Impact of Caffeine on Mental Health and OCD
Effects of Caffeine on OCD and Mental Health:
Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed drinks in the United States. Coffee is a popular drink not only in the United States but across the globe. Coffee is commonly used and drank by individuals of all walks of life. Take drive in your town and make note of how many coffee shops, Starbucks, or Dunkin Donuts that you pass. Caffeine use is very normalized in society which presents its own concerns.
While there is nothing inherently dangerous about drinking coffee in moderation, excessive caffeine intake has shown by researchers to have negative impacts on a person mental and physical health. A persons mental health is a balancing act that is impacted by other factors in their life. The building blocks for ones mental health includes their diet, exercise, self care/hygiene and sleep for example. We want to ensure these pillars of our health are solid in order to make grander change with ones mental health. If one of those pillars is compromised, it can make it that much harder to regulate and manage ones mental health. In treatment, it is important to understand the full scope of these building blocks of ones health.
Caffeine can be found in many foods and drinks. Some of the most common ones include coffee, energy drinks, dark chocolate coated coffee beans, espresso, sodas, certain teas (green and black), dark chocolate, and chocolate cake with frosting. Look at the ingredients in next Coca Cola or Dr.Pepper you buy and see how much caffeine and sugar is in the beverage. Companies can play tricks on us with their marketing. Vitamin Water is a common example; often labeled as a healthy alternative to soda and the vitamin name makes us think that it is healthy. In reality, Vitamin Water basically has no actual vitamins in it and has more sugar than a can of Coca Cola.
Caffeine is a stimulant, found naturally in many plants. Individuals report that caffeine helps them stay focused and improve their performance on tasks. While a person may struggle with fatigue, caffeine in coffee can be a way to boost their energy levels and make them more productive. While used in moderation, it can prove to have helpful benefits. When done to excess, we can see the negative impacts on physical and mental health. Caffeine can cause a person to feel jittery, have more racing thoughts, negatively impact their sleep, irritability, and can lead to withdraw effects when not using. We can see those caffeine withdraw symptoms happen quickly, a person might immediately start having headaches the day they skip their morning coffee. Some people may have sensitivities to caffeine where the negative side effects are then amplified.
Often within treatment, we look to help educate those of the impacts that caffeine can have on their mental health. Particularly the impact on OCD and anxiety disorders. With how common caffeine intake is amongst the population, it is important to educate yourself on the impacts that it can have on your body and mind. For most people, drinking coffee or consuming caffeine poses no inherent risk. But with certain mental health disorders or people with caffeine sensitivities; it is important to understand the effects it could have on you.
