Reduced anxiety
How does caffeine affect your moods?
I know I keep going on about this book, Food and Mood (Elizabeth Somer) but it has helped me so much.
Thought you all might be interested in these excerpts about caffeine and sugar.
Caffeine blocks a nerve chemical called adenosine that otherwise blocks other energy boosting brain chemicals. thus caffeine helps alertness chemicals do their job.
virtually all caffeine in coffee is absorbed and is quickly distributed to all parts of the body. Within half an hour, stimulating effects can be felt, leaving you less tired, more alert, better able to concentrate and faster to react. This improved mood adds to the likelihood of going back for more.
It's this "more" that is a double edged sword. The initial high is followed by mild withdrawal symptoms, one of which is fatigue. A vicious cycle can result as you drink more coffee to prevent the inevitable letdown.
...
Caffeine also lingers in the body for hours. Coffee drinkers take longer to fall asleep, sleep less soundly, wake up more often and greet the morning groggier than nonusers.
No need to give up coffee, just cut back. One to three 5-ounce cups or the equivalent of 500 miligrams of caffeine or less, in the morning or in early afternoon appears safe.
Author urges gradually cutting back to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
From another section:
Why does sugar or caffeine make you moody?
How sugar affects mood is poorly understood. one theory is that concentrated sugars in the diet raise blood glucose above normal levels, which somehow interferes with glucose transport into the cells and tissues. Since glucose is the primary energy source for most body processess, limiting its entry would essentially starve the cells for fuel. A person would feel depressed and lethargic after ingesting sugary foods.
A second theory is based on the connection between sugar and endorphins- responsible for euhporic feelings. Raising endorphin levels helps alleviate depression. If sugar does trigger a temporary relase of these pleasure-producing chemicals, then turning to sweets is literally a form of self-medication. Again this temporary rush in blood sugar and endorphins is usually followed by a more serious crash as blood sugar, endorphins and
or other hormones and chemicals drop to lower than ever levels.
...
Caffeine in coffee, tea and colas might aggravate depression by lowering serotonin levels. In a study on rats, caffeine was found to raise levels of tryptophan, but lower serotonin levels. The researchers concluded that caffeine must decrease conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, thus precipitating depression. Mood changes that coincide with caffeine withdrawal would last a few days until serotonin production returned to normal levels.
How does caffeine affect your moods?
I know I keep going on about this book, Food and Mood (Elizabeth Somer) but it has helped me so much.
Thought you all might be interested in these excerpts about caffeine and sugar.
Caffeine blocks a nerve chemical called adenosine that otherwise blocks other energy boosting brain chemicals. thus caffeine helps alertness chemicals do their job.
virtually all caffeine in coffee is absorbed and is quickly distributed to all parts of the body. Within half an hour, stimulating effects can be felt, leaving you less tired, more alert, better able to concentrate and faster to react. This improved mood adds to the likelihood of going back for more.
It's this "more" that is a double edged sword. The initial high is followed by mild withdrawal symptoms, one of which is fatigue. A vicious cycle can result as you drink more coffee to prevent the inevitable letdown.
...
Caffeine also lingers in the body for hours. Coffee drinkers take longer to fall asleep, sleep less soundly, wake up more often and greet the morning groggier than nonusers.
No need to give up coffee, just cut back. One to three 5-ounce cups or the equivalent of 500 miligrams of caffeine or less, in the morning or in early afternoon appears safe.
Author urges gradually cutting back to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
From another section:
Why does sugar or caffeine make you moody?
How sugar affects mood is poorly understood. one theory is that concentrated sugars in the diet raise blood glucose above normal levels, which somehow interferes with glucose transport into the cells and tissues. Since glucose is the primary energy source for most body processess, limiting its entry would essentially starve the cells for fuel. A person would feel depressed and lethargic after ingesting sugary foods.
A second theory is based on the connection between sugar and endorphins- responsible for euhporic feelings. Raising endorphin levels helps alleviate depression. If sugar does trigger a temporary relase of these pleasure-producing chemicals, then turning to sweets is literally a form of self-medication. Again this temporary rush in blood sugar and endorphins is usually followed by a more serious crash as blood sugar, endorphins and
or other hormones and chemicals drop to lower than ever levels.
...
Caffeine in coffee, tea and colas might aggravate depression by lowering serotonin levels. In a study on rats, caffeine was found to raise levels of tryptophan, but lower serotonin levels. The researchers concluded that caffeine must decrease conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, thus precipitating depression. Mood changes that coincide with caffeine withdrawal would last a few days until serotonin production returned to normal levels.
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