Dont Drink Coffee Or Smoke - Making Treatment Work For You: Anxiety Disorder
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Don't drink coffee or smoke
Smoking and caffeine can promote anxiety. Research suggests that heavy cigarette smoking during adolescence increases the risk for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder in early adulthood. The mechanism may have less to do with nicotine's effect on the nervous system than with the damage done to the respiratory system. Smoking causes breathing problems, which research suggests may play a role in anxiety. The theory is that the brain misinterprets the smoker's labored breathing and resulting lack of oxygen as a threat of suffocation. The automatic physiological response is heavier breathing and faster pumping by the heart. In people who are susceptible to anxiety, the brain mistakes these responses as signs of panic.
With caffeine, on the other hand, it's the stimulant effect that promotes anxiety. Caffeine can set off a panic attack in someone prone to anxiety by activating the sympathetic nervous system, which launches the body's response to stress or danger. Many psychiatrists recommend that their anxiety patients eliminate, or at least minimize, their consumption of coffee and other caffeinated beverages and foods. Also be aware that many over-the-counter medications, including some weight-loss aids and "daytime" cold medications, contain caffeine.
Aspartame and panic disorderFor decades, researchers have debated whether aspartame — a sugar substitute sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal and found in Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi — has negative health effects. A large 2006 study that found that the sweetener was associated with unusually high rates of cancer in rats brought renewed attention to the issue. Some researchers also believe that phenylalanine, one of two amino acids in aspartame, may affect mental health, exacerbating problems such as panic disorder and depression. Although there is no solid evidence proving a link, heavy consumers of aspartame who have anxiety disorders may wish to switch to sucralose (Splenda) as a precaution. |
| Last updated: | September 05, 2008 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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