Is it bad to drink green tea if you suffer anxiety?

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kellymarie111
kellymarie111 Posts: 51 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi there,

I have heard green tea is good to help shed the kgs but I red up on it tonight and alot of sites I went to said not to drink it of you suffer anxiety? And then other forums people said it helps it?I have anxiety and it's the last thing I want to do is trigger it!

What should i do?
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Replies

  • mollyjackson82
    mollyjackson82 Posts: 128
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    I have anxiety and I was worried about that too. Green tea is very low in caffeine. I just made a big cup with one tea bag. It was other side effects that made me stop...
  • kellymarie111
    kellymarie111 Posts: 51 Member
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    Oh really...other side effects? I didnt bother looking to see what other ones there were...whoops! Big pot is a good idea to break it all down! Mmmm what to do...
  • kellymarie111
    kellymarie111 Posts: 51 Member
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    I have anxiety and I was worried about that too. Green tea is very low in caffeine. I just made a big cup with one tea bag. It was other side effects that made me stop...

    I wonder what it is that makes it bad for anxiety sufferers? And does only take effect after a while or instantly! Maybe I'll speak to someone from a health food store tomorrow, least they should no hey!
  • mollyjackson82
    mollyjackson82 Posts: 128
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    I think it is the caffeine that could make it bad for anxiety suffers. I don't drink caffeine for that reason. but green tea has such little amounts that it may only be psychological too.
  • seebeachrun
    seebeachrun Posts: 221 Member
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    I was diagnosed with anxiety years ago but I have suffered from it since I was about 8 years old. I never notice any issues with green tea or coffee for that matter if they're referring to the caffeine content. I am drinking pomegranate green tea right now as I type this, it helps when I am hungry but I have eaten enough food.

    If you are still concerned you can drink other herbal teas. I know green tea has antioxidants but I am sure you could get a lot of the same benefits from an herbal blueberry or acai tea.
  • medaglia_06
    medaglia_06 Posts: 282 Member
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    I suffer from anxiety (have pills for it), but I drink at least a cup of green tea a day and have had no issues. :)
  • twinmomtwice4
    twinmomtwice4 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    I suffer from anxiety and I drink 2 cups of green tea a day. I never notice any problems with it.
  • mollyjackson82
    mollyjackson82 Posts: 128
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    i think it all depends on what triggers your anxiety...eveyone has different triggers.
  • kellymarie111
    kellymarie111 Posts: 51 Member
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    Thanks for the great response. I had my first cup last night, the. I red up about it and instantly got anxiety...funny how the mind works hey! But I'm glad to hear that it hasn't worsened any of your anxiety...that makes me feel a whole lot better. Thanks :-) x
  • bgtoninato
    bgtoninato Posts: 1
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    Green tea also contains l-theanine which is an amino acid that helps reduce anxiety by blocking stress signals. So I think it could really go either way. If you're concerned about the caffeine, that might cause you to feel anxiety even if the stimulant isn't actually the cause of your response.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
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    I have never had any problem with tea, I find a good cup of hot tea very relaxing instead... coffee usually makes me more anxious but most of the time it's all about your perception. If you "convince" yourself that tea might make you anxious, I guess that you'll feel a little anxious every time you need to drink it... if you manage to ignore this fact I'm pretty sure it won't have any effect on you.
  • ReinasWrath
    ReinasWrath Posts: 1,173 Member
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    I actually find green tea helps my anxiety. Especially if I'm drinking that instead of pop ;]
  • MattTheWaterRat
    MattTheWaterRat Posts: 167 Member
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    You can buy green tea that is decaf
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Green tea has caffeine in it. Caffeine is a group of chemicals, so there is one kind in coffee, another kind in black tea, and another kind in green tea (even though green/black tea come from the same plant).
    I find that green tea is very stimulating to my brain, and even one cup in the morning will keep me awake that night soooo......
    Maybe that would be a bad idea for you?
    BTW, check out St. John's Wort for anxiety! I took that for depression/anxiety and it made me feel better within 4 weeks (although I took it for 3 months total).
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    I have PTSD (an anxiety disorder) which has been really bad in the past

    it's probably the caffeine in the green tea that the issue is about. caffeine can make anxiety worse, but the advice I was given re caffeine and PTSD (because I'm a tea addict) is to keep drinking a sensible amount that my body's used to. Caffeine withdrawal can make anxiety worse too. So drinking more than you're used to can make anxiety worse, going cold turkey can make anxiety worse, hence the advice to drink a sensible amount that my body's used to. Also the other advice was not to drink it after 7pm if you have an issue with insomnia (as I did).

    If you usually drink coffee, I highly doubt that the caffeine in green tea will make anxiety worse.... if you never drink caffeinated beverages, then maybe green tea will make anxiety worse. However you can probably find decaffeinated green tea.

    Also, the health benefits of green tea are exaggerated, if you're drinking it because you like the taste that's one thing but if you're choking it down because you think it's going to help you a lot in losing weight, it's probably not worth it.
  • angel5561
    angel5561 Posts: 142 Member
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    Some people are more sensitive to caffeine then others its the caffeine that can trigger anxiety green tea is very low but I still drink decaf green tea just to be sure I enjoy an occasional cup iof coffee but not if my anxiety is hi chocolate even has caffeine in it an it doesn't have an effect on my anxiety level and it has its benefits as well I think it's just a personal thing but if you are concerned like I was try the decaf
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
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    Okay, first of all, if you have an anxiety disorder, reading the paranoid 'EVERYTHING IS BAD FOR YOU!' is just setting yourself up for a panic attack. Relax. Green tea isn't going to rile you up as much as a cup of coffee or black tea. It depends on how sensitive you are to caffeine. If you are sensitive to caffeine, there are a myriad of herbal teas out there.

    I drink peppermint tea. It settles my stomach and makes my breath smell nice.
  • peachfigs
    peachfigs Posts: 831 Member
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    Everyone is different. If it makes you feel anxious, then stop drinking it.

    However, if you do suffer from anxiety, I recommend valerian herbal tablets or even St John's Wort, but be careful with the latter because it interacts with the contraceptive pill.

    ETA: Valerian is great for helping you sleep too when you have a lot on your mind. You can even buy it as a tea.
  • yowtube77
    yowtube77 Posts: 1 Member
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    My anxiety gets worse when I drink green tea in the morning mind you, I only drink decaf green tea. And the anxiety kicks in one or two hours later and it's pretty bad I stopped drinking green tea for a little while just to test it and started drinking again after a week I felt super anxious that day. Maybe it's not the small caffeine content, it may be due to another ingredient within the green tea. I will do this test again and see how it goes but I think I've already made my point.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    Zombie thread.

    If you feel something you're eating or drinking is causing you problems, it's good to experiment with eliminating it then re-introducing it to see the effect. Every body's different, and only you can know what works best for you.

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