Anxiety Disorders: Caffeine And Its Effects On The Body

Caffeine is by far one of the most commonly used drugs on the planet. It has many side effects such as it will make you shaky, or hyperactive, it will also deprive you of sleep, cause dehydration, headaches or migraines, addiction, and cause abnormal heart rhythms. These are just a few side effects of caffeine.

The health effects of caffeine have been extensively studied. The short term side effects of mild caffeine consumption have been identified as headaches, nausea and anxiety. The long term effects of moderate caffeine consumption have been identified as a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, hepatic diseases and cardiovascular disease. The side effects that caffeine can have on people are both positive and negative.

Central Idea: Caffeine can be found in many places and comes in many forms. It can major effects on our body and we can experience major withdrawal symptoms.

Caffeine is one of the most popular drink and psychoactive drug in today’s world (Nehlig, 1999). A lot of studies have focused on caffeine with behavior and there was one article by (Smith, 2002) which was explaining how caffeine has been known to increase anxiety after a dose of 300mg or more has been ingested. In an earlier study by Lieberman (1988) it was also proven the caffeine was to reduce depression when in was ingested in moderate doses (Smith, 2002). Many studies have focused with a large consumption of caffeine or with a single dose of caffeine never truly addressing the tolerance of the participants or seeing the long lasting effects of caffeine on the participants (Soar, Chapman, Lavan, Jansari & Turner, 2016). Caffeine is normally seen as a ‘drug’ that can improve our physical and cognitive functions (Hogervost, Bandelow, Schmitt, Jentjens, Oliveira, Allgrove, Carter & Gleeson, 2008). It is known to hold many beneficial effects with fatigue, concentration levels and the skills being applied to physical and mental functions (Hogervorst et al., 2008). It is able to change our central nervous system along with our reaction time for the better, compared to with when there is fatigue our brain and bodies tend to slow down and lose focus on what was trying to be achieve (Smith, 2002). In the Nehlig, (1999) article they mentioned the ‘mechanism of action of caffeine’ where they went over the best concentration of caffeine is usually achieved around one to two cups of

Using caffeine is like spending money: you feel rich while you're spending it; afterwards, you feel poor. Over many years, studies in caffeine has been increased due to millions consuming caffeine every day through coffee, candy, and energy drinks. Much of the modern population uses caffeine as a stimulant, exciting the brain and nervous system while fighting fatigue, making caffeine one of the most widely consumed psychoactive agents in the world. Caffeine is everywhere these days and it can be destructive to someone’s life and health before they realize it. Today’s society thinks of caffeine as more of a “vitamin” rather than a drug due to myths, but caffeine is very detrimental to a human body and can even be easily considered as the worlds #1 drug. Yes, the world.

Caffeine is found in many plant species, where it acts as a natural pesticide. It is found most commonly in cocoa, tea and coffee, but is also artificially added to some soft drinks such as cola to act as a flavour enhancer. When consumed by humans, caffeine works as a stimulant causing amounts of released neurotransmitters to be increased. High use of caffeine has been related with raised blood pressure, restlessness, insomnia and anxiety which, in the long term, can lead to heart and circulation problems.

This article discusses the affects caffeine has on several aspects of human health. These included toxicity, cardiovascular effects (arrhythmia, heart rate, cholesterol and BP), bone/calcium balance, behavior, and reproductive and developmental effects. It also discussing the affect caffeine intake has on children and reproductive-aged women.

Caffeine consumption shares an extensive proportion of consumers by different age groups across the hemisphere particularly, Western countries. With its increasing demands, the effects of caffeine on health especially on the cardiovascular system should not be underestimated. Several studies investigate its potential physiologic risks to various diseases; however, there is no conclusive evidence to validate its negative effects to health.

Many people start their day with a cup of coffee. According to John Hopkins, “Around 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine every single day in one form or another”. It seems if we need a wakeup call to our morning, many of us grab caffeine to give us that extra boost of energy. How much caffeine is ok for the average person each day? The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee from Healthgov.com recommend 3-5 eight ounce cups of coffee per day or up to 400 milligrams per day of caffeine for the average healthy consumer. Caffeine is a CNS stimulant drug known as trimethylamine. Caffeine is naturally found in chocolate, coffee, cocoa beans, kola nuts, and tea. It is also added to drinks such as soda and

"People often perceive the stimulating effects of caffeine as beneficial for boosting energy and alertness" (pg 151). The amount of consumption also plays a large role in whether or not there would be significant affects in brain chemistry. A daily consumer would have changes in brain chemistry which would cause changes in mood, lower energy levels, lack of focus and even have physical affects like headaches. Sudden disuse of the drug could then cause an individual to be short with people or not perform as well at work on or a general basis.

However people with previous issues such as medical things, could pose a not so good problem for those people; Some with anxiety issues could make that problem for them worse. It is advised if the person does have this issue to use caffeine very carefully. There are many diseases that could possible get worse with the use of caffeine. Bipolar, Bleeding disorders, heart conditions, diabetes, diarrhea, epilepsy, glaucoma, osteoporosis, these are all diseases that could possibly be worsened by the use of caffeine or products with. In young adults drinking 4 or more cups of coffee significantly could risk heart attack and death. Coffee could stain someone’s teeth, it is also acidic so it can break down someone's teeth and cause decay;

It might make you feel better and more alert, but it can also raise your heart rate and blood pressure, cause increased urination or diarrhea, and contribute to insomnia and anxiety. Plus, the foods and beverages caffeine is found in have their own impacts on your body that have to be taken into account.

The nervous system is the first to use it as a stimulant, however the risk of too much, or too little, can cause anxiety attacks, confusion, and hallucinations. Next, it travels to your stomach, which can be extremely dangerous if you ingest too much, caffeine rises the stomach acid amount. The term used by (Healthline Networks, Inc.) is diuretic, which triggers your body to get rid of water. After the caffeine is absorbed through your stomach it enters the bloodstream, which gives you the short burst of jittery-ness and irregular heartbeat increase. Caffeine truly reaches all parts of your body, causing the effect to last longer with higher

Stress causes the body to keep fat stored in the abdominal section because it slows down the amount of calories your body burns. High levels of cortisol can be really dangerous on the body especially in younger people. A person that drinks large amounts of caffeine may feel like there brain is foggy at times. This is due to the caffeine causing the blood flow to the brain to reduce, which can lead to short term memory loss around 30 minutes. The lack of blood flow is what triggers the headaches (Mohlman). Caffeine causes insomnia, in high doses could make a person have irregular heartbeat. It is high in sugar, which is very bad for someone’s body which can then lead to high blood pressure. It may cause a high alertness then a sudden crash making you feel worse physically. Caffeine can worsen anxiety, causing bone weaking, may even make glaucome worsen. It can result in depression, because it increase the bodys dopamine levels. Caffeine causes inflammation in the stomach which can lead to ulcers. Female infertility, which results in tubal disease, also osteoporosis, caused by the increase in urinary which disposes calcium. It gives people withdrawl sysmtoms such as headache, tiredness, nausea, possiably vomiting (Caffeine). There is many negitive effect it has on the body.