How To Get Caffeine Out Of Your System
If youre someone who tends to indulge a little while on your coffee break, you may have a close relationship with the coffee jitters. Relationship status: Its complicated. Symptoms include:
- Increased heartbeat
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
While your relationship is giving you some serious butterflies, the initial honeymoon phase energy jolt is now welcoming you to the caffeine-high. Unfortunately, its quickly turning into a love-hate relationship, and youre ready to come down. But how do you get rid of coffee jitters?
Here are a few ways to get rid of caffeine jitters quickly:
1. Water.
An effective way to get rid of your jitters is to flush out your system with water. Drinking water will decrease the effects of caffeine in a relatively short time. Being dehydrated can sometimes enhance your jitters, so filling up on some good ole h2O will only help. Try drinking a glass of water for every cup of coffee you have. Youll thank me later.
2. Exercise.
You just crossed the caffeine line, which probably means you cant sit still. Exercising will help metabolize the caffeine and get all of that unwanted energy youve got bottled up, out! Try stretching, taking a brisk walk or going for a quick jog. All of these will improve the mind, body and soul.
3. Wait it out.
4. Sip on some herbal tea.
5. Amp up your Vitamin C game.
Let’s drink coffee and throw things at happy people
How I Quit Caffeine For My Anxiety
Once I did decide with my psychiatrist to stop drinking caffeine, she helped me come up with a plan to taper off my consumption â because everyone who’s ever skipped their morning cup knows that quitting cold turkey isn’t exactly an option .
Personally, I started by ditching my afternoon latte one week, going half-calf in my morning coffee the next, and then switching over to decaf the next week once I felt adjusted and ready. By doing this, I experienced very few headaches and didn’t notice any other side effects.
However, everyone is different â so as Dr. Naidoo explains, you should tailor your own plan to the amount of coffee you’re drinking each day. “Usually I go by a quarter of the amount that they’re drinking,” she says. “As an example, say they’re having two medium-sized coffees a day. They want to have a quarter less of that total quantity for the next two to three days, and so on.”
And, as with when you’re deciding to quit, it’s important to pay attention to how you feel along the way. “If you go from 2 cups to 1.5 cups, how are you feeling the next day? Are you having any heart-racing? In which case you just have to go slower,” says Dr. Naidoo. Otherwise, she says, rushing the process could make you feel more anxious, rather than less so.
The Link Between Caffeine And Anxiety
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and the most commonly used psychoactive in the world. It increases cortisol and causes neural excitation, shares Chantal Bacon. That stimulating effect is what gets us going in the morning.
But if you already have a predisposition to anxiety or a genetic mutation that makes you more susceptible to caffeine-induced anxiety, caffeine can act as an anxiogenic drug even in moderate amounts, which means it can cause a stress response and contribute to feelings of anxiety in the process.
Coffee and other caffeinated beverages essentially provide a false sense of anti-tiredness.
Youve likely felt that jittery, shallow-breathing, heart-racing feeling when youve had too much. Turns out, the brain cant always recognize when those physiological symptoms are a result of caffeine or a result of actual anxiety. Psychologically, its difficult for your mind to recognize that this is not anxiety because it feels the same, says Susan Bowling, PsyD, a psychologist at the Womens Health Center at the Wooster Branch of Cleveland Clinic to Health. And it can get severe: Caffeine-induced anxiety disorder is a subcategory in the DSM-5.
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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 yourconsumption 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 ingreen 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.
What About Sugar In Coffee
So you dont take your coffee black and need a little sweetness in your life? Sugar and other artificial sweeteners are similar to caffeine in that it cant cause anxiety, but can worsen anxiety symptoms. It is best to stay away since they can cause effects such as fatigue , blurry vision, and upset stomach. These side effects can lower your mood which just contributes to anxiety.
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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 dont 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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The Verdict On Caffeine
With potential negative and positive health consequences, caffeine can be your friend, as long as you consume it in controlled doses.
- Dont take too much: Because of the health risks associated with higher levels of caffeine, as well as the risk of physical dependence that can come with four cups of coffee or more each day, its wise to limit your caffeine intake.
- Avoid caffeine after 2 p.m.: Because sleep is important to proper physical functioning, and caffeine can stay in your system for eight hours or longer, limit your caffeine intake to the first part of the day to ensure that your sleep isnt disrupted.
- Enjoy caffeine with physical activity: Caffeine is best ingested before exercisethat way your performance is enhanced and the stress-management benefits of exercise can keep you healthy and feeling less stressed throughout the day.
