View Full Version : Caffeine
Simple question.
When it comes to caffeine, how much is excessive?
The reason I ask this, I can quite easily go without, I have cut down many times and even cut it out altogether over periods of years. But, I'm sure you all know what it is like when you need to get up for your daily duties, whether that be work, studies, housework, looking after kids, or watching This Morning religiously. You get up, maybe feel fine for a bit, then your concentration fades, your eyes begin to droop and you look like you have just woken up all over again. Many of you will also know that caffeine can be a good, simple quick fix for this, 5 minutes and you're beginning to return to a semi-respectable state.
Just one can often do the trick, but is one too many? That's my concern. If not, is two too many? What's acceptable? I understand that some people are more sensitive than others (I think I fall into the sensitive category), but sometimes I feel I can't function properly without this fix, and in that sense it appears to be beneficial. I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons here.
Alternatively, feel free to reply with some good wake up tips.
mico
Hi Mico this one puzzles me too. If you are in hospital, at therapy like CBT etc or even at a psychiatric hospital they all offer you tea or coffee, and when I used to go to see a physiatrist at the psychiatric hospital the patients seemed to always be drinking tea and coffee lol
nomorepanic
22-04-05, 19:57
Hiya Mico
I have never seen caffeine as a "pick you up". I gave it up over 5 years ago and drink de-caff if I fancy a coffee.
I guess one cup a day is ok but I am wondering why it makes you feel so "up" just by drinking it. Not had that feeling before from caffeine.
Not much help am I - sorry!
Nicola
That's the NHS for you Vern ;)
nomorepanic
22-04-05, 19:59
Oh one other thing - when Meg and I went to the anxiety conference last year they did not have jugs of decaf. If you wanted one they gave you a mug of hot water and a sachet of decaf. Surely they should be promoting decaf at functions like that!
Equally they didn't have any cold water on tap to drink.
Just my thoughts anyway.
Nicola
Yeah, I know what you're saying Nic, I've never seen it as the wonder drink that many others see it as. But lately I've been needing to concentrate through the day, and I'm by no means a morning person, but I find a coffee wakes me up just enough for a little concentration to return. Otherwise I just sit daydreaming all day!
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Oh one other thing - when Meg and I went to the anxiety conference last year they did not have jugs of decaf. If you wanted one they gave you a mug of hot water and a sachet of decaf. Surely they should be promoting decaf at functions like that!
Equally they didn't have any cold water on tap to drink.
Just my thoughts anyway.
Nicola
<div align="right">Originally posted by nomorepanic - 22 April 2005 : 19:59:09</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
Yeah, I never actually thought about this before until Vern brought it up. Does seem rather strange.
Caffeine is evil and it really makes me panic!! It affects some people less than others though so I guess it depends entirely on the person. If you can drink loads of caffeine and you don't think that it makes you more anxious then why not drink it?? :D
Its served everywhere because its cheap- bought in bulk and decaf isn't bought in bulk and its what people expect and ask for..
Mico , I think caffiene is fine as long you're not symptomatic so whether its 1-3 or 7 it doesn't matter providing its not adding to your issues or getting you more edgy.
Many people have never cut it out don't know what its like to be without it so if you cut it out and feel better - then it was excessive.
Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
Meg
I guess those where my thoughts before I started this topic to be honest. Just a case of trial and error.
Thanks for the replies, I shall just have to see if I flip over the edge anytime in the near future. If that should be the case, I may have to stop drinking it again. :)
mico
Hi Mico
Like you said , caffeine affects us in different ways, it will do wonders for some, and will do the total opposite for others. In my case, one is too many. Even a glass of coca-cola is too many. I am extremely sensitive that i had to avoid it completely for years.
Unfortunately, a few months ago, i took some pain killers that i found in the cupboard, containing caffeine, and i didnt know about it. I had a huge panic attack !
But I wonder.... if i gave you a cup of decaf coffee, and tell you its real coffee...maybe your concentration would come back or that "pick you up" feeling, because you 'd believe its real coffee. Placebo effect :D.
If you feel that you need caffeine to feel better, then do so, as long as it doesnt make you feel bad :).
Some good wake up tips, hmmmm, let me think, hmmmmm , what a tough subject ! lol
Maybe , go to bed earlier!??? :D
About your "lack of concentration" , is it part of your anxiety?
Take care
Florence. xxx
**See the world more as it is, less as what you are.**
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">
But I wonder.... if i gave you a cup of decaf coffee, and tell you its real coffee...maybe your concentration would come back or that "pick you up" feeling, because you 'd believe its real coffee. Placebo effect :D.</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
I do drink decaff usually, but it doesn't do anything to wake me up.
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">About your "lack of concentration" , is it part of your anxiety?</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
That's something I have often thought about myself, but in all honesty, that is a whole new post. One of which I haven't ever written because I have no confidence in finding the answer to the question. My lack of concentration is definately a big strain on me.
