Cutting out caffeine = good for reducing anxiety?

[LightbulbSun]

Right now, I'm so wired that I can't sleep, and it's 3am. I've had three cups of coffee, and two sodas (coke), and I feel so jittery. My eyes also hurt, and I generally feel unwell.

 

My doctor has suggested to me that I reduce or eliminate my caffeine intake completely. I love coffee, to me it's one of the greatest inventions, but I'm seriously considering cutting coffee out of my diet completely.

 

Another thing is, I've noticed my hands have been shaking a lot lately. This, combined with the jittery feeling and the stress, makes me believe that I'm exacerbating my anxiety condition, that I take medication for. And what is medication good for, if I'm putting drugs in my body that counteract the calming feeling I get from them?

 

Anyway, any thoughts on this? Should I get rid of the caffeine completely?

[greywolf]

Yes. If you can't quit coffee then switch to decaf.

[waveseer]

Many people have reduced or eliminated their caffeine intake with very positive results. In order to avoid the headaches associated with cutting down or stopping abruptly I suggest you eliminate one caffeinated beverage per day for a week or two depending on how much you drink. You can substitute water, juice, or sports drinks for the missing ones.

[LightbulbSun]

Thanks waveseer.

 

I think it'll be easier to just cut out the soda tomorrow, and drink one cup of coffee. And then the next day, stop completely.

 

I also suffer from tinnitus, and lately my ears have been buzzing like crazy. I think it's because I've been drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages.

[waveseer]

You're welcome. If you do get a headache and decide to take something for it check the label because many over the counter pain medications contain caffeine.

[dragon lady]

lightbulbsun, I feel your pain. I have recently become a coffee drinker and I am completely addicted to the positive effects. I love that it makes me feel alert, positive, confident and social, but it doesn't last long! A few hours later I feel like complete crap- cranky, anxious and depressed. I have a tendency toward anxiety, but it's definitely far worse with the caffeine.

 

 

Good luck.

[greywolf]

Thanks waveseer.

 

I think it'll be easier to just cut out the soda tomorrow, and drink one cup of coffee. And then the next day, stop completely.

 

I also suffer from tinnitus, and lately my ears have been buzzing like crazy. I think it's because I've been drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages.

 

I tend to go deaf in my right ear if my body is under stress either emotionally or physically; Caffeine just makes it worse.

 

Are you sure it's not a side effect of any of the meds you're taking though?

[Jake]

Coffee is basically a substitution for your adrenalin glands. "Supplementing" your body with caffeine after years will literally make you dependent on it to get that "lift" in the day because your adrenalin glands will be none existent. My Uncle can attest to that, he's in his 50's and drinks the "pure black stuff" that can take paint off of cars.

 

I'm not diagnosed with any anxiety disorder that I know of as I've never gone to the doctor. Having said this, I know I'm not "well" and I probably would be dignaosed with something if I got checked. I personally don't drink coffee, I love the taste but quit just from my own experiences & seeing family who have been on it for years.

 

 

The worst experience I ever had was 3 weeks ago. I was carpooling with 2 family members in a 18 hour long drive back home from LA. I slept maybe 4 hours in the car while my uncle drove. The sun came up & it was my turn to drive. After 6 months of no coffee of any kind I had a Frappuccino since I was driving.... a big Frappuccino.

 

 

The "buzz" I got was so bad I couldn't even hold my cell phone right to read my text messages. My brain felt like someone opened up my skull and filled it to the brim with oil and my brain was just floating in it.

 

I'm a college student, I'm not a morning person and I crave caffeine but based off of my experience you couldn't pay me to drink coffee!

 

 

Overall, the choice is yours LightbulbSun on what you want to do. My suggestion is you drop the coffee and the soda as those two combined with you medication is probably not a good combination whether you even have anxeity or not.

 

PS: I also don't drink soda.

[corrin]

Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours. This means about 6 hours after you drink a cup, half of the caffeine will have been eliminated from your body. If your concern is just being wired when you sleep, try not to take in too much caffeine in the late afternoon. Besides coffee and tea, the big culprits are soda and chocolate.

 

While the caffeine is probably not helping, chances are there are other things going on in your life that are making you anxious and keeping you up at night. Sometimes the anxiety becomes self-sustaining as you make yourself anxious about being so anxious -- you start stressing that there is something wrong with you.

 

Next time you find yourself suffering from anxiety, just remind yourself --

 

-- everyone has anxiety from time to time.

-- some people are just better able to deal with it.

-- anxiety can't hurt you - no one ever died because of anxiety.

-- eventually it will pass and you will be normal.

-- if you can't sleep, know eventually your body will sleep out of necessity; it might not be tonight, or even tomorrow night. But eventually you will sleep.

[Mercurial Girl]

I had to cut coffee sodas and teas (except for mint and chamomile) out of my diet cold turkey because the acid was killing my bladder. I have interstitial cystitis which is basically feeling like you have a UTI and pretty much constantly. Blessing in disguise...

 

It was an incredibly rough week. Constant withdrawal headaches and fatigue for about 8 days. I was so irritable and would sleep for more than 10 hours a night. It probably didn't help that I had to cut out all fruits except blueberries and pears (I dislike both) and pretty much every food that I loved to eat.

 

ANYWAY - yes it was * * * * ty, yes it was very difficult to let go and switch to only water...

