How Caffeine Creates Anxiety & Alters Your Mood

Caffeine is probably the most widely consumed psychoactive drug globally. There are many people who have difficulty starting their day without a cup of coffee to get them moving and their mind thinking. The physiological and behavioral effects of caffeine have been widely studied and the effect it has on adults and children have been examined.

When in the body, caffeine competes with adenosine, a chemical found in the human body. Adenosine inhibits central nervous system activity while caffeine counteracts this inhibition and stimulates the central nervous system. In this manner, caffeine acts as a psycho-stimulant, leading to argument presented by many that it helps them to feel alert, awake and aware.

A study conducted in 1995 found that caffeine affected whether people felt energized, motivated to work, self-confident, alert and sleepy. While these positive effects were reinforced the more caffeine they consumed, when they avoided caffeine they did not feel like "themselves." Thus, their moods and anxiety levels had become so dependent on the psycho-stimulant effects of caffeine that they found it difficult to function without having the chemical in their system.

Another study, conducted in 1987 found that while caffeine made the hearing and sight of some people more pronounced, caffeine as a whole did not have any effect on their mood or on their ability to perform certain tasks. The 1987, 1995 and a study from 2000 found that the mood and anxiety altering effects of caffeine are not immediate and that while caffeine may enter the blood stream and system within thirty minutes of ingestion, its effects are not felt until one and a half hours after it has been ingested.

In both adults and children, caffeine is found to cause hyperactivity and in some cases anxiety. One study found that caffeine increases anxiety in males; thus, the more caffeine they consumed, the more anxious they became. It is believed that this may be because women’s systems are protected from some of the effects caffeine has by the presence of estrogen in their system.

Other explanations for the stress and anxiety causing effects of caffeine include the release of excess stress hormones via caffeine’s stimulant effects on the adrenal glands. In addition, it can exacerbate and cause depression and insomnia, in addition to stress and anxiety, because it interferes with adenosine, a tranquilizing neurotransmitter chemical found in the brain.

What is most startling is that there are four caffeine-induced psychiatric disorders. These are caffeine intoxication, caffeine-induced anxiety disorder, caffeine-induced sleep disorder and caffeine-related disorder. In diagnosing caffeine-induced anxiety disorder, doctors look for evidence that suggests that anxiety developed within 1 month of caffeine intoxication or withdrawal or that medications containing caffeine are being taken.

As caffeine is a commonly ingested substance, many doctors are likely miss this diagnosis so it is especially important that one is aware of how much caffeine is being consumed and the effects it is likely to induce. The effects caffeine has varies from person to person, however, it is important to be aware of the various physiological and behavioral effects it can have.