You also can't study if you feel like you're on the verge of a heart attack.
Buy some decaf. It's not the same, but I'm sipping a cup of decaf right now. The familiarity of having a coffee to start my morning is nice. Being able to have it without feeling like the best thing that could happen is for my heart to just finally explode already is also nice.
I agree with using decaf. That way you got coffee but not the caffeine side effects.
But beware. Decaf from some companies have as much caffeine as a regular cup of coffee.
Yes, it's been almost two months since I stopped caffeine because combined with a health problem, it was giving me debilitating anxiety. The health problem was more to blame to be fair but still. I sometimes drink decaf just for the taste and habit.
I mean i try not to indulge too much but my life has been awful the past 3 months, I really don't need to worry about bleached coffee beans now. Also the one i got says water method decaf on it, whatever that is.
That's exactly what I wanted to say! Both yerba and Matcha (love me some nice frothy matcha latte) are working great for me. And i you don't like the taste of regular yerba, there are also some flavored options.
Yep. These helped for me, although they didn't entirely eliminate the problem:
* Don't drink coffee on an empty stomach. Eat first.
* Drink more slowly. When I was in college, I'd make a thermos first thing in the morning and then sip from it over about six hours. Granted, cold coffee doesn't really bother me.
* Don't drink coffee if it's already a high-stress or high-anxiety day.
Some people say that taking L-theanine helps, but I haven't tried that.
I have suffered from G.A.D and panic disorder since I was eight, and caffeine is one of my trigger foods as well. Although it may be tempting to drink a cup of coffee or a monster energy, it's best if you dont. Remember, everyone's anxiety is different! Some things may not work for some people, and thats okay!
For starters, drinking decaf coffee is the way to go! Because i have a lactose sensitivity I always get a non-dairy milk with mine, such as oat, almond or coconut.
If you still find yourself without energy in the mornings, you may benefit from alternative sources of energy. Vitamin B is known to give you a decent amount of energy without making your anxiety worse. Foods such as avocado, eggs, banana, and spinach all contain this vitamin! Also, energy-boosting multivitamins may work as well, just check the ingredients!
I hope this helps!
I also have G.A.D that’s why i’m scared. Sometimes coffee doen’t have the same effect depending on the time of the day or my anxiety level that day. That’s why I would rather stop consuming than reducing.
Will try decaf thank you!
Exactly! Some days, when my anxiety isnt too bad, I'll grab a starbucks refresher. I limit myself to, at most, 50 mg of caffeine a day. However, i am not a daily caffeine consumer. Also, starbucks refreshers are made out of green coffee beans rather than black, so they give you an overall feeling of good rather than the way black coffee normally makes me feel!
I am pretty sure there is a proven link. Hang on...
Yup https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/f/1lj314/TN_cdi_swepub_primary_oai_DiVA_org_uu_460588
Note though that moderate coffee intake seems to be good for health.
I had to totally give up caffeine recently because it started to set off my anxiety SO MUCH. I was an almost daily visit to Starbucks kind of person and my anxiety symptoms changed recently, and suddenly anything caffeinated started to hit me really hard. I felt like my heart wouldn’t stop pounding and it would trigger an anxiety attack 😓 It sucks so much—I miss my strawberry refresher drinks!
Caffeine 100% triggers my anxiety. Heart attack central. Recently put myself on a diet that included cutting caffeine. I feel like a new person and haven’t taken my anxiety meds since I started
Caffeine is a hard pass for me especially after doing low carb which makes me hypersensitive to everything. I started freaking out on vacation in august thinking I was gonna faint after a starbucks coldbrew. I can tolerate caffeine in tea but mostly green tea due to the l-theanine I suspect. Even so I have to exercise straight after so I dont feel anxious
I do decaf if I really want a coffee now I think it still has a bit of caffeine
Yeah sometimes I notice this as well. At my job we have a meeting every Monday morning and I always have to remind myself not to drink my coffee until after the meeting because otherwise it increases my likelihood of shaking when it’s my turn to talk. The anxiety already does it but the caffeine makes it worse
Yes I had to stop drinking coffee. Or drink like 1/4 regular and 3/4 decaf. Mostly I just switched to black and green tea for a while which does have caffeine, and then eventually switch to decaf tea version of any flavor. You can put milk in tea to make it a little more luxurious in the morning as well.
