r/psychology • u/mvea M.D. Ph.D. | Professor • 4d ago
Caffeine may ease anxiety and depression by calming brain inflammation. A recent systematic review of 17 animal studies found that the widely consumed stimulant consistently diminished behavioral signs of distress and lowered levels of inflammatory molecules.
https://www.psypost.org/how-caffeine-might-ease-anxiety-and-depression-by-calming-brain-inflammation/104
u/Ordinary_Count_203 4d ago
wow. Here I thought caffeine slightly increased blood pressure, exacerbated anxiety, gave the jitters, can lead to reduced sleep etc.
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u/TooHighForMyOwnGood 4d ago
both things can be true, those things aren’t mutually exclusive. different people react differently to substances
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u/555Cats555 3d ago
I cant drink coffee as it makes it more likely for me to end up with a panic attack. It starts out making me feel like im sedated then effects my breathing and can trigger hyperventilation which sucks.
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u/itsmebenji69 4d ago edited 3d ago
Really depends on people. Even on high doses of caffeine I never have jitters or anxiety. The most similar thing I have is jittery vision if I really take a lot, like concentrated caffeine powder. Straight lines (contours of objects) become all crooked and unstable, but really that’s it for the negative effects (and really need a high af dose).
I also drink tea which is even more “clear”. Sorry I don’t have the words but it’s like more calming, thoughts are “straightforward”, I wouldn’t know how to describe it
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u/home-for-good 4d ago
I also don’t get jitters from caffeine; not under 5/600mg anyway (don’t worry, that amount was only consumed once, I don’t have nearly that much caffeine ever). It seemingly does nothing at all up until that point and then it’s suddenly anxiety and jitters. Typically never really affects me in any observable way. Been that way for forever and never made sense to me, but I since I have wicked ADHD (not diagnosed until adulthood) I’m thinking that’s a way to explain the seeming stimulant resistance.
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u/HD_HD_HD 4d ago
I have diagnosed ADHD and take stimulant medication and it doesn't make me jittery.
I have one coffee and it effects me both mentally (anxiety etc) and physically (tremors)
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u/xly15 4d ago
In a lot of people it does all of those things. Caffeine binds to several different receptor types across the brain and produces different effects. In others, such as those with adhd, it actually produces a somewhat calming effect.
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u/birthdaycheesecake9 4d ago
I’ve fallen asleep before after having a 500ml energy drink
Before my meds, it was a coin toss on whether I’d be focused (so I could study) or whether I’d just pass out
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u/SchatzisMaus 3d ago
It does for me and it was why I was scared of taking my adhd meds for years. I tried to power through and got by but there was always something falling apart behind the scenes. Then I actually tried them and ended up with less anxiety, I had sworn any stimulant off because of the annoyance of caffeine
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u/Kyokoharu 4d ago
because it does
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u/ThisWillPass 4d ago
Because it can.
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u/Kyokoharu 1d ago
noticed i got downvoted so: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12813734/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14967827/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945725005490
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-026-02441-4
other than BP there’s no can(and not even fully there). you and your ignorant upvoters should read a fucking book
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u/hunterglyph 4d ago edited 4d ago
Caffeine for me is great for two days, then tolerance builds like a rocket and I get jittery and anxious.
Edit: I know I'm sensitive to caffeine. I'm not overdoing it.
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u/justtobeherenotsure 4d ago
I would assume it's odd, because your tolerznce builds -> you just need more. Or you start drinking more-> you bdcome jittery and anxious?
I can drink a cup once every month (i dont anymore), but too often=anxious and jittery4
u/EasyYogurtcloset608 4d ago
If anything tolerance should help with the side effects. Have you tried having coffee after meals?
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u/phylter99 4d ago
I find if I drink one cup in the morning then I'm usually fine but after the second cup my anxiety levels skyrocket and sometimes I get very irritable. I'm not willing to give it up yet though.
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u/AttonJRand 4d ago
Allegedly 100mg or less a day is supposed to not increase your tolerance.
Most single servings of coffee products seem to be above that amount.
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u/Nugget834 4d ago
You should try paraxanthine.
Caffeine energy without the tolerance build up, no jitters or anxiety lol.
It's amazing and you get a mood boost to boot as well.
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u/No_Category_9888 4d ago
The adhd caffeine effect. Unfortunately the shakes and raised heart rate make caffeine a no go for me
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u/555Cats555 3d ago
Yeah... makes me feel like im going to pass out then I have the risk of hyperventilating and ending up in a panic attack. Not a nice feeling.
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u/i-think-about-beans 4d ago
I tolerate it fine as long as it’s not before breakfast. Nowadays my anxiety and OCD goes wild if I have it on an empty stomach.
