Caffeine, energy drinks & your mind

In a review of observational studies, people who drank the most coffee had a lower risk of depression than those who drank the least.

The ritual matters too: a warm drink, a pause, a chat with a friend. Those parts help your mind whether the cup is regular or decaf.

Too much caffeine can cause anxiety, jitters, a fast heartbeat, an upset stomach, headaches and trouble sleeping.

These can feel exactly like anxiety. That’s why noticing your caffeine is worth doing if you often feel on edge.

How much is safe for you can depend on your body weight, your health and how sensitive you are.

If you are pregnant, have a heart condition or another health concern, consult your clinical provider about what’s right for you.

Energy drinks generally have 54 to 328 milligrams of caffeine per 16-ounce can. There are no FDA rules written just for energy drinks.

Big cans and cold drinks are easy to finish quickly, so caffeine can hit all at once.

A 12-ounce cup of brewed coffee has about 113 to 247 milligrams. Black tea has about 71, and green tea about 37.

The FDA warns that pure and highly concentrated caffeine can have serious health effects, including death. About 1,200 milligrams taken quickly, less than half a teaspoon of pure powder, can cause seizures.

In lab studies, about half of people with panic disorder had a panic attack after a large dose of caffeine (roughly five cups of coffee), compared with fewer than 2% of people without it.

This doesn’t mean caffeine causes panic disorder. It means some bodies are more sensitive. The Panic attacks guide explains what’s happening during an attack.

A simple experiment

1. For a week, jot down each caffeinated drink and the time
2. Rate how anxious or jittery you feel a couple of hours later
3. Try a lower-caffeine week, cutting back gradually
4. Compare the two weeks

If anxiety is high either way, that’s useful to know too. See Anxiety: understanding it.

Ideas

• A glass of water first thing
• A short walk in daylight
• Slow breathing before stressful tasks
• Swapping your second cup for decaf or herbal tea

The cycle

1. You sleep badly and wake up tired
2. You reach for more caffeine to get through the day
3. An afternoon drink keeps you wired at night
4. You sleep badly again

Caffeine use may be linked to anxiety and sleep problems, and heavy energy drink use may disrupt teens’ sleep.

Counting back six hours from bedtime is a good starting point. If you go to bed at 11pm, that means no strong caffeine after about 5pm.

Needing more and more caffeine can be a sign of burnout, poor sleep, low mood or a health problem. It’s worth getting curious about the tiredness itself.

See Insomnia & trouble sleeping, Recovering from burnout, or talk with your clinical provider if tiredness doesn’t lift.

Large amounts of caffeine may cause serious heart and blood vessel problems, such as heart rhythm disturbances. In 2011, about 1 in 10 energy drink-related emergency visits led to a hospital stay.

Pediatric experts say sports and energy drinks are marketed to children and teens for many inappropriate uses, and that the two are very different products.

Energy drinks contain caffeine and other stimulants, and sports drinks don’t. Experts say the two names should not be used as if they mean the same thing.

Using energy drinks to push through the night can feed the sleep loop above. The Gaming & mental health and Nightmares, shift work & sleep problems guides have ideas for healthier routines.

In 2011, 42% of energy drink-related emergency visits involved mixing them with alcohol or drugs.

Ideas

• Alternate alcoholic drinks with water
• Eat before and while drinking
• Keep energy drinks and alcohol separate
• Plan a safe way home before you go out

For more on alcohol and mood, see the Alcohol & your mind guide.

Caffeine may harm children’s still-developing heart, blood vessels and nervous system.

Reviews have linked teen energy drink use with anxiety, low mood, impulsivity, risky behaviour, sleep problems and poorer school results. Boys tend to drink more than girls.

In UK data, children who drank energy drinks five or more days a week had lower wellbeing. The evidence is mostly from surveys, so it can’t show cause and effect.

Ideas

• Ask what they like about energy drinks: taste, focus, fitting in?
• Keep water and other drinks easy to grab
• Look at labels together and compare caffeine
• Talk about sleep and how they feel the next day

Talk with your child’s pediatric provider about caffeine. The Teens’ mental health guide has more on sleep and stress.

Common withdrawal symptoms include headache, tiredness, drowsiness, low mood, irritability, trouble concentrating and feeling foggy. Some people also feel flu-like or nauseous.

In studies, about half of people got a headache. Symptoms usually start 12 to 24 hours after the last dose, peak within one to two days, and last two to nine days. Even stopping 100 milligrams a day can cause them.

Some people use more and more caffeine to keep going through burnout, depression or long-term stress. Caffeine can mask the signs without fixing what’s underneath.

See Recovering from burnout or Depression: understanding it if this sounds familiar.

Some people find they can’t cut back even when caffeine is clearly making them anxious or sleepless. Researchers continue to study this.

For more on why habits can be hard to change, see Compulsive habits: the basics.

Ideas

• Half-caf coffee
• A smaller cup size
• Herbal or fruit tea
• Sparkling water with fruit instead of an energy drink
• Decaf for afternoon coffee breaks

Ideas

• A few minutes of daylight in the morning
• A short walk or stretch break
• Drinking water through the day
• Regular meals and snacks
• A regular bedtime and wake time

The Daylight, movement & daily rhythms guide has more ideas.