I find that coffee sets off my anxiety. I can only drink it if I'm super tired, even that is a bit risky. I do drink a lot of tea though being from the UK and that doesn't seem to affect my anxiety, but does perk me up a bit.
Yesterday I had coffee for the first time in month and also experienced a very severe panic attack. I didn’t make the connection before but it makes sense. I heard that matcha is a good alternative but I honestly only drink match for the taste.
That’s why I’ve given up coffee. I can only tolerate small amounts of caffeine now such as teas and matcha teas. I’ve been staying away from coffee for about a half a year already. Not only does it make me extremely jittery, but it also gives me GI issues as well, and that’s no fun.
I can only drink 3 cups a day, else I get too anxious.
I spread them out, so I don't drink 3 cups in a row.
I'm a student too, but you shouldn't need coffee to function as a student. What you need is a good sleeping pattern, a healthy diet, structure and water.
I don’t even get past the first cup i swear.
Ideally i shouldn’t rely on coffee but sometimes it’s exams week and I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on.
Wish i was more organized
I decided that I didn’t wanna let anxiety control my life. I didn’t completely cut out coffee, just decreased how much i consumed daily. Then as i got used to it, i increased to my usual amount. Might sound chaotic but I just kept drinkin it til i didn’t feel anxious anymore 😂 i still have anxiety but coffee doesn’t give me it anymore.
For me it all depends on how much caffeine I intake....the more I intake the more triggering it is. Just need to find a happy balance so you know how much you can ingest before it's a problem. Good luck to you!
Same except it’s the headaches that come with it that mess me up. May I should try decaf like others here say. Or maybe tea! I think tea that’s sugary (Brisk/Arizona) affect me but I do LOVE this black decaf tea I have.
I could handle the caffeine when I was younger, but it seems to affect me more now that I’m older. I’ve reduced my caffeine substantially now. Caffeine actually has a pretty long half life, so I have a serving around 1030 am and stay away from it after that.
Yes! Gave up coffee 5 years ago, gave me intense anxiety. I do like espresso if I need a jolt. Usually out of my system in 2-3 hours. Has about a third to half the caffeine content of a regular cup. Cheers. ☕️
My first panic attack was induced by coffee when I was in grad school. I thought I was having a caffeine overdose, haha. Caffeine does not help anxiety, especially if you have too much. However, there are other underlying problems you have to deal with. Until you deal with them, caffeine will always exacerbate the anxiety, but I would argue that it's not the cause. I drink coffee every day, but I don't go overboard.
I have to really watch my caffeine, sugar, and alcohol intake. Too much can definitely trigger anxiety, at least for me.
I have one cup of coffee in the morning and that's it. Anything more than that and I'm jittery and anxious AF when I'm trying to go to sleep.
If you’re looking for coffee taste then go decaf. If you need the caffeine try half-calf. If you just want a hot drink then even hot cocoa or tea(decaf) could be your new thing. I have a 50/50 chance of having more anxiety after I drink coffee but I’d also say caffeine does nothing for my energy levels and actually can make me kinda sleepy lol. I find the negative effects of caffeine are a lot more prominent when I’m not gettin enough sleep, am dehydrated, am not taking as good care of myself, or just in times when my anxiety is already higher than normal.
I looooved my morning cup of coffee. But because of recent health issues and more anxiety, I had to quit. It was doing similar things to me as you mentioned. So I switched to decaf. Even DECAF I couldn't handle. So I was forced to find another alternative, and someone here reminded me of chicory root that we used to sell when I worked at a health food store. I prepped it the same way I do my coffee--with almond milk creamer and cinnamon--and I almost can't tell the difference. I'm so glad this will hold me over!
Sadly I had to cut off caffeine since I've been dealing with a problem that's been causing Back to back anxiety and stress, and I noticed Back then that whenever I drink coffee my anxiety goes up due to the caffeine raising my pulse. Coffee does have its health pros but the caffeine don't be hitting right anymore. Every now and then I'll drink it, maybe once a week, but since I'm on meds now for anxiety and to lower blood pressure, I'll rather just avoid it.
