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Unmasking the Truth: Can Energy Drinks Trigger Anxiety?

Unmasking the Truth: Can Energy Drinks Trigger Anxiety?

Energy drink use has grown rampant. Everyone turns to energy drinks, from athletes to students.

Despite its popularity, a lot of its users lament that they get jittery and uncomfortable after drinking it.

Since energy drinks include caffeine, one of their adverse effects is anxiety. It’s likely due to consuming too many energy drinks.

Even though it could only last a short while, the start of it usually involves a spike in anxiety and a quick heartbeat.

Having said that, if you drink excessively caffeinated beverages, energy drinks might make you anxious.

In this post, we’ll discuss how caffeine affects our bodies and learn more about anxiety. Let’s get started.

What Is Anxiety?

A typical human reaction is anxiety. We can avoid danger by worrying about things that are going on in our lives or surroundings.

However, worrying is more than just a passing reaction to a scary or challenging event for those with anxiety disorders.

People who suffer from anxiety disorders are anxious all the time, they worry excessively about a wide range of issues, which can interfere with daily life.

Anxiety has a significant role in many different conditions. These consist of:

  1. Panic Disorder
  2. Social Anxiety
  3. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  4. Illness

You can feel anxious and fearful all the time, or maybe you’re afraid of a certain place or thing. You might occasionally have a panic attack.

Symptoms of anxiety are:

  1. Lack of sleep
  2. Fatigue
  3. Irritability
  4. Unexplained aches
  5. Lack of focus

Common Ingredients Of An Energy Drink

Understanding the components of energy drinks is necessary before you can evaluate their effects.

Caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, B vitamins, guarana, ginseng, ginkgo Biloba, l-carnitine, carbohydrates, gluten, sweeteners, soy, antioxidants, and trace minerals are the key components of energy drinks.

Let’s have a look at how each of these ingredients affects human health.

Taurine

Due to its advantageous effects on cognition, the amino acid taurine is another important component in most energy beverages.

One of taurine’s many advantages may be its role in the proper development of the brain.

If you experience anxiety or depression, you are aware of the negative effects it has on your academic performance, professional performance, and general quality of life.

According to a study, taurine may lessen sadness by changing the signaling cascades connected to depression in the hippocampus.

But that doesn’t imply you need to start consuming energy drinks. Headaches, nausea, and vertigo are just a few of the negative consequences that too much taurine can produce.

Sugar

Sugar
Sugar isn’t as good as it tastes

Simple table sugar (Sucrose) is the most often used type of sugar, but there are several others as well, such as glucose, lactose, and fructose. They are all viewed as carbohydrates.

Energy drinks usually contain sucrose, the most popular type of sugar, which is a sweetener with very little nutritional value. Even while it can provide you with an instant energy boost, it wears off quickly.

For most adult women, the AHA recommends a stricter added-sugar restriction of no more than 24 grams, and for most males, no more than 36 grams.

Numerous harmful effects of sugar intake include:

  1. Weight Gain
  2. Diabetes
  3. Acne
  4. Hormonal Imbalance
  5. Obesity
  6. Heart Problems
  7. Cancer

Sugar has also been connected to anxiety symptoms, mood changes, and sadness. Many people continue to crave sugary foods and beverages because ingesting sugar gives them an immediate energy boost.

After the energy boost has peaked, however, blood sugar levels drop fast, which causes tiredness, depression, and further cravings.

L-Carnitine

The human brain, liver, and kidneys produce the molecule L-carnitine. It improves the body’s conversion of fat to energy.

It is crucial for the health of the heart and brain as well as many other bodily functions like muscle movement.

When taken as prescribed, acetyl-L-carnitine is typically regarded as a safe supplement. However, there are a few recognized adverse effects, such as restlessness, sleeplessness, and nausea.

It is also effective for the following:

  1. Heart Failure
  2. Kidney Failure
  3. Swelling
  4. Hormonal Changes
  5. Chest Pain

Guarana

The Brazilian plant guarana is indigenous to the Amazon basin. It is a climbing plant that goes by the name Paullinia Cupana and is valued for its fruit.

It has caffeine in it. The heart, muscles, and central nervous system are all stimulated by caffeine. Theophylline and theobromine, substances related to caffeine, are also found in guarana.

A headache, anxiety, agitation, ringing in the ears, pain while urinating, stomach cramps and irregular heartbeats may be experienced after taking large dosages of guarana.

If they cut back on their customary dose, guarana users may experience withdrawal symptoms from caffeine.

The benefits of guarana consumption are:

  1. Rich in antioxidants
  2. Improve focus
  3. Promote weight loss
  4. Treat constipation and diarrhea

Can Caffeine Make You Anxious?