Thanks
mico
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote"></td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">I do drink decaff usually, but it doesn't do anything to wake me up.
Maybe its because you know its decaf ? Maybe
Take care
Flo.x
**See the world more as it is, less as what you are.**
Well, maybe. But placebo doesn't do anything for me, I question things too much for that to work.
mico
AHHHH I see.
Florence. xx
**See the world more as it is, less as what you are.**
Mico
Being the analytical type I'm sure you've unofficially tried a 2 week on caffiene and 2 week off period and know how much suits you.
It's good to have you back active- you've been quiet the past couple of months.
Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
Meg
I'm not sure I would call myself the analytical type. The word suggests to me that to qualify for that role you must have some sort of structure within your thinking and your actions. I've got a big red cross marked next to that box!
But yeah, trial and error. I know coffee is bad for me, which is why I gave up caffeine completely for about three years, and have never consumed it excessively since then). I know it effects me in a negative way (I just had one now, and I can tell you I feel more tense than I did 10 mins ago - but awake!) I just wondered how many it would take to send me over the edge, but as you say, there are no general answers to that question.
Which still leaves me with hideous concentration problems. Cue my next post (when I have time :D).
mico
Hi Mico,
If it's any help, I cut out caffiene completely when I started having panic attacks. But yesterday I had ran out of decaff, so I made myself a 'proper' cup of tea! Lol. And I was fine! So much so, that I decided to have 2 more cups. Which I think may have been a few too many, as I was edgy last night.
I think one cup is fine. If you drink quite a few cups, it's bound to have an effect on your body, whether you suffer with anxiety or not.
Moderation Mico, thats the key! Don't deprive yourself, but don't overdo it. I'm going to have one 'proper' cuppa every now and again! Be a devil!:D
Take care,
Shell.x
Restless Ron
04-12-09, 16:39
Yeah, I know what you're saying Nic, I've never seen it as the wonder drink that many others see it as. But lately I've been needing to concentrate through the day, and I'm by no means a morning person, but I find a coffee wakes me up just enough for a little concentration to return. Otherwise I just sit daydreaming all day!
I am the same. I love my coffee. I belong to a website called "coffeesnobs" for crisake! But I've only just started taking medication for anxiety and the two definitely don't mix! That's why I'm on this forum at 3:30 in the morning and have a horrible tightness in my chest! But the previous comment (was it "Nomorepanic"?) questioning the idea that coffee/caffeine gives you an "up" feeling (as in a good feeling) is interesting and made me stop and think. As a culture, we believe coffee will help us through the day. But in our own experiences, we find that it makes us jumpy, irritable and anxious!
I'm sure that, in my own case, anyway, much of the desire for coffee in the morning (besides the addictive aspect, which is strong) is the psychological 'need' for a comforting security blanket against the anxiety-inducing onslaught known as work.:D
I'm not advocating for coffee (although I doooo love my coffee!). If we could break the psychological hold that coffee has on us and replace it with something better, then I'm sure we'd be better off. I'm well aware of the "wake-up" effects of exercise and am sure that this, or similar alternatives would be far healthier -- and far more effective! -- for me than coffee. Also coffee upsets my stomach and may be giving me IBS (like you needed to know, right! -- well, maybe you did!). If I could just beat the psychological hold of it! I did give it up for several weeks not long ago (back on it now) but I went back on after failing to notice any improvement in the experience of anxiety -- although the stomach situation was a lot better! Perhaps I didn't give it long enough or perhaps I was blind, because I wanted to go back to coffee.
I think I've lost track... am I in an anxiety forum or a coffee forum?
messianictalmud
04-12-09, 18:55
I have cut out caffeine, instead I have herbal flavoured teas they're ace and so much easier on the digestive system..that is what I have found anyway.
BabyRachel
04-12-09, 23:34
I used to be a huge caffeine junkie. Coffee, tea, energy drinks. The lot. But cutting it out HAS helped my panic attacks.
I'd seriously reccomend cutting it out. All I have now is one cup of tea a day.. As for pick me ups, fresh air and exercise are good at waking you up. Exercise is also soo beneficial for anxiety, it releases all the stored up adrenaline..
messianictalmud
05-12-09, 13:55
Just enjoying a nice drink of blackcurrent flavoured herbal tea from Tesco's
I used to drink so much caffiene/red bull/lucozade etc. As my anxiety has gotten worse the less i've been able to tolerate (one cup of coffee can make me feel so ill), i was onto 2 cups of tea a day before i saw a nutritionist who had me cut it out altogether, now i'm even more sensitive to it (even a little chocolate can make me all eeee!), and my panics have got worse which is odd.
I now have tonnes of herb teas (half my cupboard is full of them :D) and drink lots, though i'm either half asleep or anxious which is odd hehe.
xx
xx
Been decaffeinated since 1988 and I accidentaly had some in an anadin extra. My whole body shook and I thought my heart would jump right out of my chest
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