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Caffeine Doesnt Create Energy
Caffeine is a stimulant drug that doesnt actually manufacture energy for the body. Rather, the stimulant effect makes the body feel energized by altering key chemicals in the brain. It blocks receptors in the brain from receiving signals to feel tired, Chantal Bacon notes, in addition to triggering that cortisol rush that helps our blood pump faster. Its energizing effects usually last 2 to 4 hours, then we crash.
Coffee and other caffeinated beverages essentially provide a false sense of anti-tiredness. And the more we rely on that cortisol surge to power through our day, the more we become reliant on caffeine, which can have trickle down effects on our sleep hygiene, causing us to go to bed later and feel more groggy in the morning and so the vicious cycle continues.
Granted, caffeine has been shown to increase mental and athletic performance. But, just like anything, too much of a good thing can be bad news. Its when we start on that second or third cup that our body may not be able to regulate the stress response as effectively, and anxiety symptoms can ramp up.
Its Easier Than Ever To Overdo Caffeine Consumption
There are more sources of caffeine than ever before.
You expect to find it in coffee, tea, chocolate, and cola soda, but its also hidden in prescription drugs, over-the-counter painkillers, non-cola drinks, vitamin waters, brain tonics, and even in vitamins and herbal supplements.
Caffeine is commonly added to so-called brain supplements, often as part of a proprietary blend which means that the label doesnt tell you how much caffeine the supplement contains.
The amount of caffeine in energy drinks can be deceiving since some of the serving sizes of these drinks are so small.
5-Hour Energy Shot contains a jaw-dropping 100 mg of caffeine per ounce.
Another problem is that labels arent always accurate.
Sunkist orange soda lists 41 mg of caffeine on its label, but in fact, was found to have almost six times as much caffeine at 240 mg per bottle.
Caffeines effects are consistently underestimated.
According to the book Caffeinated, heres what escalating amounts of caffeine can do to you:
- 1/64 teaspoon will give you a subtle boost
- 1/16 teaspoon can lead to addiction
- 1/4 teaspoon causes acute anxiety
- 1 tablespoon is enough to kill an adult
Its thought to be virtually impossible to drink yourself to death with naturally occurring caffeine.
But now, pure caffeine pills and powder can easily and inexpensively be purchased online, making caffeine overdose a reality.
Sadly, there have been numerous deaths caused by caffeine powder overdose.
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Lets Talk About Caffeine Induced Anxiety Disorder
Caffeine, its whats for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For most of us we drink a cup of coffee, tea or soda. We drink them to give us energy. We make jokes about needing our caffeine to get us going each day. We blame our grumpy moods on not being able to have caffeine. Just thinking about it makes us feel a little more energetic and hopeful that we can make it through the day without feeling sluggish. What is our fascination with this drug? Why does something so good have to be so bad?
Before you act on that craving, take the time to learn a little bit more about caffeine and the effects it can have on your central nervous system.
There are four major diagnoses surrounding caffeine to include caffeine intoxication, caffeine addiction, caffeine induced anxiety and caffeine induced insomnia. Who knew? And to think something like this is everywhere we go and marketed to us by large companies as if it were a health product.
Its time we start learning more about what we consume and how it will affect us psychology.
Caffeine May Aggravate Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar drops too low.
A low blood sugar attack can leave you feeling jittery, sweating, irritable, and confused, with a pounding heart a lot like an anxiety attack.
Caffeine stimulates the release of the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, causing blood sugar levels to drop.
If you suspect that your low blood sugar is exacerbated by caffeine, try going without it and notice if you experience any improvement.
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Mechanism Of Caffeine Action
Caffeine acts in multiple ways within the brain and the rest of the body. However, due to the concentration of caffeine required, antagonism of adenosine receptors is the primary mode of action. The following mechanisms are ways in which caffeine may act within the body, but depending on necessary caffeine concentration and other factors may not be responsible for the clinical effects of the substance.
What We Recommend For Curbing Anxiety
Below are some of the services and products we recommend for anxiety
If youve decided to have a good hot tea for your anxiety, you can find Pukka tea, black tea, loose leaf tea, kava tea, turmeric tea, holy basil,ginseng tea, jasmine. Check the Yogi Tea site where they sell the best teas. You can find this and other products at Holland & Barrett.
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Why Do I Wake Up After Drinking
The INSIDER Summary: Waking up early after a late night drinking is common. After two drinks, alcohol disrupts your sleep patterns. After alcohol is metabolized, adaptations your body made to adjust for its effects are now unnecessary, throwing your body out of whack and jolting you awake.
12 oz Kahlúa14 oz AmarettoWhipped cream topBlow Job/Ingredients
Why Does Alcohol Keep Me Awake All Night
It screws your circadian rhythm! While you may fall asleep quickly after drinking, its also common to wake up in the middle of the night. Alcohol affects the normal production of chemicals in the body that trigger sleepiness when youve been awake for a long time, and subside once youve had enough sleep.