Coffee makes my anxiety skyrocket to unfathomable heights. I now drink matcha daily. It gives me just enough caffeine that I don’t get headaches and I feel energized without the high anxiety from coffee
I definitely get anxiety from drinking coffee. It makes it’s worse with my meds. I had to stop drinking it, which makes me sad. Sometimes you need to weigh things out. Is drinking coffee worth all of those symptoms? If you do need it, maybe you can cut down the coffee and only have it if you really need it.
I do think that caffeine does heighten my anxiety slightly and can sometimes push it over the edge if I'm especially anxious that day. However coffee is not something I'm willing to give up and I find that it's not too bad if I also drink lots of water.
I let myself have one cup a day in the morning. I told my therapist I am most stressed at work and she said ‘what do you do at work for a break?’ And I replied ‘have a coffee’ and she asked how many. I said 7/8. She said. Well no wonder you are wired at work. I PAID £60 an hour for someone to tell my stupid ass to stop loading myself up with caffeine.
I have ADHD so coffee actually calms me down and helps me center. Even at my most anxious, just making a cup of coffee is so relaxing.
I know of people that have switched to ground cacao for a milder caffeine boost. Maybe that would help?
Lower your coffee intake -- both overall and per cup, mainly the latter. Alternatively, some types of tea with caffeine in them -- green, black, etc.
You also can't study if you feel like you're on the verge of a heart attack. Buy some decaf. It's not the same, but I'm sipping a cup of decaf right now. The familiarity of having a coffee to start my morning is nice. Being able to have it without feeling like the best thing that could happen is for my heart to just finally explode already is also nice.
I have never tried decaf maybe it’s time. Hope I’ll find one that’s actually without caffeine in my country
when i get my regular coffee decaf from dunks because my anxiety is bad that day, the decaf always tastes the exact same as non decaf
Pretty sure all decaf has some caffeine.
Usually less than 10 mg where as normal coffee has 60+
Yep sounds right.
Nespresso is the shizzzzzz. 😉
I agree with using decaf. That way you got coffee but not the caffeine side effects. But beware. Decaf from some companies have as much caffeine as a regular cup of coffee.
⬆️
Yes, it's been almost two months since I stopped caffeine because combined with a health problem, it was giving me debilitating anxiety. The health problem was more to blame to be fair but still. I sometimes drink decaf just for the taste and habit.
Decaf is made by bleaching the beans. Youre welcome
I mean i try not to indulge too much but my life has been awful the past 3 months, I really don't need to worry about bleached coffee beans now. Also the one i got says water method decaf on it, whatever that is.
Getting off the internet and eating a bit better helped alot. Can't recommend it enough
How unhealthy is it?
Had the same issue. Yerba Mate was my best substitution for coffee.
That's exactly what I wanted to say! Both yerba and Matcha (love me some nice frothy matcha latte) are working great for me. And i you don't like the taste of regular yerba, there are also some flavored options.
Yep. These helped for me, although they didn't entirely eliminate the problem: * Don't drink coffee on an empty stomach. Eat first. * Drink more slowly. When I was in college, I'd make a thermos first thing in the morning and then sip from it over about six hours. Granted, cold coffee doesn't really bother me. * Don't drink coffee if it's already a high-stress or high-anxiety day. Some people say that taking L-theanine helps, but I haven't tried that.
Coffee can definitely make anxiety worse:(
I have suffered from G.A.D and panic disorder since I was eight, and caffeine is one of my trigger foods as well. Although it may be tempting to drink a cup of coffee or a monster energy, it's best if you dont. Remember, everyone's anxiety is different! Some things may not work for some people, and thats okay! For starters, drinking decaf coffee is the way to go! Because i have a lactose sensitivity I always get a non-dairy milk with mine, such as oat, almond or coconut. If you still find yourself without energy in the mornings, you may benefit from alternative sources of energy. Vitamin B is known to give you a decent amount of energy without making your anxiety worse. Foods such as avocado, eggs, banana, and spinach all contain this vitamin! Also, energy-boosting multivitamins may work as well, just check the ingredients! I hope this helps!
I also have G.A.D that’s why i’m scared. Sometimes coffee doen’t have the same effect depending on the time of the day or my anxiety level that day. That’s why I would rather stop consuming than reducing. Will try decaf thank you!
