Anxiety, Sugar & Caffeine Why do I crave sugar and caffeine when I feel the onset of anxiety, if sugar and caffeine only make me feel worse by fueling the anxiety? :headbange |
I struggle with it, yesterday I was chowing on chocolate and other sweets while having anxiety over a multitude of things. Like with alcohol, I'm fueling my blood sugar levels and filling a hole within myself. It helps when I don't have those temptations within reach, or have something else to take my mind off of it, sometimes just picking up a book or magazine is enough to distract me from the craving. |
Originally Posted by Astro
(Post 7129643)
I struggle with it, yesterday I was chowing on chocolate and other sweets while having anxiety over a multitude of things. Like with alcohol, I'm fueling my blood sugar levels and filling a hole within myself. It helps when I don't have those temptations within reach, or have something else to take my mind off of it, sometimes just picking up a book or magazine is enough to distract me from the craving. How do you find that space between the panicked feeling of needing sugar/caffeine when anxious, with the remembering to have the thought in the mind to distract yourself instead with a book or magazine? |
Often I give in to the craving, I'm by no means perfect at this, and to be effective I have to remove all sweets and other processed foods from my home and workplace. What I've found to work is a "no obvious sweets" diet, anything containing sugar or corn syrup in the first three ingredients is a no-go. I've worked that before, right now admittedly it's eluding me. |
Originally Posted by Astro
(Post 7130432)
Often I give in to the craving, I'm by no means perfect at this, and to be effective I have to remove all sweets and other processed foods from my home and workplace. What I've found to work is a "no obvious sweets" diet, anything containing sugar or corn syrup in the first three ingredients is a no-go. I've worked that before, right now admittedly it's eluding me. I generally don't keep sweets and processed foods at home. If we do have something, it depends on what it is and what's going on in my life at the time if I can let it be or if I crave it. I know for a lot of people the "no sweets diet" works. That's what OA does. I've tried it and it did help the cravings dissipate. But I sort of personally would rather live a "sweets in moderation" and just figure out how to handle it when those cravings hit. It seems when I'm very depressed or very anxious, that's when I strongly crave sugar and caffeine. It's frustrating, because I actually enjoy eating healthy. |
I thoroughly enjoy healthy eating too, but it's very difficult in my workplaces, there tends to be a lot of not-so-healthy options and the nature of my work motivates me to reach for something when my anxiety is running high to quell the cravings. My wife and I both have health issues that stem from our dietary choices too, and it's surprising to me how often we conveniently choose to ignore what we know would be the healthy decision for us. |
Originally Posted by Pathwaytofree
(Post 7129241)
Why do I crave sugar and caffeine when I feel the onset of anxiety, if sugar and caffeine only make me feel worse by fueling the anxiety? :headbange We are addicted to our defects. It's the ball rolling. It's progressive. So now the purpose is to wind the fear back down. |
Originally Posted by QltyAngl7
(Post 7141540)
Because fear, which is behind anxiety, demands more of itself. We are addicted to our defects. It's the ball rolling. It's progressive. So now the purpose is to wind the fear back down. How do you wind your fear back down? |
Originally Posted by Pathwaytofree
(Post 7129757)
How do you find that space between the panicked feeling of needing sugar/caffeine when anxious, with the remembering to have the thought in the mind to distract yourself instead with a book or magazine? Long term is where the benefit was, at least for me. Practice of meditation especially allows me to now view my anxiety from the outside in. I can be mindful of the telltale symptoms as they happen - and remind myself that all of them are normal and regular things that happen to everyone. The increasing heart rate and breathing, the sweaty palms, etc.....those are normal and necessary reactions ingrained into our very being and our "fight or flight" responses. The difference for those of us who suffer from anxiety is that we let those symptoms snowball and it sometimes makes it to the full panic level - literally for some. So I practice that when I'm not feeling anxious too - I remind myself that anxiety attach never killed me ( or even injured me! ) and that all of the responses I might have are completely normal. And that it's OK to feel them...they always pass. And when you practice that over and over it literally gets easier and more natural over time. Not to say that i never get panicky anymore..I do. But i'm much more able to see it for what it is, and cut it off before things get too bad. |
Good discussion. Fear/anxiety demands more of itself: Sounds like my alcohol intake when it demanded more and more and more. I have been sober a long while, but anxiety, depression, and binge-eating are newer problems. I'm only now understanding the connections. There have been times that I have breathed through my anxiety, but more times I succumbed to sugar. Several years ago I attended a retreat in the mountains. Yoga was offered each morning, and I loved it. On the drive home, which took me down a mountain with 18-wheelers and other hazards, I was calm and collected. Typically that drive had me on the verge of panic. I know the benefits of mindfulness, but I am not consistent. When I have practiced, even for just one week, it comes naturally. |
I can't say enough great things about sugar and caffeine - just (mostly) kidding. I like both, but I consume sugar reasonably modestly. If I do, it almost always involves counting calories and, hence, a modest amount. When it comes to caffeine, I drink as much as I want until I see myself drinking too much, and then I just cut back. Neither one is a problem in my life. When I started taking meds 20 years ago, my doctor prescribed Mirtazipine (Remeron), which tells my brain that I need food, even when I don't. I ballooned up (from around 160) to about 230 or so, and I then made a decision (3rd step style) that I refused to live like that. I am probably about 175 or so now, perhaps closer to 170. I am a very disciplined eater. And I like to go out on really long runs (for several hours) in good weather, like the current beautiful spring we're having here. |
Originally Posted by SoberCAH
(Post 7165474)
