How To Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
Since caffeine is an addictive substance, it is best to taper your intake down gradually. If you are a coffee drinker, you may switch to half-caf, then decaf. You could also drink tea instead of coffee, moving from black tea to green tea or non-caffeinated herbal teas. If you drink energy drinks, reduce the number of drinks you consume per day until you have phased them out of your diet completely.
You may experience some withdrawal symptoms at each stage of the process. This may include headaches, grogginess, shakiness, or fatigue. These symptoms will pass as your body gets used to having less caffeine, and your natural energy levels will start to rise again. Drink plenty of water along the way to keep your body hydrated and flush toxins from your system.
Dont Compare Yourself To Others
There is a saying I like: Comparison is the thief of happiness. I have no idea who originally said it, but they are brilliant, and most of all, correct. Wasting time and energy comparing ourselves never leads us to a good place. Instead, ask yourself if you are doing the best you can given your own set of circumstances.
Caffeine And Zoloft Side Effects
Common side effects with Zoloft include dizziness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, sexual problems, dry mouth, and possible digestive issues such as loss of appetite, upset stomach and/or diarrhea. More serious potential side effects include serotonin syndrome, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, seizures, and fast or irregular heart beat. Caffeine may intensify the severity of some symptoms, such as irregular heartbeat or difficulty sleeping, depending on how much is consumed.
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Hot Dogs And Other Processed Foods
OK, so I think we all know that hot dogs aren’t the healthiest foods out there. I mean, what are they really made of even? That said, beyond their questionable status as America’s favorite mystery meat, hot dogs â and all processed meat for that matter â have been shown to contribute to depression . So, if you’re at a ball game and you really want a hot dog, that’s probably fine. Keep your processed foods to a minimum, though, or your mental health will suffer.
Why Doesnt Caffeine Wake Me Up Will Having Too Much Affect My Mental Health
64% of Americans over 18 drink coffee at least once a day. Its safe to say that the most popular non-alcoholic drink in the U.S. is coffee. No wonder why you can see a coffee shop on every corner of the street. When you drink coffee because it makes you feel alive, youre ready to start your day, or it gives you a boost to get over the overtime at work.
But what if a cup of coffee does not have the same effect on you? The effects of caffeine can last up to six hours, but when your caffeine tolerance has built up over time, you feel like you need stronger and more coffee, right? In this article, you will learn more facts about coffee:
- What is caffeine, and what does it do?
- What is caffeine tolerance, and what should you do if you have built-up caffeine tolerance?
- Is there a relationship between too much caffeine intake and depression?
- Can excessive caffeine consumption affect mental well-being?
- If it is advisable to stop drinking coffee
Before anything else, heres what you should know about caffeine: everyone reacts differently to caffeine. Some may have built-up tolerance and drink up to 7 cups of coffee a day, while some may function well the whole day even with just one cup, while some do not need caffeine to get through the day. Its going to be different for everybody. If youre a coffee lover and are worried that too much coffee drinking can affect your mental well-being, you should read this.
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Does Caffeine Make Depression Worse
There’s no clear link between caffeine intake and depression. However, caffeine intake and depression may be linked indirectly for people who are particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine or who have too much caffeine.
- Caffeine can cause sleep problems that affect mood.Caffeine can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Lack of sleep can worsen depression. If you have trouble sleeping, don’t drink caffeinated beverages late in the day. Some people need to limit caffeine to the morning or quit drinking caffeinated beverages completely to avoid sleep problems. Also, anxiety and depression often occur together, and caffeine can worsen anxiety.
- Stopping abruptly can worsen depression.If you regularly drink caffeinated beverages, quitting can cause a depressed mood until your body adjusts. It can also cause other signs and symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue and irritability.
If you have depression, consider limiting or avoiding caffeine to see if it helps improve your mood. To lessen these withdrawal effects, gradually reduce the amount of caffeinated beverages you drink.
Find Out What Could Be Making Your Anxiety Worse
Everyone gets anxious, restless, and frazzled but if you constantly feel worried, tense, or on edge, you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time.
Doctors make a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder when patients have anxiety symptoms for more than six months.
Examples of other anxiety disorders include:
- Specific phobias
According to the Mayo Clinic, you can have more than one anxiety disorder.
Research shows that a combination of environmental and genetic factors likely increase a persons risk for developing an anxiety disorder, notes the National Institute of Mental Health. Like so many health conditions, anxiety appears to run in families.
In addition to underlying disorders, anxiety may be caused by stress, whether from a major life event or the accumulated effect of small everyday stressors. Anxiety can also come with a medical condition such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or thyroid disorders that need treatment. Theres a clear link between caffeine and anxiety and alcohol and anxiety. And certain medications may cause anxiety. In this case, avoiding caffeine and alcohol or changing medications may reduce the anxiety. Its important to note that while all these things can cause anxious feelings, this type of anxiety is distinct from a psychiatric diagnosis of an anxiety disorder.