Caffeine
Caffeine is sourced from coffee beans

Caffeine is a psychoactive drug, which means it may have an influence on particular nervous system processes, ranging from mood to other cognitive functions.

It is typically harmless in small doses. However, large doses might have undesirable side effects, such as anxiety and jitters.

According to research, caffeine consumption increases anxiety and the likelihood of having a panic attack in those with panic disorder.

Energy drinks should be avoided or consumed in moderation by those with anxiety. It appears that caffeine probably doesn’t create anxiety in persons without an underlying anxiety issue.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an average adult can typically consume up to 400mg of caffeine per day without experiencing any harmful or adverse consequences, such as:

  1. Nausea
  2. Sweat
  3. Jitters and crashes
  4. Restlessness
  5. Rapid breathing
  6. Insomnia
  7. Dizziness
  8. Anxiety
  9. Dehydration
  10. Depression
  11. Chest pain
More on caffeine and anxiety

Can Energy Drinks Make You Anxious?

Yes, energy drinks can make you anxious.

It is alarming to see that the products are frequently aggressively pushed at young people given the theory that consumption of energy drinks may result in behavioral issues and hurt mental health and well-being.

High quantities of caffeine, sugar, and taurine can negatively affect a person who consumes caffeine, such as nausea, anxiety, and depression.

Numerous studies have suggested that regular consumption of caffeinated energy drinks may have negative effects, especially on kids and teenagers.

According to a Korean study, whether consumed alone or in conjunction with junk food, energy drink usage had negative impacts on stress, poor sleep quality, mood, and suicidality in Korean adolescents. However, because the study is cross-sectional, we are unable to evaluate causal links.

How To Prevent Anxiousness?

Therapy
Therapy can help you clear your mind

Anxiety can significantly and negatively impact our daily lives, careers, interpersonal relationships, and general happiness.

In addition, it can cause a crippling stress reaction that makes you agitated, anxious, and restless, and it can last anywhere from minutes to days. Most people have experienced anxiety in response to a stressful scenario.

You can use a variety of strategies to prevent anxiety, such as:

  1. Deep Breathing
  2. Therapy
  3. Journaling
  4. Exercising
  5. Meditation
  6. Spirituality
  7. Reading
  8. Though Reframing

It is advised that you talk to a healthcare professional about your anxiety when it starts to interfere with any element of daily life and is frequently causing problems for six months or more.

Even if your anxiety starts to negatively impact your relationships and take over your life, get help from a therapist, medical professional, relative, friend, volunteer from the community, crisis line resource, or crisis center.

Depending on how severe your anxiety is, your specific scenario may call for a behavioral treatment plan, anti-anxiety medication, and coping methods.

Understanding anxiety is essential for managing excessive worry and advancing in life.

Energy Drinks That Won’t Make You Anxious

Red Bull

Redbull
Red Bull contains a low caffeine content

Red Bull is the most popular energy drink on the market and one of the industry’s leading brands.

A single 8.4 fl. oz. can of Red Bull contains approximately 80mg of caffeine, which is comparable to a regular cup of coffee, as well as 27g of total added sugar.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t believe that the combination of sugar and caffeine has an effect on a person’s energy levels, so Red Bull does work, if only through those two ingredients.

Blue Rebel

Blue Rebel
Blue Rebel is similar to Red Bull in terms of its ingredients and amounts.

Dutch Bros (a well-known coffee chain in the United States) recently launched their new Energy Drink “Blue Rebel,” with the slogan “Get Up Early. Keep a late night. “Shift the World.”

It has a moderate caffeine content of 80mg, a high-calorie content of 160, and high sugar content of 37g.

REIZE

Reize
REIZE contains some healthy, organic ingredients.

REIZE is a powdered energy drink that contains only 11 calories per serving and contains a reasonable 50mg of caffeine per 4g sachet.

It also contains a variety of other beneficial ingredients, including taurine, ginseng, and B-group vitamins, which work together to provide an energy boost without a crash.

Conclusion

  • Caffeinated soft beverages known as “energy drinks” make the promise to improve endurance and performance. A variety of very serious health issues have been linked to the consumption of these goods.
  • Numerous studies have found a link between the usage of energy drinks and mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, exhaustion, anxiety, and sleep deprivation.
  • Sugar and caffeine are two common components that cause anxiety. The central nervous system is stimulated by caffeine, which raises blood flow and heart rate. Inappropriate consumption may result in bodily symptoms such as agitation, palpitations, anxiety, and heart palpitations.
  • If you want to be more alert and attentive during the day, there are numerous healthy alternatives. Positive mental health and total mental awareness are greatly enhanced by exercise and sound sleep.

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