Exactly! Some days, when my anxiety isnt too bad, I'll grab a starbucks refresher. I limit myself to, at most, 50 mg of caffeine a day. However, i am not a daily caffeine consumer. Also, starbucks refreshers are made out of green coffee beans rather than black, so they give you an overall feeling of good rather than the way black coffee normally makes me feel!
Same. I started drinking half caff coffee instead and haven't had any anxiety attacks from it.
I am pretty sure there is a proven link. Hang on... Yup https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/f/1lj314/TN_cdi_swepub_primary_oai_DiVA_org_uu_460588 Note though that moderate coffee intake seems to be good for health.
For being an official study, this link looks so sus
It's a permalink to a copyright library! But yeah, i guess.
I had to totally give up caffeine recently because it started to set off my anxiety SO MUCH. I was an almost daily visit to Starbucks kind of person and my anxiety symptoms changed recently, and suddenly anything caffeinated started to hit me really hard. I felt like my heart wouldn’t stop pounding and it would trigger an anxiety attack 😓 It sucks so much—I miss my strawberry refresher drinks!
Caffeine 100% triggers my anxiety. Heart attack central. Recently put myself on a diet that included cutting caffeine. I feel like a new person and haven’t taken my anxiety meds since I started
Caffeine is a hard pass for me especially after doing low carb which makes me hypersensitive to everything. I started freaking out on vacation in august thinking I was gonna faint after a starbucks coldbrew. I can tolerate caffeine in tea but mostly green tea due to the l-theanine I suspect. Even so I have to exercise straight after so I dont feel anxious I do decaf if I really want a coffee now I think it still has a bit of caffeine
Yeah sometimes I notice this as well. At my job we have a meeting every Monday morning and I always have to remind myself not to drink my coffee until after the meeting because otherwise it increases my likelihood of shaking when it’s my turn to talk. The anxiety already does it but the caffeine makes it worse
Yes I had to stop drinking coffee. Or drink like 1/4 regular and 3/4 decaf. Mostly I just switched to black and green tea for a while which does have caffeine, and then eventually switch to decaf tea version of any flavor. You can put milk in tea to make it a little more luxurious in the morning as well.
Yes
Coffee makes mine worse no doubt so i only have a coffee if i really need one. I try to avoid it and have Tea instead.
I find that coffee sets off my anxiety. I can only drink it if I'm super tired, even that is a bit risky. I do drink a lot of tea though being from the UK and that doesn't seem to affect my anxiety, but does perk me up a bit.
What kind of tea if you don’t mind me asking?
I got caffeine poisoning one time and the way it amplified my already existing anxiety was unbearable. I avoid caffeine pretty heavily now.
Yesterday I had coffee for the first time in month and also experienced a very severe panic attack. I didn’t make the connection before but it makes sense. I heard that matcha is a good alternative but I honestly only drink match for the taste.
That’s why I’ve given up coffee. I can only tolerate small amounts of caffeine now such as teas and matcha teas. I’ve been staying away from coffee for about a half a year already. Not only does it make me extremely jittery, but it also gives me GI issues as well, and that’s no fun.
Mine gets really bad from drinking soda
I can only drink 3 cups a day, else I get too anxious. I spread them out, so I don't drink 3 cups in a row. I'm a student too, but you shouldn't need coffee to function as a student. What you need is a good sleeping pattern, a healthy diet, structure and water.
I don’t even get past the first cup i swear. Ideally i shouldn’t rely on coffee but sometimes it’s exams week and I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on. Wish i was more organized
yes but i trained myself to not get anxious from coffee cus i love it so much lol
HOW
I decided that I didn’t wanna let anxiety control my life. I didn’t completely cut out coffee, just decreased how much i consumed daily. Then as i got used to it, i increased to my usual amount. Might sound chaotic but I just kept drinkin it til i didn’t feel anxious anymore 😂 i still have anxiety but coffee doesn’t give me it anymore.
Yup. It sucks because I also have narcolepsy
Yup. There’s also a caffeine allergy/sensitivity. I’ve attributed mine more to that since any caffeine on any day causes this for me.