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Genetics And Variability Of Caffeine Consumption
While many factors contribute to individual differences in a person’s response to caffeine, such as environmental and demographic factors , genetics play an important role in individual variability. This inconsistency in responses to caffeine can take place either at the metabolic or at the drug-receptor level. The effects of genetic factors can occur either directly by changing acute or chronic reactions to the drug or indirectly by altering other psychological or physiological processes.
Some of these processes include wakefulness, stimulation, and mood and cognition enhancement. Low doses can result in psychological effects of “mild euphoria, alertness, and enhanced cognitive performance” higher doses produce physiological side effects of nausea, anxiety, trembling, and jitteriness.
There are individuals who are prone to caffeine’s anxiogenic effects whilst others are susceptible to its caffeine-induced sleep disturbances and insomnia. Studies with twins have shown that genetics influence individual differences in response to caffeine. Homozygous twins have been found to react in more consistent ways to the caffeine than heterozygous twins.
Caffeine Interrupts Your Natural Sleep Patterns
Your body has all of the chemicals necessary to help you fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning. The more caffeine you drink, the less your body wants to work. The natural energy levels you would normally get are now being replaced with caffeine. Thus when you go to bed at night, your body doesnt know what to do.
This is especially true for people who drink caffeine all throughout the day. If you are going to drink it, try to use it as a morning pick-me-up. Avoid caffeine during the evening hours, as it may keep you up later than you want to be.
What does this have to do with anxiety and depression? Well, your body needs sleep to process emotions. This is the time when your brain files all of your memories into various compartments so you can be prepared for the next day. If you arent sleeping well, your mind cant be refreshed. This worsens your anxiety and depression, and it prevents you from feeling productive.
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Lifestyle Changes That Help With Depression
Drinking coffee in moderation can provide some help with symptoms of depression. Try putting off your first cup of coffee until youve been awake for at least an hour. That gives your body time to produce more of a natural energy booster called cortisol. Its better to put your coffee breaks off until you need them, like the middle of the morning or afternoon when your cortisol levels drop.
If youre not a regular coffee drinker, try to reserve your coffee drinking for when your symptoms threaten to overwhelm you. Avoid drinking caffeine close to your bedtime so youre able to get a good nights sleep.
Eliminating sweet beverages from your diet can help with depression. You can still incorporate coffee into your diet by not adding sugar. People who drink unsweetened coffee have been shown to feel less depressed than those who dont drink coffee.
Another non-medical remedy you might want to try to help with depression is regular exercise. It helps elevate your mood and reduce the severity of your depression symptoms. You may find that youre able to wean yourself off relying on coffee because of the serotonin and endorphin boost you get from increased physical activity.
As always, your best bet is to speak with a doctor about your depression and talk with them about different treatment options.
Medications Can Trigger An Anxiety Attack
Certain medications have some ugly side effects and can cause anxiety symptoms or an anxiety attack. Prescription medications to watch out for include thyroid drugs and asthma drugs, while over-the-counter decongestants have been known to cause anxiety symptoms in some people. If you suddenly stop taking certain medications sometimes used to treat anxiety, such as benzodiazepines, withdrawal may cause added anxiety.
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Be Aware Of Negative And Judgmental Self
Are you staying late at the office and missing time with friends because your internal critic is telling you that if you dont get this project done, you are a lazy, underperforming blob of an employee? This type of self-talk is not productive or healthy.
You can overcome this by becoming aware of the story you are telling yourself and the judgment that accompanies it. This is the most important step by far. These stories and criticisms we tell ourselves that keep us working crazy hours and provoke toxic anxiety are the same cockamamie stories that prevent us from taking the time we need to take care of ourselves.
Why Is Coffee Better At Reducing Depression Risk Than Tea
Some components in coffee might counteract the negative effects of depression, according to one 2014 Japanese study.
Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid. These acids can reduce the inflammation of nerve cells that takes place in the brains of people with depression.
This may relieve some of the discomfort and distress that depression can bring, some of which occurs due to inflammation.
Not all tea is less effective than coffee at reducing the risk of depression. The study also identified that green tea has a high antioxidant content and can be as effective as coffee in protecting against depression.
Green tea contains folate, which may also help with depression. The study linked green tea and coffee consumption to a reduced risk of depression.
Not all studies agree that caffeine only has positive effects for people with depression.
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Is It Safe To Mix Zoloft And Coffee
There are no known interactions between Zoloft and caffeine, but its important to consider the effects that caffeine can have on the mental health conditions that Zoloft treats.