I can't say enough great things about sugar and caffeine - just (mostly) kidding. I like both, but I consume sugar reasonably modestly. If I do, it almost always involves counting calories and, hence, a modest amount. When it comes to caffeine, I drink as much as I want until I see myself drinking too much, and then I just cut back. Neither one is a problem in my life. I honestly feel it's not about discipline with regards to sugar and caffeine when anxiety hits me hard. It becomes a compulsion. I can be very disciplined about other things, or even sugar and caffeine when I am not feeling anxious. When I started taking meds 20 years ago, my doctor prescribed Mirtazipine (Remeron), which tells my brain that I need food, even when I don't. I ballooned up (from around 160) to about 230 or so, and I then made a decision (3rd step style) that I refused to live like that. I am probably about 175 or so now, perhaps closer to 170. I am a very disciplined eater. And I like to go out on really long runs (for several hours) in good weather, like the current beautiful spring we're having here. |
Originally Posted by Astro
(Post 7129643)
I struggle with it, yesterday I was chowing on chocolate and other sweets while having anxiety over a multitude of things. Like with alcohol, I'm fueling my blood sugar levels and filling a hole within myself. It helps when I don't have those temptations within reach, or have something else to take my mind off of it, sometimes just picking up a book or magazine is enough to distract me from the craving. |
Originally Posted by Astro
(Post 7131130)
I thoroughly enjoy healthy eating too, but it's very difficult in my workplaces, there tends to be a lot of not-so-healthy options and the nature of my work motivates me to reach for something when my anxiety is running high to quell the cravings. My wife and I both have health issues that stem from our dietary choices too, and it's surprising to me how often we conveniently choose to ignore what we know would be the healthy decision for us. |
Originally Posted by murrill
(Post 7164728)
Good discussion. Fear/anxiety demands more of itself: Sounds like my alcohol intake when it demanded more and more and more. I have been sober a long while, but anxiety, depression, and binge-eating are newer problems. I'm only now understanding the connections. There have been times that I have breathed through my anxiety, but more times I succumbed to sugar. Several years ago I attended a retreat in the mountains. Yoga was offered each morning, and I loved it. On the drive home, which took me down a mountain with 18-wheelers and other hazards, I was calm and collected. Typically that drive had me on the verge of panic. I know the benefits of mindfulness, but I am not consistent. When I have practiced, even for just one week, it comes naturally. |
Originally Posted by ScottFromWI
(Post 7162703)
The practice of Mindfulness and meditation has been very helpful to me in this area, and really in any stressful situation where my anxiety would flare up. That's not to say that i mediate right then and there if my anxiety flares up...but I have actually tried it and it can help. Long term is where the benefit was, at least for me. Practice of meditation especially allows me to now view my anxiety from the outside in. I can be mindful of the telltale symptoms as they happen - and remind myself that all of them are normal and regular things that happen to everyone. The increasing heart rate and breathing, the sweaty palms, etc.....those are normal and necessary reactions ingrained into our very being and our "fight or flight" responses. The difference for those of us who suffer from anxiety is that we let those symptoms snowball and it sometimes makes it to the full panic level - literally for some. So I practice that when I'm not feeling anxious too - I remind myself that anxiety attach never killed me ( or even injured me! ) and that all of the responses I might have are completely normal. And that it's OK to feel them...they always pass. And when you practice that over and over it literally gets easier and more natural over time. Not to say that i never get panicky anymore..I do. But i'm much more able to see it for what it is, and cut it off before things get too bad. |
I'm very new to this incarnation of recovery. It has been a bit of trial and error for a few months, but today was a good one. I made the mistake of quitting my anxiety med (Buspar) about a month ago: Very unpleasant outcome--through-the-roof anxiety--but I learned just how much of it lurks beneath. I resumed medication plus another one (Latuda), and I still take Wellbutrin. I've been feeling better, although at first, I had what was most likely a period of hypomania. Therapy helps. I recommitted to the basics this week: Drink water, three meals daily with plenty of protein, mindfulness meditation, exercise. It helps to be on this forum. I want a relationship with food that is not about dieting or bingeing or restricting. No judgment: Food is neutral. I'm tired of thinking about it all the time. |
Originally Posted by murrill
(Post 7168167)
I'm very new to this incarnation of recovery. It has been a bit of trial and error for a few months, but today was a good one. I made the mistake of quitting my anxiety med (Buspar) about a month ago: Very unpleasant outcome--through-the-roof anxiety--but I learned just how much of it lurks beneath. I resumed medication plus another one (Latuda), and I still take Wellbutrin. I've been feeling better, although at first, I had what was most likely a period of hypomania. Therapy helps. I recommitted to the basics this week: Drink water, three meals daily with plenty of protein, mindfulness meditation, exercise. It helps to be on this forum. I want a relationship with food that is not about dieting or bingeing or restricting. No judgment: Food is neutral. I'm tired of thinking about it all the time. I like how you're committing to basics like that. I need to do that. Is that something you decided to do on your own, or with your therapist? What type of mindfulness meditation and exercise do you do? I've been where you are with regards to food. I do find that if I keep my food very simple, and eat 3 structured healthy meals and snacks, that I feel better. I also do well when I don't go too extreme with eating healthy, which can lead to my being OCD about food. I feel better mentally when I eat well, but it's not a cure. I eat treats in moderation when I feel like it, and I try to catch myself if I'm eating too many treats, or if I'm becoming obsessive with eating too healthy. It's great that you're able to think of food without judgement and neutral. I can easily obsess about food until it becomes addictive thinking. When I think of food as just food, I do better with it. Did you ever try OA? Personally I didn't like OA because it was too extreme for me. I don't think I have the physical allergy to food like people in OA do. But I think it's cool that they treat food like alcohol for the people who need that. For me I guess I have the mental obsession with food but not the physical allergy to my trigger foods. It's cool to talk about this stuff on SR. I don't see it often brought up. Best wishes to you and thank you for your input here. :tyou |
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