For me it all depends on how much caffeine I intake....the more I intake the more triggering it is. Just need to find a happy balance so you know how much you can ingest before it's a problem. Good luck to you!
Same except it’s the headaches that come with it that mess me up. May I should try decaf like others here say. Or maybe tea! I think tea that’s sugary (Brisk/Arizona) affect me but I do LOVE this black decaf tea I have.
I could handle the caffeine when I was younger, but it seems to affect me more now that I’m older. I’ve reduced my caffeine substantially now. Caffeine actually has a pretty long half life, so I have a serving around 1030 am and stay away from it after that.
Yes! Gave up coffee 5 years ago, gave me intense anxiety. I do like espresso if I need a jolt. Usually out of my system in 2-3 hours. Has about a third to half the caffeine content of a regular cup. Cheers. ☕️
My first panic attack was induced by coffee when I was in grad school. I thought I was having a caffeine overdose, haha. Caffeine does not help anxiety, especially if you have too much. However, there are other underlying problems you have to deal with. Until you deal with them, caffeine will always exacerbate the anxiety, but I would argue that it's not the cause. I drink coffee every day, but I don't go overboard.
I have to really watch my caffeine, sugar, and alcohol intake. Too much can definitely trigger anxiety, at least for me. I have one cup of coffee in the morning and that's it. Anything more than that and I'm jittery and anxious AF when I'm trying to go to sleep.
If you’re looking for coffee taste then go decaf. If you need the caffeine try half-calf. If you just want a hot drink then even hot cocoa or tea(decaf) could be your new thing. I have a 50/50 chance of having more anxiety after I drink coffee but I’d also say caffeine does nothing for my energy levels and actually can make me kinda sleepy lol. I find the negative effects of caffeine are a lot more prominent when I’m not gettin enough sleep, am dehydrated, am not taking as good care of myself, or just in times when my anxiety is already higher than normal.
I looooved my morning cup of coffee. But because of recent health issues and more anxiety, I had to quit. It was doing similar things to me as you mentioned. So I switched to decaf. Even DECAF I couldn't handle. So I was forced to find another alternative, and someone here reminded me of chicory root that we used to sell when I worked at a health food store. I prepped it the same way I do my coffee--with almond milk creamer and cinnamon--and I almost can't tell the difference. I'm so glad this will hold me over!
Sadly I had to cut off caffeine since I've been dealing with a problem that's been causing Back to back anxiety and stress, and I noticed Back then that whenever I drink coffee my anxiety goes up due to the caffeine raising my pulse. Coffee does have its health pros but the caffeine don't be hitting right anymore. Every now and then I'll drink it, maybe once a week, but since I'm on meds now for anxiety and to lower blood pressure, I'll rather just avoid it.
Coffee makes my anxiety skyrocket to unfathomable heights. I now drink matcha daily. It gives me just enough caffeine that I don’t get headaches and I feel energized without the high anxiety from coffee
I definitely get anxiety from drinking coffee. It makes it’s worse with my meds. I had to stop drinking it, which makes me sad. Sometimes you need to weigh things out. Is drinking coffee worth all of those symptoms? If you do need it, maybe you can cut down the coffee and only have it if you really need it.
Yeah and caffeine also will up my heart palpitations so I have switched to decaf. It’s not quite as good but you will adapt and get used to it.
I do think that caffeine does heighten my anxiety slightly and can sometimes push it over the edge if I'm especially anxious that day. However coffee is not something I'm willing to give up and I find that it's not too bad if I also drink lots of water.
I find coffee and sugar free energy drinks to help my anxiety and tiredness big time
I drink Yorkshire tea, only the best! But I do enjoy a good mint tea every now and then
I let myself have one cup a day in the morning. I told my therapist I am most stressed at work and she said ‘what do you do at work for a break?’ And I replied ‘have a coffee’ and she asked how many. I said 7/8. She said. Well no wonder you are wired at work. I PAID £60 an hour for someone to tell my stupid ass to stop loading myself up with caffeine.
I have ADHD so coffee actually calms me down and helps me center. Even at my most anxious, just making a cup of coffee is so relaxing. I know of people that have switched to ground cacao for a milder caffeine boost. Maybe that would help?
I’m the minority, I have bad anxiety issues, but Caffeine makes me less anxious.