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You May Have Caffeine Sensitivity
We all know people who can drink a pot of coffee after dinner and sleep like a rock.
If you have anxiety, you probably arent one of them.
The difference may be in your genes.
Scientists from Harvard School of Public Health have found several genes that directly influence how your body metabolizes caffeine.
HOWâS YOUR MOOD?
Dr. Pat | Be Brain Fit
You may be sensitive to caffeine because you take longer than average to metabolize it.
The average half-life of caffeine is 5-6 hours, but everyone is different and the time it can take to eliminate caffeine varies widely.
It can take as little as two to as many as ten hours after ingestion to metabolize half of it.
And there are other reasons you may be sensitive to caffeine.
Caffeine sensitivity increases with age, so you might not be able to drink caffeine like you used to.
Men metabolize caffeine more slowly than most women, the exceptions being women who are pregnant or taking birth control pills.
Caffeine sensitivity can be caused by an allergic reaction to caffeine, although true caffeine allergy is rare.
More common is an allergy to mycotoxins, toxins produced by fungi and mold, that are found in coffee.
You may be taking medications that increase the side effects of caffeine.
So do some healthy foods such as broccoli and some herbal teas.
Impaired ability to process caffeine is not unusual in people with liver disease, especially cirrhosis.
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The Effects Of Caffeine On Your Heart
Caffeine stimulates your heart rate and gives a temporary boost to your blood pressure. And for most people this isnt a problem.
But in anyone with a pre-existing heart condition , excessive caffeine can trigger fast and irregular heart rhythms, which could lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
On a high caffeine dose, people will feel a lot of skipped beats, thumping or a noticeably fast heart rate. If your heart rate is irregular or stuck at a very high rate, if your symptoms just feel overwhelming or if you are dizzy or faint, then you should go to the emergency room, says Sridhar.
Thats because dizziness can indicate that your body is not pumping enough blood to your brain.
If your symptoms are not overwhelming and dont include dizziness, but youre still concerned, then you can make an appointment with a doctor to get checked out instead, he says.
You should also discuss your caffeine intake with a doctor if you have a pre-existing arrhythmia or seizure disorder, as caffeine can trigger these conditions.
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How Quitting Caffeine For Anxiety Changed My Life & Top Tips To Help You
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Quitting caffeine to manage my anxiety changed my life.
But as a total coffee addict and fanatic it was no easy task.
I was someone who lived for my coffee rituals. The taste and smell, the buzz, the sudden burst of energy and inspiration, and the sheer enjoyment of going for coffee with friends were my only snippets of light in what was otherwise a very gloomy, highly pressured and chronically anxious life.
But as my anxiety became unbearable to the point of not being able to go to work, I had to seek professional help. This led me to an alternative health specialist who was the first person to warn me about the effects of caffeine on anxiety.
As I was desperate to relieve my constant irritability, nervousness, and excessive worry, get some proper sleep, and continue with my career in investment banking in London, I took the advice of this specialist and went cold turkey for 90 days.
So, if you are suffering from anxiety and you drink coffee, this article is totally for you.
I will elaborate more on why I quit caffeine for anxiety, the steps I took, and what top tips I have for you.
- Severe premenstrual syndrome
- Frequently occurring cold and flu symptoms
She went on to say that, I would need to tackle all four issues if I wanted to reduce my anxiety symptoms.
Can Coffee Help Anxiety
” … Coffee sets the blood in motion and stimulates the muscles it accelerates the digestive processes, chases away sleep, and gives us the capacity to engage a little longer in the exercise of our intellects.” – Honoré de Balzac
As the most well-used psychoactive drug of all time, coffee is an interesting compound, with generally positive reviews regarding health and mood. Regarding overall health, studies show some wonderful health effects for coffee.
Coffee can decrease a pre-diabetics risk for diabetes, lower incidence of bile tract and liver cancer, and even help prevent heart attacks after a meal. In fact, a 2013 review of the larger epidemiologic studies show regular coffee consumption to reduce mortality, both for all-cause and cardiovascular deaths. Brand new research by Guercio suggests it can help prevent the recurrence of colon cancer. In addition, coffee intake is associated with lower rates of heart failure, stroke, and diabetes.
Coffee to Help Anxiety?
Conventional wisdom suggests that caffeine-containing drinks are considered a no-no when it comes to anxiety. Theres good reason for this and many people with anxiety should avoid coffee. But, some of you reading this may benefit from coffee. Lets review the information about coffee in terms of anxiety and mood to see what makes the most sense.
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