What is the Connection Between Caffeine and Panic Attacks?

The effects of caffeine and panic attacks are closely related. This is because, as a stimulant, caffeine increases individual anxiety levels, which may lead to panic attacks. Caffeine also prevents or seriously interferes with rejuvenating sleep. Individuals under inordinate stress, who feel anxious and who are not sleeping properly are more prone to have panic attacks. For these reasons, many believe that there is a causative relationship between caffeine and panic attacks.

Panic attacks tend to occur spontaneously in people who routinely experience times of anxiety and exaggerated fear. These attacks are not due to an external threat, but rather to an uncontrolled mental state that produces extreme panic. The side effects of caffeine and panic attacks are very similar and doctors who treat anxiety disorders recommend that individuals who are prone to panic attacks strictly avoid caffeine.

Symptoms of panic attacks can be wide ranging, from an increased pulse and heart rate and uncontrollable shaking to a fear of dying as the result of a heart attack while in the midst of panic attack. Other symptoms include a loss of concentration, an inability to calm down, chest pain, dizziness, loss of sleep, and rapid breathing. People who experience a panic attack are not faced with actual circumstances warranting this reaction, but a loss of focus and control in conjunction with mounting symptoms that will not allow individuals experiencing an attack to view their surroundings realistically.

While some people experience only a single panic attack during a lifetime, others experience them so often that they develop a fear of future panic attacks. This then triggers the onset of an attack and locks the person in a cycle of anxiety that can only be relieved by medication and therapy. Scientists who study caffeine and panic attacks have discovered that even mild use of the stimulant can increase these symptoms.

Most people can consume caffeine and feel very few adverse symptoms. While many intentionally use it to stay awake and increase brain alertness, the side effects of caffeine can have a devastating affect on someone with an existing panic disorder. Caffeine and panic attacks sometimes also share overlapping symptoms. Some of the side effects of caffeine include a rapid heart rate, anxiety, tremors and restlessness. Each of these can lead a person with an anxiety disorder toward panic.

Caffeine and panic attacks are not the only cause for concern. Caffeine and depression are also closely related. This is due to caffeine increasing insulin levels several hours after entering the bloodstream and decreasing blood glucose levels which then suppresses a person’s mood.

Caffeine and panic attacks are also related because caffeine creates a chemical imbalance in the brain. Specifically, it interferes with adenosine, which is a chemical that helps keep the body calm. When this imbalance is present, a person prone to panic attacks is even more vulnerable to having one.