Coffee is one of the beverages that increases blood pressure. That is, some people feel it’s a no-go zone beverage. But can you drink coffee if you have high blood pressure? I will cover some of the most concerning issues to see whether it’s safe.
Considering coffee is one of the most popular worldwide, some myths need to be busted. Especially when people think that because of high blood pressure, they can’t enjoy coffee due to the caffeine. Are you always confused about whether to drink or not drink coffee due to high blood pressure? Let’s see whether it’s safe to consume.
How does coffee raise blood pressure?
Well, coffee contains caffeine, which is the chemical that offers stimulation effects on your body. After drinking coffee, there is a huge energy boost, refreshment and other effects. However, why is coffee able to cause stimulation?
The main way the body can enjoy great stimulation from coffee is due to the action of caffeine. Usually, the chemical works by blocking some of the hormones that keep the blood vessels dilated.
Keeping the blood vessels constricted forces the heart to increase the pumping rate. Narrow vessels and a high pumping rate lead to increased blood pressure.
Besides, caffeine can trigger adrenal hormone secretion, which increases the adrenalin in the blood. The influx of adrenalin leads to increased blood supply because slight pressure rises.
Although caffeine causes a slight blood pressure increase, it is only temporary. Usually, caffeine increases blood pressure by about 8.1mm Hg systolic and 5.7mm Hg diastolic. Thus, if your blood pressure is already high, you might experience some issues, although it’s for a while.
How much does coffee raise your blood pressure?
The amount of caffeine recommended daily is less than 400mg. However, reacting to caffeine depends on the individual and the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
Some people can tolerate a higher amount of caffeine than others. Also, the beans will determine the amount of caffeine. Arabica coffee has lower caffeine compared to arabica. Thus, a cup of Arabica beans will have less caffeine than Robusta.
On average, a cup of coffee will give you 80-100mg of caffeine. Limiting your daily coffee intake will not see you experience a significant pressure rise.
Is it safe to drink coffee while having high blood pressure?
As we have seen, caffeine increases blood pressure. Therefore, adding more pressure can be fatal. However, different studies have shown that people with hypertension can enjoy moderate coffee.
Although drinking coffee while having high blood pressure is safe, minimising or quitting it when under medication is best, as caffeine reduces the efficiency of some drugs. This can lead to even higher pressure risking more complications.
In some instances, it is advisable to cut coffee completely to avoid adverse interactions.
Effect of caffeine on blood pressure
While people with moderate blood pressure can enjoy a cup or two of coffee, caffeine can be detrimental to the conditions. If you have an underlying issue with blood pressure or a heart condition, caffeine might cause more effects.
Drinking caffeine for a healthy person, the increase in blood pressure is not noticeable. Caffeine consumption leads to short-term effects, usually 30 minutes to 3 hours of mild pressure increase.
Benefits of coffee for the heart
Well, after seeing how caffeine can affect blood pressure, does coffee have any benefit to the heart? Drinking 2-3 cups of coffee daily is linked to lowered cardiovascular health.
Besides lowering the chances of cardiovascular ailments, coffee is great for reducing the chances of stroke. Also, coffee helps in keeping heart failure and rhythm problems away.
Drinking coffee is also important due to minerals like potassium which balances the body’s fluids. Also, potassium is great for lowering blood pressure by countering Sodium effects.
Which coffee is good for high blood pressure?
If you can’t handle regular coffee due to the high level of caffeine, there is always an alternative. The best alternative is switching to decaf coffee. Decaf coffee has very low caffeine. The caffeine is removed, which makes it best for people with high blood pressure.
Low-caffeine coffee is also ideal if you can’t access decaf coffee. Drinking low-caffeine coffee in moderation is also ideal since it can’t raise blood pressure to red-line levels.
How about espresso? Is espresso bad for your heart? According to some health experts, you can drink espresso, but it causes a short increase in blood pressure for a healthy person.
If you want to enjoy espresso and suffer from blood pressure, it can bring some issues. Since espresso has high l caffeine, drinking excess can have awful effects.
Final words
Drinking coffee while having hypertension is possible. Although coffee doesn’t cause permanent pressure, it will spike for the moment. But can you drink coffee if you have high blood pressure? According to the medics, you can enjoy coffee even with the blood pressure but in moderation. Also, taking medicines is unsafe to take coffee unless decaf.
