By Geoffrey Hogan (M.Ost) Farringdon Osteopaths
At this time of year many people are thinking of different ways to improve their mental health. Doing more exercise, quitting alcohol, and taking vitamin D are some of the more well known ways to improve your mental health in the winter.
There is an often overlooked drug that is widely taken on a daily basis that could be affecting your mental health too. You have probably taken this drug already today. It is the most commonly used psychoactive drug on the planet.
In the correct quantity it can make you feel better and more alert. But this same drug can dramatically increase background levels of stress and anxiety if too much is taken. The drug is caffeine and it is most commonly consumed in tea and coffee.
Caffeine stimulates alertness and energy production by stimulating the stress side of the nervous system. A little stimulation of this side of the nervous system can be beneficial, giving you the desired energy kick. But too much stimulation of this side of the nervous system can produce too great a stress response, resulting in background anxiety and stress.
Coffee has a significantly greater effect on the stress response than tea and there are two reasons for this.
Firstly, the caffeine difference between tea and coffee is significant. A cup of coffee generally contains two to three times the amount of caffeine as a cup of tea. Secondly, the caffeine in tea has less effect on the stress response due the presence of an amino acid called L Theanine. L Theanine has a calming effect on the nervous system, counteracting a portion of the caffeine’s effect.
For those of us in the habit of having multiple cups of coffee each day, the central nervous system may spend too long each day in an elevated stress response which is ultimately quite exhausting for the body to maintain. Poor sleep resulting from the stimulating effect of caffeine can compound this exhaustion requiring further caffeine consumption to maintain normal daily energy levels, which stimulates further stress and anxiety. This can become an unhealthy cycle.
Each person has a different threshold for caffeine consumption. Some people have very little response to caffeine and some are very sensitive to the drug. Some people are fine with tea but not with coffee.
Knowing your threshold limit is important. Limiting yourself to enough caffeine to give you the boost that you need without causing stress and anxiety (and without interfering with your sleep quality) will help you to feel happier, more energetic and less stressed and anxious throughout the winter.
Geoffrey Hogan (M.Ost), Farringdon Osteopaths