Is it possible to drink coffee for depression, stress and just to improve mood — scientific facts

Coffee is believed to help improve well-being and, as a result, prevent depression and asthenia.

At the same time, caffeine helps to escape from stressful situations, as it is able to prevent inflammation of nerve cells – this is what happens, for example, when feeling aggression and increased irritability.

And what do scientists say about this? Have they conducted research on how and why coffee affects mood? What does the statistics indicate?

Review of 11 studies, in which a total of 330 thousand people were interviewed, indicates that coffee and caffeine consumption is convincingly associated with a reduced risk of depression.

Another long-term study, lasting 10 years, even found a link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of suicide among women.

Does the drink boost your mood?

The first thing you should pay attention to is that coffee contains not only caffeine. The work of the brain and a person's mood are also influenced to one degree or another:

1. Folic acid. B vitamins are used in the production of hormones, including serotonin, which helps fight asthenic conditions and feelings of exhaustion.
2. Polyphenols. They just have the so-called "antidepressant" effect, suppressing the excitation of nerve cells.
3. Theanine. At high concentrations in the blood, it provokes the production of dopamine. And this hormone, in turn, can cause a feeling of joy, cheer up and relieve nervous exhaustion. It is also known that theanine Improves memory and Improves performance .
4. Chlorogenic and ferulic acids. First of all, these substances are antioxidants, that is, they prevent the oxidation and destruction of nerve cells. At the same time, they reduce the sensitivity of nerve cells to impulses, which affects the decrease in the severity of the depressive state.

And caffeine – leads to an improvement in the metabolic connections of cells and stimulates the absorption of micronutrients, including glucose, by neurons.

How does all this work comprehensively on the brain? Mood improves, but the effect is temporary. Its average duration is from 2 to 6 hours (depends on individual physiological characteristics). More detailed about the effects of caffeine on the brain see in a separate article.

What does the research say about this? China has been closely involved in this issue, where the frequency of depression among the local population is very high, which is often completely pumped up by cases of suicide.

The research included information analysis (through consultations with psychologists) those people who actively consume coffee every day. Moreover, the survey was conducted specifically among those who are only addicted to coffee drinks, and those who have been drinking coffee almost regularly for over 30 years (data were taken for the period from 1980 to 2015). So is it possible to drink coffee with an existing depression?

And can a drink spoil the mood? Research by NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) allowed to install that high caffeine consumption (over 3 cups of custard drink per day) and at all increases the risk of exacerbation of depression in people with mood disorders (which most often indicates a hormonal imbalance in the body, including during periods of "transitional age").

Accordingly, the effect of coffee will be radically different from what kind of psychoemotional state a person is in at the moment.

Effects on stress and anxiety levels

What are feelings of stress and anxiety? This is a lack of emotional balance. These concepts should not be combined with depression, as they imply a completely different state of the nervous system.

The feeling of anxiety, anxiety, and fear is directly affected by the activity of brain cells. And caffeine, as you know, "invigorates", that is, forces the nervous system to work actively. Therefore, it can increase the feeling of anxiety, and also exacerbate various neurotic disorders, such as panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorders, psychoneuroses and neurasthenia.

However, the effect is very weak. It makes sense to mention it only when a person is clearly abusing coffee drinks or suffering from mental disorders.

Coffee acts on stress like nicotine. That is, if anxiety is assessed in points, then a healthy person without any problems with psychology has a nominal level of 100 points. This is the limit when you can completely control your excitement.

But for those who smoke – 80, and for them an increase to 100 points is already close to stress. All this is the effect of getting used to the absence of anxiety. Coffee works the same way. And there really is dependence on it too, although it does not develop as quickly as from the same cigarettes.

4 more products for mental balance

Is it possible to cope with depression by adjusting your diet? Nutritionists claim that, in addition to coffee, there is a huge list products that help with depressed mood . How do they work? They stimulate the production of endorphins – the very hormones responsible for feelings of happiness and joy (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine – all of them belong to those). The most effective in this regard:

1. Chocolate. Cocoa stimulates the production of endorphins is much better than caffeine. At the same time – without any negative consequences. Chocolate also does not increase stress and anxiety levels.
2. Fish. And the fatter the better. Fish oil contains Omega-3 acids , which act as a powerful antidepressant. Omega-3 is also found in greens, walnuts (in the bitter peel of the kernels).
3. Turmeric. Contained in it Curcumin stimulates neurogenesis (division of nerve cells and their regeneration), but the activity of the brain centers responsible for the depressive state is suppressed.
4. Bananas. Are a source of simple carbohydrates. Bananas improve mood  and help the brain get Energy boost , the lack of which a person experiences during a period of depression. But at the same time, the feeling of anxiety may increase.

And psychologists also advise to improve mood drink at least 2 liters of water per day and walk in the fresh air - it comprehensively improves metabolic processes, allows you to normalize the production of the same hormones.

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Conclusion

In total, a cup of fragrant drink is unlikely to help cope with depression, but to prevent it – yes.

At the same time, it is worth remembering that caffeine stimulates brain activity, which indirectly increases feelings of anxiety and stress. But this is only relevant for high doses of caffeine.