The Truth About Caffeine & Anxiety

Alright, I’m going to assume that you hit play on this episode because you are currently a consumer of caffeine (whether it be coffee, or energy drinks, or tea, or soda) and you have an inkling that it may be causing some of your issues with anxiety. Or you know that it is causing some of your issues and you’re still consuming it anyway. Trust me, no judgment here! I used to drink multiple cups of black coffee a day, simply because I liked the taste. And yes, I used to drink coffee every day while struggling with panic disorder and agoraphobia. Or, you might have hit play on this episode because you’ve removed caffeine from your diet and you’re curious as to whether or not you’ll ever be able to hit up a coffee shop again. Whatever your reason is, this episode will help to clear up a whole lot of gray area for you and help you to make the healthiest decision for you!

So tell me, do you ever experience symptoms like palpitations, or shakiness, or nausea, or feeling on edge, and pretty quickly find yourself feeling anxious or on the verge of a panic attack? Yup, been there, many times! This is because when you struggle with an anxiety disorder, your brain has lots of thought patterns that have been engrained repetitively. So any slight feeling of discomfort, sensation, or symptom, often leads to anxiety and panic because you are scared of feeling anxious. And what you feel quickly leads to thoughts like… Oh no, what am I going to do? How do I make this feeling go away? What if I experience a panic attack? What if something bad happens?

So, where does caffei