it so you can benefit from its pain relieving qualities.
How To Reduce Your Dependence On Caffeine
One way to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches is to reduce your dependence on caffeine. However, you could end up with even more headaches if you go cold turkey.
The best way is to cut back slowly. You should aim to reduce your intake by about 25 percent each week.
For example, if you usually drink four cups of coffee a day, go down to three cups a day for the first week. Continue to cut back until you get down to one or no cups a day. If you crave the taste of coffee, switch to .
You may consider using a food diary to track how much caffeine youre getting. This will help you cut back on other sources of caffeine, such as black tea, soda, and chocolate. Switching to noncaffeinated alternatives, such as herbal tea, seltzer with fruit juice, and carob may help.
Most people can manage caffeine dependence or reduce their reliance without medical intervention.
You should make an appointment with your doctor if your headaches are accompanied by:
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The Caffeine And Headache Connection
Of particular note is the relationship between caffeine intake and the development of medication overuse headaches.
Headaches caused by the excessive use of pain relievers is a type of chronic headache, which occurs in susceptible individuals. Its considered a serious condition and now stands as the third most common type of chronic headaches around the world.
Therefore, when caffeine is consumed excessively for ongoing periods of time, it may very well induce distinct neurological changes that increase cortical hyperexcitability and promote the rapid release of certain neuropeptides, which can trigger or exacerbate the chronicity of pain.
Certain Teas Bring Down Inflammation More Than Others
Some specific teas carry more polyphenols than others, which can better decrease inflammation. For example, green tea is usually higher in polyphenols than black tea, according to Dr. Kiefer. Its a concept thats been studied in recent years, like one 2016 study that centered on people with rheumatoid arthritisover six months, experts observed significant improvement when it came to the symptoms of the green-tea drinkers.
Green tea probably works best as part of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and associated nutritional changes that can help the body combat inflammation, Dr. Kiefer says.
Other teas that researchers believe reduce inflammation include turmeric, holy basil, and ginger.
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The Role Of Coffee In Pain Perception
Coffee can help modulate and reduce pain due to its action on the adenosine receptors in our brain which play a role in pain perception. Certain chemicals in coffee will bind to and block the adenosine receptors which can have a pain-relieving affect. Coffee also stimulates the release of dopamine and beta-endorphins which are neurotransmitters that act as a natural pain killer in the body.
Is Coffee Bad For Your Back
There are many people who enjoy their morning cups of coffee and many people who enjoy more than just one cup! Coffee is a staple in the busy lives of many people. It helps you to perk up and face the day, but it may also be the culprit behind your back pain. If you suffer from chronic back pain, that morning cup of joe may make it worse.
Its Not Just Coffee
Coffees pick me up effect is due to the caffeine in it and that caffeine is what may be making your back pain worse. Coffee is not the only culprit you need to look at when you look at your caffeine consumption because energy drinks and sodas are offenders many people drink regularly too.
The Caffeine Link to Back Pain
Theres no evidence that draws a direct relationship between coffee and back pain, but caffeine has been shown to set up a perfect environment for back pain. Stress, chronic inflammation, anxiety, and sleep problems can all exacerbate back pain, and coffee or caffeine can make these conditions worse. If you have arthritis, then coffee can aggravate your condition and make your symptoms worse, too.
Heightened Stress
Many people use coffee and caffeine as a way to keep them going when they have things to do, but there is evidence that this stimulant can make stress levels, as well as the levels of stress hormones in your body, higher.
Reducing Caffeine in Your Life
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How Caffeine Kills Pain
Scientists speculate that caffeines analgesic power arises from three different mechanisms:
- Blockade of peripheral pronociceptive actions of adenosine, which means that caffeine interferes with a neurotransmitter that is responsible for carrying pain signals from a specific area of the body to the brain
- Activation of central noradrenergic pathways that constitute an endogenous pain suppressing system, which means that caffeine stimulates the bodys own pain killing mechanism and
- Central nervous system stimulation, which means that, caffeines overall stimulating effects somehow change the way pain signals are processed in a way that reduces pain.,
Focusing On Your Pain
Your brain can only focus on so much at one time. Have you ever forgotten you had a headache because you were busy?
Turning your attention elsewhere decreases the amount of energy your brain can spend on your pain. Allow something else to take center stage and you can decrease your pain experience. On the other hand, giving pain your full attention means that everything else gets blocked out.
If you find yourself centering in on your pain, it doesn’t always work to simply tell yourself you won’t think about it. We’re human, and saying we won’t think about something often makes us focus on it even more. Next time you catch yourself focusing on your pain, try one of these distraction techniques to help manage your pain.
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Caffeine Can Help Reduce Joint And Other Pain
Synopsis: Information regarding the pain relief benefits of caffeine consumption and why caffeine is added to pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine blocks receptors in the brain called, ‘adenosines,’ which in turn induce relaxation and activate dopamine chemicals associated with both pain relief and energy.
Caffeine Pain Medications And Warnings
Some people might wonder why caffeine is added to pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Adding caffeine to a pain reliever appears to improve its ability to decrease the pain a person experiences. The effect is called, ‘adjuvant analgesia,’ and it is most noticeable with headache pain. Caffeine is an adjuvant analgesic that does not seem to be as good for post-surgical pain.
Caffeine is a, ‘vasoconstrictor.’ What this means is that is that it narrows or closes down a person’s blood vessels. The effect is to reduce the amount of blood flowing to an area of a person’s body.
If a person has a, ‘throbbing,’ headache it is often times because there is too much blood flowing to their brain. Caffeine reduces the flow of blood and therefore decreases the pain. Someone could experience the same effect vasoconstriction of blood vessels in their head, by placing their feet in a bucket of ice cold water because blood would be diverted from the person’s head to warm their feet. You can understand why over-the-counter headache medications containing caffeine would be easier and less uncomfortable to use than ice cold water.
