Is There A Link Between Coffee & Anxiety?

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with coffee and caffeine over the last few years. Perhaps a few of you can relate.

One morning it can be this eye-opening, brain enlightening nectar that gives me the best possible start to the day. The next day it can propel my anxiety into hyperdrive, eyes flickering to every corner of the room and adrenaline dancing to hard techno in my stomach.

I’m not the only person to suggest caffeine intake has an effect on symptoms of anxiety. A person close to me recently omitted coffee from their lives after struggling with anxiety. They noticed a significant improvement.

What’s clear, however, is that coffee or caffeine don’t actually induce the anxiety. I’ve struggled with it on and off since my university days when I was dealing with the stress of exams. The person close to me had recently broken up with their partner. It was these situations that caused the anxiety, not the caffeine.

But as I said, a poor relationship can definitely be struck up between it and those worrisome feelings. And so I had a look at the research to see whether there had been any concrete findings on what I, and many others, have experienced.

There’s a reputable supplement research based website in Canada called Examine.com that looks at and summarises all of the worthwhile research on various different compounds. Their take on caffeine is that it’s possible to be anxiogenic, but this requires genetic susceptibility. In a study of 400 subjects anxiety was higher in people who consumed two 100mg-150mg doses of caffeine daily than placebo, but only in people with a specific genotype. The fact that myself and the person referenced above are related therefore may not come as much of a surprise.

I was surprised to find so little on the topic. But research is research, and although anecdotal evidence may guide many of the decisions we make day after day, as a coach I can only recommend based on what’s been studied and proven.

Therefore if the jittery effect of caffeine/coffee intake is causing you a problem but you’re just not ready to put it aside, there is some good evidence supporting the pairing of coffee with a supplement called L-Theanine.

L-Theanine is an amino acid that can be bought in powder form. It reaches and acts in the brain, initiating a relaxing effect without sedation. L-Theanine has also been shown to attenuate the edge of stimulates like caffeine when a 200mg dose is paired with coffee and consumed. Not only does L-Theanine take a little off that jittery effect, it can also promote a cognitive and attentional boost.

I’ve spoken about L-Theanine with some of my clients recently after I decided to explore its benefits. I’m not a huge supplement guy, but after reading about L-Theanine I was tempted to give it a go. I use around 200mg in my morning coffee and have an extra dose in a glass of water just before bed. It mixes really easily and has no taste which makes it really easy to include in my daily routine. So far, as an anxious guy who needs to stay relaxed and focused, I rate it very highly.

Coffee and caffeine may not be at the root of your anxiety, but there’s no doubt that in some situations it can accentuate its effects. If that’s happening but you’re unwilling to give up your morning coffee, consider pairing with L-Theanine to take away the edge.