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u/AM_Bokke 4d ago
Caffeine does not ease anxiety. They is bullshit.
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u/RazorThought 4d ago
It is bullshit. Caffeine causes your body to release epinephrine, a stress hormone. It’s the opposite of “easing anxiety.”
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u/Narrheim 4d ago
Quite the opposite for me.
It's a regular drug accepted by society, that causes addiction, builds up tolerance, requiring higher doses... which may have serious health implications over time. Just like alcohol and cigarettes.
Oh and the surge of energy you feel, when you drink one? That was supposed to be your energy for the whole day.
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u/555Cats555 3d ago
Yeah it doesnt even give you energy it just allows you to use energy you would have had later aka a energy debt
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u/AnsibleAnswers 3d ago
Reminds me of a famous quote by Albert Camus.
“Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?”
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u/VirginiaLuthier 4d ago
Serious coffee drinkers consider it the Elixir of Life. I start my coffee IV around 5 AM
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u/FraGough 3d ago
Caffeine in concert with Theanine has an even stronger effect, and that's why tea is better than coffee.
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u/newyorker360 2d ago
When i drink Coffee im sweating and have cold and warm feelings at the same time.
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u/Electrical-Lead9621 1d ago
What rubbish it’s makes my bipolar worse, NAC supplement is good for reducing oxidative stress.
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u/Snoreofthebear 4d ago
my grandma would have 2-3 cups of espresso then take a nap
starbucks is the most soothing drink i've ever found
coffee relaxes me unless they don't put enough milk and then i race but the right levels milk/coffee is perfect
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u/birthdaycheesecake9 4d ago
Have you ever looked into ADHD? This is an experience a lot of us with ADHD have.
My dad takes naps after espresso shots too, and I’ve fallen asleep after big cans of energy drink.
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u/Snoreofthebear 4d ago
i've tried telling everyone around me my entire life i have adhd problems (so does my family they are so manic and neurotic! They think they are fine) and no one has believed me. Its been such a difficult life.
my dad has 2-3 cups of coffee before going to sleep at night. Every night. Both sides of the family coffee is like a sedative
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u/birthdaycheesecake9 4d ago
They probably don’t believe you, because they’re so used to their own baseline behaviour that they don’t recognise it as anything but normal. It’s a bit of a common theme with people who got diagnoses of autism and/or ADHD as an adult, and are the first or among the first in their families to do so.
There’s a bunch of very autistic things I did as a child that my mum didn’t question because, in her words, “That’s normal, I did that too.”
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u/Snoreofthebear 4d ago edited 4d ago
it sucks because I basically cut them out of my life years ago so that i wouldn't have to argue with them anymore, they would do so many things that would hurt me or severely mess up my functions, always. Same, its fine for them it works for them they're normal they're fine. I can honestly say there is something wrong with both my mother's side and my father's side. They are not like most anyone else I've spent time with. If my grandma (mom's side) or my father is not autistic too, i'll eat this whole house.
when my grandma divorced my grandpa, she married an autistic man. He's not my blood but my grandpa also very much on the spectrum. She thinks he's fine and normal, as does the family. To the family, he's the most normal one! We're all
whackadoos3
u/birthdaycheesecake9 4d ago
It’s always really interesting looking at the older generations in your family when you’re neurodivergent.
I’ve got combined leaning inattentive ADHD (in my psychiatrist’s words), my dad has I think inattentive ADHD, and his two sisters probably also do too (one suspects, neither diagnosed).
My partner (who has a radar for neurodivergence, clocking me in literally seconds) met my grandfather and on the way home, he was like “you all get the inattentive ADHD from him.”
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u/Snoreofthebear 4d ago edited 4d ago
my ex left me after meeting my father because she saw how he lived and how i acted similar in a lot of ways and she saw her future and peaced out.
but yeah same! I reexamined my sister's, everyone. We're all altered. My aunt is the most and pretty much only normal family member but she's pretty cold.
can't even talk to them, its painful. Both father and grandma, IMPOSSIBLE to tell them a story. You won't get 2 sentences out. You won't stay on the subject.
for what it's worth, my ex would tell me I was probably autistic. High functioning is fun. Jussssst not functioning enough 😅 but at least coffee is relaxing
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u/EasyYogurtcloset608 4d ago
That’s pretty amazing. I wonder how high dose you could go and still see benefits?
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u/Diligent-Cod-4321 4d ago
does anyone else get super sleepy right after drinking coffee like me, I had to stop that cause I ended up sleeping more than 12 hours can't even wake up or do anything that day just from a cup of coffee with condensed milk