Both are also associated with a decreased risk of certain diseases. However, people with anxiety, insomnia, and panic disorders should consider choosing green tea over coffee due to its lower caffeine content and because it contains L-theanine — an amino acid that promotes a state of calm alertness ( 53 , 54).
While the side effects of caffeine and anxiety can be alike, you can't get anxiety from caffeine directly. But, drinking coffee can make anxiety symptoms worse. Research shows that in people with panic disorder, caffeine consumption raises the risk of having a panic attack and increases levels of anxiety.
Some herbal teas may help take the edge off occasional stress and anxiety, while others may be better used as a routine complementary therapy for an underlying condition. Other potential benefits of drinking various herbal teas can include: improving sleep and insomnia conditions.
teapigs Chamomile Flowers Tea
Chamomile tea is a go-to tea for anxiety, especially at night. Because it's naturally caffeine-free, the teapigs Chamomile Flowers Tea is a great option to enjoy right before bedtime to ward off worried anxious thoughts from keeping you awake.
Caffeine can increase stress hormones.
Similar to stress, caffeine increases your heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone levels. If you drink coffee in excess, caffeine consumption can more than double your blood levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine.
Interestingly, it turns out there was a reason for that: Caffeine helps the brain release dopamine into the prefrontal cortex, a brain area important for mood regulation. Caffeine may also help the storage of dopamine in the amygdala, another part of the brain important for anxiety regulation.
Caffeine
“High levels of caffeine can not only increase anxiety and nervousness, but also decrease the production of the feel-good chemical serotonin in the body, causing a depressed mood,” explains Palinski-Wade. Typically, caffeine is safe in low doses.
In this battle over health benefits, coffee comes out on top. Coffee drinkers can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. But tea drinkers, do not despair. Tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity.
Increased anxiety, stress, and restlessness
Tea leaves naturally contain caffeine. Overconsuming caffeine from tea, or any other source, may contribute to feelings of anxiety, stress, and restlessness ( 3 ).
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
Tea can help improve your cholesterol! Many unfiltered coffee drinks including French pressed coffee or espresso contain compounds that increase your LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol. By switching to tea you can help to lower this cholesterol as well as hopefully impress your doctor at your next physical!
Just like its cousins green and white teas, black tea is a beverage with many health benefits. Drinking a cup of tea would have an impact on your stress and anxiety levels by reducing them due to the presence of L-Theanine.
Caffeine has been linked to the aggravation and maintenance of anxiety disorders, and the initiation of panic or anxiety attacks in those who are already predisposed to such phenomena. Caffeine usage surpassing 200 mg has been shown to increase the likelihood for anxiety and panic attacks in a population.
An anxiety disorder can be caused by multiple factors, such as genetics, environmental stressors and medical conditions. New research also indicates that chronic anxiety symptoms that will not go away can be due to an autoimmune response, triggered by common infections.
According to an expert, “anxiety is an indicator that your life is out of alignment. It's your intuition, your inner voice, letting you know that something is not right.”
Though tea is lower in caffeine, it's rich in L-theanine, a powerful antioxidant that also stimulates your brain ( 49 , 50 ). Unlike caffeine, L-theanine may provide anti-stress effects by increasing your brain's alpha waves, which help you calm down and relax ( 51 ).
Indeed, when you dose up on tea made to the equivalent strength as coffee, it actually proves to be more effective at sharpening the mind.
The Benefits of Morning Tea
In short, tea beats any alternative morning drink. Although it may not have the same amounts of caffeine as coffee, nor the same levels of vitamin C as orange juice, tea has a host of other benefits that make the case for tea – hot or cold – being your new choice of drink in the mornings.
Studies suggest that honey might offer antidepressant, anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety benefits. In some studies, honey has been shown to help prevent memory disorders.