Caffeine, pseudoephedrine, nicotine, even chocolate could be making your anxiety worse.
With Starbucks on every corner, pseudoephedrine in every allergy medication, and energy drinks becoming one of the most popular beverages in the US, stimulant consumption among most demographics in the US is at an all-time high. Most people talk about their reliance on these substances as if it’s a nutritional need: “I can’t even move until I’ve had my coffee,” is something we’ve all heard before. With stimulant consumption so normalized it’s no wonder anxiety rates have sky-rocketed in recent years.
Most people are so accustomed to the physiological effects of stimulants (raised pulse rate, shallow breathing, muscle tension, rapid thinking, etc.) that they hardly notice the them, and rarely consider their compounded effects. Hours, days, even weeks and months of stimulant consumption can accumulate until heightened activation of the body’s nervous system becomes the norm. Add in a few extra worries, and you’ve got the perfect habitat for a full-blown panic attack.
When a client comes to me with complaints about anxiety, one of the first things I assess is their level of stimulant consumption. Many times, after cutting out (or at least cutting down) the following items, they find their anxiety attacks disappear!
These are some of the things to decrease, or cut out of your system before any therapy for anxiety will be effective:
- Caffeine (coffee, teas, energy drinks, chocolate, especially if taken after lunch)
- Pseudoephedrine (often in cold and allergy products that have ‘D’ in the name, i.e. Allegra D)
- Sugar
- Some dietary supplements for mood or weight loss (often have caffeine or herbal stimulants)
- Ritalin, Adderall or other stimulants for ADD/ADHD (consult your doctor if this is prescribed. Your doctor may have other suggestions if you share your concerns about your anxiety symptoms.)
- Nicotine (cigarrettes, e-cigs such as Juuls, gums)
- Alcohol (a depressant, not a stimulant, alcohol can affect deep sleep REM cycles, making a person feel more tired, anxious, and depressed than they would be with some good night’s rest)
Cut out or cut down these substances, and you might see your anxiety symptoms decrease or disappear completely!