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How Much Caffeine Is Too Much
Before we get into the murky waters of discussing caffeines interaction with pain, we need to address the issue of how much caffeine is considered normal vs. excessive.
Due to the rapid and demanding pace of modern life, caffeine consumption is increasing around the world. People of all ages are studying or working more and sleeping less, and caffeine presents an effective alternative to combat the effects of fatigue and exhaustion. Many individuals are actually unaware of the amount of caffeine they consume on a daily basis and often fall into overconsumption.
Given that the Wold Health Organization recognizes caffeine dependence as a clinical disorder, its an important question to ask, how much is too much?
For the most part, caffeines characteristics make it a substance whose use has a high safety margin. Caffeine absorption after oral administration is rapid and thorough. It is distributed in most body tissues and crosses the blood-brain barrier very easily, which explains its potent stimulant effects.
Most of the worlds health agencies recognize that low to moderate doses of caffeine present with no complications on health.
It is important to note that if consumption of caffeine is done in a self-administered manner , it is recommended to not exceed a daily dose of 400 mg. To put that into perspective, consider that a 16 oz. cup of Starbucks Blonde roast packs about 360 mg!
Caffeine Tolerance Makes A Difference
If a person consumes caffeine everyday, then the only way to experience caffeines pain relieving effect is to consume a dose greater than the daily amount he or she has been accustomed to.
Since people build up a tolerance to the caffeine molecule, habitual caffeine more or less maintains a sense of normality.
This is why such severe withdrawal symptoms can be experienced when the daily dose is missed. There is a drastic departure from what normal feels like and pain, therefore ensues.
How to experience the most pain relief from caffeine?
Caffeine can be used as a way to reduce and manage muscle pain as well as other pain, but it seems to only be effective when the above guidelines are followed.
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How Caffeine Helps Headaches
According to the National Headache Foundation, caffeine can make headache pain relievers like aspirin and acetaminophen up to 40 percent more effective. In fact, caffeine is an ingredient in Goodys® Extra Strength Headache Powder and Goodys® Headache Relief Shot® liquid pain reliever. With many headaches or migraines, the blood vessels in the brain expand and increase blood flow, which can cause throbbing pain. The reason caffeine helps is that it reduces inflammation by narrowing the blood vessels surrounding your brain, and it helps the body absorb aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen more quickly.
Caffeine is often recommended to relieve post-lumbar puncture headaches and is especially effective to relieve or prevent hypnic headaches. Hypnic headaches are rare but occur mostly in elderly adults and come on usually right after they fall asleep. Doctors recommend that people who experience hypnic headaches drink a small serving of coffee before they go to sleep.
Taking Advantage Of This Connection
The research in this area has focused on caffeine and painkillers, particularly ibuprofen. But, there are a few different ways to get these benefits.
One option is to find a supplement that already contains a painkiller and caffeine. These do exist, such as Anacin, which uses aspirin and caffeine.
You may be able to find similar products at the pharmacy or via prescription.
However, the problem is that most wont contain the best ratio of caffeine to painkiller.
- This is particularly evident in Anacin, where you have 400 mg of aspirin and just 32 mg of caffeine.
- So, the caffeine content may not be high enough to have a significant effect on pain.
Because of this, the most viable alternative is to have your painkiller and caffeine individually. This allows you to control the doses of each and ensure you get the best outcomes.
One option here is caffeine supplements, and there is no shortage of these on the market. For example, the brand Smarter Energy is a reputable choice.
- This particular product is marketed as a nootropic, which means that it can potentially improve mental function.
- That effect comes from both the L-theanine and the caffeine and is a secondary reason for considering supplementing with caffeine.
- Nootropics are growing in popularity anyway and sites like Elite Daily highlight why some people use them regularly.
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Coffee Can Create Joint Pain And Body Stiffness
Most Neck, Back and Joint Stiffness and Pain are Caused by Unhealthy Lifestyles and Underlying Thyroid Dysfunction
I have found in my holistic practice that the number one most common cause of most body stiffness from neck, back and joint stiffness and pain, also including arm, elbow, hand, leg, knee and foot problems and also including exacerbation of chronic fibromyalgia pain, is slouching during waking hours and sleeping on the abdomen, sleeping with the arms and hands above the shoulders, sleeping on the same side or painful side most of the time, and sleeping in a twisted position that interferes with the blood and nerve circulation to the muscles and joints that cause stiffness and pain. This type of stress cannot be relieved by simply booking a beach house and relaxing in one of St George Island rentals.
The number two cause is diet and lifestyle related toxicity caused by unhealthy foods, milk, cheese, ice cream, chocolate, MSG, coffee, wine, beer, alcohol, cigarettes, street drugs, medications and anything that poisons the body that stresses, irritates and spasms skeletal muscles that pull the neck, back and joints out of alignment and fixate them causing joint stiffness and pain. Recent Finnish studies also directly link coffee and joint pain. The number three cause is low thyroid function indicated by a basal resting temperature below 98.2 F that does not allow the needed warming effect of muscles and connective tissue that leads to joint stiffness and pain.
The Role Of Coffee In Pain Management
Not only is coffee one of the most sought after, popular and enjoyable drinks on the planet, studies show that it has a significant role to play in pain management too. The role of caffeine in pain management has been receiving more attention in recent years and is currently a subject of interest and ongoing research in the medical profession.
Once the effects of coffee on pain have been fully understood it can be harnessed in even more ways to help people with a range of conditions both treat and manage their pain symptoms. Not only that, but there is mounting evidence to suggest that coffee may play an important role in reducing the risks of a range of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even Alzheimers.
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