It should be safe to drink coffee with Zoloft, says David Schaefer, MD, psychiatrist at Southwest Behavioral Health Center in St. George, Utah. Caffeine and Zoloft are both metabolized by the livers CYP450 enzyme system, but via different enzymatic pathways.
The bigger concern should be the effects that caffeine can have on depression and anxiety disorders. Excessive caffeine use can be detrimental in the treatment of depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, etc., Dr. Schaefer says. The two main reasons are:
- Sleep disturbances: Zoloft and caffeine can both cause difficulty sleeping in some people. Sleep disturbances are also common with those suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. Caffeine can compound the sleep deficits found in many patients with depression, Dr. Schaefer says. Insomnia is also a common symptom of anxiety disorders and decreased sleep has been shown to increase symptoms of anxiety.
- Stimulants may increase anxiety: Those with anxiety disorders may want to avoid drinking a lot of coffee. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can increase symptoms of anxiety or over-alertness, whether related to panic disorder, social anxiety, or PTSD, Dr. Schaefer explains.
The Risks Of Drinking Too Much Coffee
Boosts of caffeine have become a staple among working adults and students looking for energy to push through with their jobs or studies. The Food and Drug Administration considers four regular-sized cups of coffee as generally safe. However, drinking coffee can produce side effects like restlessness, a rapid heartbeat, and insomnia.
Drinking more than four cups of coffee per day can increase these adverse effects. Some people report having symptoms like heightened anxiety, headaches, and agitation. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , which is used to assess and diagnose mental disorders, calls it coffee intoxication.
Continued
Because caffeine is a drug, people can develop a dependency. Trying to quit cold-turkey on your coffee consumption can produce symptoms like fatigue, pounding headaches, and a lack of mental clarity. That may offset the benefits of drinking coffee to help with depression.
The caffeine in coffee can interact negatively with medications taken to treat health issues like a thyroid disorder. It can also interact negatively with drugs prescribed for mental health issues. If you have diabetes, excessive coffee consumption can increase your blood sugar levels and make it harder to manage your insulin.
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Caffeine And Anxiety Make You Feel Jittery And Nervous
Caffeine is a stimulant and that can be bad news for someone with anxiety. Caffeine’s jittery effects on your body are similar to those of a frightening event. That’s because caffeine stimulates your fight or flight response, and research has shown that this can make anxiety worse and can even trigger an anxiety attack.
Other research suggests that while caffeine can increase alertness, attention, and cognitive function, overdoing it can increase anxiety, particularly in people with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. And as with the symptoms of anxiety, one too many cups of joe may leave you feeling nervous and moody, and can keep you up at night.
Improve Your Mental Well
Coffee and anxiety can cause serious negative consequences if left unchecked. While you can still consume some amounts of caffeine if you have an anxiety disorder, its still crucial that you do so sparingly to keep your mental health in line!
What have you learned? Do you have issues with a caffeine dependency that youre trying to kick?
Its important to keep your mental health balanced. For more information on mental wellbeing, continue reading our blog, and contact us with any questions you might have about mental health.
James Wallace has been an advocate for mental health awareness for years. He holds a masters degree in counselling from the University of Edinburgh.
Disclaimer: Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only. Materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, medical treatment, or therapy. Never disregard professional psychological or medical advice nor delay in seeking professional advice or treatment because of something you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer here.
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Weight Loss Supplements Can Have Anxiety
Many over-the-counter weight loss supplements come with anxiety-producing side effects. Use of St. John’s wort may lead to insomnia, and green tea extracts contain plenty of caffeine. Guarana, an ingredient in some OTC diet products, can contain up to four times as much caffeine as coffee beans. And beware of any product containing ephedra it can cause increased heart rate and anxiety. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra in 2004.
Representativeness Of The Sample
A relatively high response rate of 88.4% was observed for completion of the DABS. To investigate how representative the sample was in reference to the academies from which it came, Chi-square tests were conducted to determine if SIMS data for those who completed the DABS differed from SIMS data of those that did not. It should be noted that a similar analysis presented in relates to T1 from the Cornish Academies Project, whereas that presented here relates to T2.
It was found that the academy a pupil came from was significantly related to their likelihood of responding to the questionnaires, with Academy 1 and Academy 3 providing fewer respondents, and Academy 2 providing more respondents, than expected, 2 = 241.172, p< .001. The school year that a participant came from was also related to their likelihood of completing the questionnaires, 2 = 34.681, p< .001. A significant linear-by-linear association was observed, with the likelihood of responding being negatively associated with school year, 2 = 30.245, p< .001. Children with a SEN status were also less likely to answer the questionnaire, 2 = 23.142, p< .001, as were children who were eligible to receive FSM, 2 = 25.116, p< .001.
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