The average American starts drinking coffee between the ages of 13 and 24 years old.
Many people drink well over the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation of up to 400 Milligrams of caffeine per day. For many, it is often the cause of high anxiety and insomnia.
Take this into consideration, one Venti Iced Americano from Starbucks contains 300 milligrams of caffeine. Pair that with a second cup of coffee, a soda, or energy supplement…you’re now well over the suggested amount of caffeine per day.
We keep heavily referencing coffee in relation to caffeine consumption because 96 percent of it is consumed through coffee.
Now, we’re not saying to stop drinking coffee or caffeine, but maybe try to limit yourself to one cup per day if you notice that your nervous system is negatively impacted when you consume caffeine.
“People with heightened hypersensitivity to caffeine can’t tolerate small amounts of it without experiencing negative side effects. A variety of factors causes caffeine sensitivity, such as genetics and your liver’s ability to metabolize caffeine. Since people with caffeine sensitivity metabolize caffeine more slowly, their symptoms may last for several hours.”
Healthline
Caffeine is known to activate a person’s fight or flight response throughout the body, which produces a boost or energy or, in many of us, “the jitters,” which can easily trigger anxiety or an anxiety attack.
These are the most common symptoms of caffeine sensitivity:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Heart palpitations
- Nervousness and anxiousness
- Headache
Now, if any of the symptoms above typically follow your coffee consumption, it may be best to cut back, switch to decaf coffee, choose tea instead, or slowly wean yourself off high milligrams of caffeine per day.
Your mental health should always be a top priority. Eliminating a central nervous system stimulant, like caffeine, could be a simple way to improve your mental health by lessening the intensity of anxiety, insomnia, and more.
Give it a try!
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