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Coffee & Tea

The surprising reason coffee makes you jittery (and alternatives to try)

If your morning coffee leaves you wired instead of focused, new survey data and research on caffeine metabolism may explain what’s going on.

Everyday Dose is a lower-caffeine coffee alternative
Portrait of Charlotte Maracina Charlotte Maracina
Special to USA TODAY 10BEST
May 28, 2026Updated May 29, 2026, 8:35 a.m. ET
  • A nationwide survey found that 36% of American coffee drinkers experience "coffee jitters."
  • A person's susceptibility to jitters is linked to the CYP1A2 gene, which controls how fast the body metabolizes caffeine.
  • Younger adults aged 18 to 24 are more likely to report feeling jittery and anxious after drinking coffee.

After working as a barista at a coffee shop, I’m no stranger to the caffeine jitters that come from drinking too much coffee. During tiresome morning shifts, I used to drink as much as four lattes in two hours — and paid the price for it later in the day, with intense bouts of jitters and anxiety. As it turns out, there’s a biological reason for that.

A nationwide survey commissioned by Everyday Dose — a leader in mushroom coffee alternatives — and independently researched by Quantix Partners, surveyed 3,000 US-based weekly coffee drinkers and found that 36% of Americans get the coffee jitters.

Luckily, there are solutions — and viable coffee alternatives — to combat that buzz, including mushroom coffee alternatives from Everyday Dose. Learn more about the jitter-proof solution and shop it for yourself below:

Discover Everyday Dose coffee alternatives

Try Everyday Dose to combat coffee jitters

Everyday Dose
Beat the morning coffee buzz and try a mushroom coffee alternative from Everyday Dose that's jitter-proof and sure to re-energize you—sans any afternoon crash. Shop Everyday Dose coffee alternatives

What are the coffee jitters?

Nearly 76% of US adults drink coffee daily, meaning you’ve no doubt been around a person who fell victim to the “caffeine jitters.” These jitters can show themselves through anxious knee tapping, a racing heart, the shakes, and other anxiety symptoms. The coffee jitters can also cause a person to be restless and increase the amount of adrenaline and cortisol in a person’s body.

Who is most likely to experience coffee jitters?

Everyday Dose coffee alternatives

Younger adults aged 18 to 24 are more likely to be affected by coffee jitters. The study found that 58% of respondents who fall into that demographic reported feeling the anxious symptoms that often follow drinking coffee. However, only 12% of respondents aged 65+ reported feeling jittery and anxious after drinking coffee.

Experts say this has to do with younger people’s lifestyle. “Young adults are especially vulnerable due to higher baseline anxiety, more reactive brain chemistry, and lifestyle factors like sleep deprivation and irregular eating,” the study states.

Combat coffee jitters with Everyday Dose

How are people dealing with the coffee jitters?

The survey revealed that Americans are trying a multitude of ways to deal with the anxiety and restlessness commonly spurred on by a morning cup of coffee.

See specifics below:

  • 67% of respondents have cut back on coffee intake
  • 66% of respondents have considered switching to alternatives
  • 50% of respondents space their caffeine throughout the day
  • 47% of respondents only drink coffee with food
  • 41% of respondents tolerate jitters because they feel they need the caffeine
  • 34% of respondents choose lower-caffeine blends
  • 22% of respondents have tried mushroom coffee as an alternative
  • 14% of respondents already supplement with L-theanine
How to make Everyday Dose coffee alternative

What are other coffee alternatives?

Respondents said they’ve tried switching to tea, matcha, or decaf coffee. However, if you’re like me and don’t just love the taste of coffee but also need that caffeine boost, making the switch may not be as easy.

Lower-caffeine mushroom coffee alternatives such as Everyday Dose help give coffee drinkers a caffeine kick without the anxious feeling that sometimes follows it.

Everyday Dose worked to formulate a coffee that gives coffee drinkers the positive effects of coffee without poor sleep and stomach problems. Not only is the coffee powder made of Arabica coffee, but it's also blended with collagen, lion’s mane, and chaga.

How to make coffee with Everyday Dose

To make this mushroom coffee, all you need to do is add one scoop of Everyday Dose coffee to a four-to-eight-ounce cup, froth it up, and add your favorite milk or sweetener.

Shop Everyday Dose mushroom coffee

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