Caffeine and Depression – Is there a Connection between them?
There are a number of things that can go wrong with us in our lives. However, depression seems to be one that almost all of us have to deal with at some point or another.
I’m not simply talking about having the blues or being sad about something that is legitimate. Caffeine and depression can go hand in hand if a person consumes too much caffeine.
I mean the mental illness that is known as depression. It is something that is not simply dismissed as being sadness in one’s life.
Nowadays many doctors have come to realize that depression is a not a short-term illness. But it’s one that needs to be dealt with on a long-term basis. It is not something that simply passes away with a quick treatment. It could, unfortunately be a lifetime illness.
You can Control Depressant causing Stimulants
There may actually be things that are causing your depression, however, that are within your ability to be able to control. A good example of this is some of the natural stimulants that we take in on a daily basis, such as caffeine.
We get caffeine in a number of different items that we regularly eat. Foods such as through chocolate, and in many of the sodas and the coffee that we drink.
There is a particular danger in caffeine as far as depression is concerned. That’s because many of the short-term effects of caffeine help to lift our moods in one way or another. Unfortunately, our body tends to recognize this. So it craves the caffeine in order to make us feel better. When in the long term, caffeine is making us feel worse.
If you have Children Consider this about Caffeine
Parents are just unaware, or unconcerned that their kids are eating and drinking food items that contain caffeine. That mostly because they look like normal everyday food and drink items. But caffeine lurks in everyday food items.
Parents need to be aware not only which items contain caffeine, but why caffeine is so unhealthy for children to consume. The United States does not have guidelines for caffeine consumption in child from the information I’ve seen through 2016.
Caffeine and depression may not be common in children, but caffeine can have other harmful effects in children if they consume too much of it.
Caffeine is a drug, a stimulant to be exact. It stimulates the central nervous system. When taken at small amounts it makes people feel more alert. When taken in larger amounts caffeine can make you feel jittery, nervous, have an upset stomach, or have headaches.
It can also cause difficulty in concentrating, or have difficulty sleeping. In addition one may experience an increased heart rate or have increased blood pressure.
In children it does not take much caffeine to achieve these effects. Do you want your child to experience difficulty concentrating at school? Do you want your child to have difficulty sleeping at bedtime? Would you like your child to have an increased heart rate. What about or high blood pressure, or experience headaches or upset stomachs?
These symptoms are not the only reason to make sure your child does not consume or overdo caffeinated products. If an individual has heart problems or a nervous disorder, even if someone like a child does not know they have such conditions; caffeine can aggravate these conditions.
Go here for more information on sources of caffeine in diets of US children and adults.
Another Potential Depression Danger to Consider
Another potential danger someone faced with depression might face is eating chocolate in order to overcome our depressed moods. Chocolate is a very powerful antioxidant. It has the ability to help us overcome a blue mood. At least on a temporary basis.
Unfortunately, it is usually loaded with so much sugar that we end up feeling the effects of this long after the antioxidant effect has worn off.
It is possible to be able to feel the effects of chocolate without having the aftereffects of the sugar. To do this you can go for a very dark chocolate. Or you can get raw chocolate without any of the sugar added.
Most people find that by cutting caffeine out of their diet they are able to lift their mood to a certain extent. Of course, you are going to have some physical symptoms that go with withdrawal.
So it is best if you ease your way off of caffeine. But it certainly is worth a try if you are dealing with depression because of it.
