1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Anxiety Disorders

Caffeine & Anxiety

Posted , 7 users are following.

GYDA
GYDA

Hello! I'm 23 years olds and a health anxiety sufferer, just lately it's been my heart with the chest pains, missed/skipped heart beats (I've had every test possible, some multiplate times and all have come back fine) I work in an office 8-5 mon-fri, so it's hard to take your mind off it cause im not busy/active doing something. For some reason I had a random idea that maybe cutting out my caffiene would maybe help with the skipped beats/palpitations since caffiene does stimulate heart rate etc?

I don't drink loads of caffiene anyway, I have maybe 3 cups of tea (im english, so has to be done haha) but i thought i'd try cut it out and see if it makes me things a bit better. I did it for a couple of days and things we're a lot better in terms of palpitations and stuff, i don't know if its just physiological or whether it does actually help when you've got anxiety with your symptoms. But now unfortuantly when ever i have a cup of tea i get anxiety that i'm going to have palpitations again!

Has anybody else cut out caffiene and found it helps? 

 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • homersaints300
    homersaints300 GYDA

    Posted

    can you explain more please and what do you feel in your heart do you feel like fear and alot of worryness do you get chest pains in your left side sometimes like sore pains and how long do they last? you should try to do breathng exercises it helps and yes drinking things with alot of sugar or caffiene it only makes it orst you should cut on thator just leave it for good and f you smoke that can also make the anxiety worse can you get back at me with the questions i asked and how are you feling now thank you and stay positive
    • GYDA
      GYDA homersaints300

      Posted

      Just all kinds of chest pain, stabbing pains in the left side, right side, wherever in my chest. They only usually last about 5 seconds, i never really have like an hour of them or whatever it'll just hurt then go away again. Are you going through something similar? I just try remind myself that anxiety can, and does, create all these chest pain symptoms, if you flick through the forums it'll be rare you find atleast one thread on every page where somebodys talking about chest pain so you've got to try forget about it and realise it's harmless. 
  • hails63112
    hails63112 GYDA

    Posted

    Hello

    Yes I have had the same experience. I was having a lot of tea and coffee throughout the day though, I have had terrible anxiety but caffeine makes anxiety worse! I now drink de caff because I still like a few hot drinks a day so stick to de caff, the difference is amazing! I never have caffeine anymore, all restaurants, cafes sell it as well, give it a try, good luck

    • GYDA
      GYDA hails63112

      Posted

      Yep will do im going to try, i just hope decaf tea tastes the same! i like a good brew first thing in the morning. Didnt know that coca cola has caffiene in too, i like that aswell on weekends with meals etc! 
  • Craftylady
    Craftylady GYDA

    Posted

    Hi. I'm similar to you and I tend to have caffeine at home and decaf at work. I think it may help a bit but I'm not sure that its the cure. Alot of anxiety is self perpetuated. I'm as guilty as anyone. We all find coping methods and if those work them it helps to spread the word for fellow sufferers.
    • GYDA
      GYDA Craftylady

      Posted

      Yes defiantly. I defiantly felt a lot better on non caffeine days but like you say its by no means a cure, just another thing you can do to try beat the anxiety altogether. 
  • mel59417
    mel59417 GYDA

    Posted

    Hi

    I quit caffeine for the same reason 3mths ago and I feel so much better and my anxiety is much less.  I also stopped drinking alcohol and this also helped alot.  I substituted my caffeine with camomile tea and the health benefits are great smile

    Stay strong

  • crystal59357
    crystal59357 GYDA

    Posted

    Yes! In my experience my coffee (not immediately afterwards but maybe an hour later and can last several hours) has caused these same feelings along with difficulty breathing. For me it is because the caffeine along with the sugar i use causes a huge spike in my blood sugar then it drops (and does so very quickly) very low and actually causes panic attacks as well.

    Intermittent Fasting (I do 8hrs on 16 hours fasting daily) has cured this problem for me in the past! I am doing it again (this time will become a lifestyle) with great success!

    But yes, caffeine will aggrivate this problem

  • Cookiemonster
    Cookiemonster GYDA

    Posted

    When you are all revved up from anxiety, the last thing you need are more stimulants. So caffeine is a definite no no. Good news is, most decent tea manufacturers also make decaf! 😄
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.