 

BUT! I feel great now. My sleep is soooo much more sound. I even have better, more vibrant dreams. It is great not to be a slave to caffeine. I remember getting anxious in the morning if I hadn't had my coffee yet, cause I knew I would get a headache soon. No more! It's really freeing.

 

I also drink a boatload of water now, even though before I used to hate it. It has really made me feel better, physically and mentally. Yes it has calmed my anxiety. Try it!

 

I do have a *small* iced coffee maybe once or twice a week now if I have a headache due to neck pain. Now that caffeine isn't a constant in my life, I can use it for pain relief. I let the ice melt a bunch though to dilute it and follow up with lots of water. I know I wont get sucked back into the daily habit because I remember the hell it took to kick it in the first place and I'm kind of angered by the real addiction I had to it.

 

btw watch that chocolate!

[writingislove]

I quit drinking caffeine for about a month and I didn't notice any change in my anxiety; but caffeine wasn't the source of my anxiety and for a lot of people it is. When it comes down to it, you can always try it--and if it works, decide whether you'd rather drink coffee every day (since you love it) or if you'd rather live life with less anxiety. You never know how you'll feel once you take the plunge and give it up for awhile.

[sidehop]

Something to consider, most coffee (non-organic) do have pesticides which has shown to increase insomnia and anxiety not to mention various organophosphates pesticides are now linked with ADD/ADHD to children.

 

I'd drink a quality coffee, one cup of 8 oz isn't bad but don't go out and buy Folgers or other cheap brand. There are a lot of organic coffee beans that's priced about the same as non-organic and the aroma/taste is more smooth it seems. Newman's Own's make excellent organic coffee beans.

 

On that note, chocolate doesn't have much caffeine, you'll have to eat quite a bit to get a caffeine contained in a cup of coffee. I'd be more concerned with the calories and saturated fat contained in chocolate more than anything.

[LightbulbSun]

Well, caffeine doesn't affect me much. For example, I was hungry at 2 am last night, but didn't feel like making regular food. Found some graham crackers, some hershey's chocolate, and some marshmallows, and presto! S'mores was the perfect late night snack!

 

Of course, I don't have chocolate every night. If anything, I drink too much soda, but I've talked about that before. I'm addicted to the sugar rush. Even now, I traded coffee for a cup of Coke...that probably wasn't as healthy as if I went with the coffee, after all.

 

But my question was a rhetorical question, because I pretty much know the answer. When someone has an anxiety disorder already, he shouldn't drink a bunch of caffeinated beverages and make himself anxious. I basically need to cut down the caffeine.

 

And sidehop, Folgers is nasty! I used to drink it, my grandma still drinks it, but I prefer flavored coffees that are slightly more expensive. I forget what brand it is I'm drinking now, but it's not something that's common. I also really like Dunkin' Doughnuts coffees that you can buy from them. I'll pull through a Dunkin' Doughnuts just to get a small bag of the stuff.

[LightbulbSun]

Well, caffeine doesn't affect me much.

 

That was supposed to read, CHOCOLATE!

 

I hate it that my edit button is gone, geez.

[Mercurial Girl]

I mentioned chocolate because I have found now that I have mostly quit caffeine that even a small amount found in chocolate can have me buzzed to the point where I'm tossing and turning all night. I get the sugar rush but not the sugar crash because the caff is keeping me going! I just don't have the tolerance that I used to have. When I eat chocolate though, I eat a LOT of chocolate, so that might be my problem. I just can't help myself.

[sidehop]

I mentioned chocolate because I have found now that I have mostly quit caffeine that even a small amount found in chocolate can have me buzzed to the point where I'm tossing and turning all night. I get the sugar rush but not the sugar crash because the caff is keeping me going! I just don't have the tolerance that I used to have. When I eat chocolate though, I eat a LOT of chocolate, so that might be my problem. I just can't help myself.

 

I think I'm like you too though, even with decaf sometimes I get really hyper I don't know how people drink 4+ cups of coffee in a day...that would get me all jittery and feeling sick. While other days I'm fine.

[itsallgrand]

Oh sugar can be equally as bad!

 

I love love love my coffee. Sidehop is right - about the organic coffees. You don't want the cheap stuff, you want something that you know where it is coming from and if they are using massive amounts of chemicals on them.

 

I have to watch my diet too bc of anxiety. Diet helps control it a lot. I notice this after a gorge-fest. Particularly sugar, for me. But too much coffee/not enough quality food/sleep too.

 

Good for you for being willing to at least try forsaking something you enjoy to see if it makes you feel better. It's so worth it if it does make a positive change. That sense of calmness is worth so much! As people who have gone through a lot of anxiety know all too well.

 

So yeah. You might try cutting down the white sugar too. That stuff is everywhere, it can play havok with some people's emotions like nothing else. (like me). Of course, it seems to be the ones with the sweet tooths and coffee fascinations that are sensitive to the stuff!!

[RelaxByWater84]

I am in my fourth week of cutting down on the caffeine in my diet. I was drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day. I am now drinking one cup of coffee per day with green tea around 1:00pm. I spent the first two weeks really tired and found that eating an apple gives me an energy that I need. I read somewhere that one apple is the equivalent energy of drinking two cups of coffee. I feel better than when I was drinking 4-5 cups a day. Going through all the withdrawal symptoms is definitely worth feeling better without caffeine.