How does coffee affect heart rate?
Dr Ranjan Shetty, Head of Interventional Cardiology, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru (India) said that coffee, especially because it contains caffeine, can cause irregular heartbeat, otherwise known as arrhythmia in some people.
However, this effect often depends on individual factors such as caffeine sensitivity, dosage consumed, and the user's general health status.
A normal heartbeat is important because it is how your heart delivers nutrients and oxygen through the blood it pumps. An irregular heartbeat can disrupt the flow of blood, affect the electrical impulses of your blood, and cause sudden cardiac arrest.
Caffeine and nicotine are considered stimulants and directly affect the heart's natural pacemaker activity. Drinking coffee stimulates the release of noradrenaline and norepinephrine, which can increase heart rate and blood pressure in some individuals.
These substances also activate the sympathetic nervous system, causing the body to go into alert mode, increasing heart rate and constricting blood vessels. This leads to palpitations in some patients.
“Of course, you would have to drink really large amounts of coffee, black coffee in particular, for this to be likely to happen. Drinking high doses of black coffee can stimulate the heart muscle and cause arrhythmias,” says Dr. Ranjan Shetty.
When to be cautious?
Dr. Ranjan Shetty shares that drinking coffee twice a day is considered safe for most people.
Studies in recent years have generally found that caffeine consumption in normal amounts is not associated with an increased risk of arrhythmias.
If you have a history of heart disease, especially arrhythmia, drinking too much coffee can increase your risk of heart rhythm problems. Doctors also often recommend that people with heart problems limit their caffeine intake.
Additionally, drinking too much coffee (more than 3-4 cups a day) can cause symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, or other cardiovascular problems. These symptoms are often more obvious if you are not used to drinking coffee or consume it in high doses.
