Coffee causing chest pain: Caffeine and chest pain: Is there a link?

01.08.202323.06.2023 by alexxlab

Caffeine and chest pain: Is there a link?

Many people consume caffeine daily in coffee, tea, and soda. Depending on a person’s caffeine intake and overall health, they may experience some side effects. However, chest pain from caffeine consumption is uncommon.

Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant that makes people feel more alert and energetic. It can also improve mood and increase productivity. As many as 85% of people in the United States consume caffeine daily, with around 40–150 milligrams (mg) of caffeine in every cup.

Caffeine does not typically cause chest pain for most people. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that daily caffeine levels up to 400 mg, or about four to five cups of coffee, are not associated with adverse effects.

In this article, we examine the link between caffeine consumption and chest pain. We discuss the effects of caffeine on the body, how much caffeine is too much, and how excessive caffeine consumption affects people.

Chest pain does not typically occur with moderate caffeine consumption among healthy people. Chest pain is more likely due to another cause.

The evidence below explores the link between caffeine and the mechanisms that could theoretically cause chest pain.

Blood pressure

A 2019 study reports that around 30 minutes after a person consumes caffeine, their blood pressure increases.

Specifically, caffeine induces a rise in systolic blood pressure of 3–8 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure of 4–6 mmHg — both measures relate to the contraction or relaxation of the heart muscle.

This blood pressure increase peaks after 60–90 minutes and then returns to its starting level after 2–4 hours.

High blood pressure damages the arteries, reducing blood flow and oxygen to the heart, which could result in chest pain — known as angina, heart attack, and heart failure.

Although caffeine can cause a rise in blood pressure, it is temporary and unlikely to trigger chest pain.

Another 2021 study indicates that regular, moderate caffeine consumption does not adversely affect blood pressure in most people. The research is conflicting, with some scientists suggesting that increased caffeine intake is associated with a reduced risk of heart failure later in life or a decreased risk of heart disease and heart attack.

Heart rhythm

Some people may experience heart palpitations after consuming caffeine. The effects of caffeine are usually more pronounced in people who do not have caffeine often. Regular consumers typically develop a tolerance to its effects.

A 2021 study observed people drinking one to three cups of coffee or no coffee on alternating days. Researchers found that study participants experienced 54% more premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) on coffee-drinking days.

PVCs are extra heartbeats that begin in the heart’s lower pumping chambers. They disrupt the usual heart rhythm, causing a fluttering sensation or a skipped beat in the chest.

Some people may experience chest pain or discomfort with PVCs, but most people have no associated symptoms with the palpitations.

The researchers also noted no association between moderate drinking of coffee and an increased risk of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. SVT arrhythmias are any rapid heartbeats originating in the heart’s upper chambers.

Another study investigating moderate coffee consumption found a link between each additional cup of coffee people consumed and a 3% lower risk of any arrhythmia — including atrial fibrillation, PVCs, or other common heart conditions.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

GERD occurs when the stomach’s acidic contents flow back into the tube that connects the mouth and stomach, called the esophagus.

It can cause symptoms such as heartburn, a burning sensation in the middle of the chest, and regurgitation.

Other symptoms of GERD may include:

nausea
problems swallowing
chronic cough or hoarseness
chest pain

Of people admitted to the emergency department for acute chest pain but without a heart attack, around 30% have GERD-related symptoms.

The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is a muscle found at the bottom of the esophagus, where it meets the stomach. The LES usually closes after food enters the stomach. However, GERD develops when the LES weakens or relaxes, enabling the stomach contents to reenter the esophagus.

Caffeine affects the tone of the LES, causing it to relax, which may cause or worsen GERD symptoms. However, while people often claim tea and coffee worsen reflux symptoms, such as heartburn or regurgitation, research from 2014 found no significant link between coffee intake and GERD.

Anxiety and panic attacks

Research from 2020 states that there is a link between heavy coffee consumption and anxiety.

Learn more about whether caffeine can cause anxiety here.

Anxiety and panic attack symptoms vary from person to person, but chest pain or discomfort is an associated symptom of both. People may describe anxiety- and panic-induced chest pain as:

constant chest aching
chest tension
sharp, shooting pain
stabbing pressure
twitch or spasms in the chest
numbness, burning, or a dull ache

Research from 2022 indicates that caffeine equivalent to roughly five cups of coffee induces anxiety in people with and without panic disorder, and those with panic disorder experience more panic attacks.

The FDA considers doses up to 400 mg per day safe for most healthy adults.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, less than 200 mg per day of caffeine does not appear to be a major contributing factor in preterm birth or pregnancy loss. The relationship between caffeine and the growth restriction of the fetus is still unclear.

When people take too much caffeine, they may experience the following:

jitters
anxiety
headache
fast heart rate
nausea
upset stomach
insomnia
feelings of unhappiness (dysphoria)

The FDA says that caffeine can cause toxic effects, such as seizures, with rapid consumption of about 1,200 mg of caffeine. This is equivalent to 0.15 tablespoons of pure caffeine.

People could experience unintentional caffeine toxicity due to the number of over-the-counter preparations containing caffeine, including:

energy drinks
exercise supplements
appetite suppressants

People should talk with a healthcare professional about limiting their caffeine intake if they have the following conditions:

sleep disorders, such as insomnia
migraine or other chronic headaches
GERD or ulcers
anxiety
high blood pressure
arrhythmia

Also, people taking certain medications or supplements should check whether to limit or avoid caffeine. These medications may include:

certain antibiotics
stimulants
asthma medications
heart medications

Additionally, individuals should check limitations on caffeine intake during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

The FDA does not have a recommended level of caffeine for children. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children and adolescents avoid caffeinated drinks due to their effects on sleep and blood pressure.

Caffeine does not typically cause chest pain. Chest pain is more likely to have another cause.

Although evidence is both conflicting and inconclusive, caffeine could potentially cause chest pain through:

blood pressure changes
heart rhythm changes
GERD
anxiety and panic attacks

Doses of caffeine up to 400 mg — or around four to five cups of coffee — are safe for most people. Some populations and individuals with certain conditions or taking particular medications are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others.

People experiencing severe chest pain should contact 911 or their local emergency services.

How Caffeine Is Affecting Your Body

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By Nicole Turner

Last updated: December 15, 2021

Ever drank a few cups of coffee and felt like your heart was beating faster, or you experienced sudden chest pains? Well, there may be a reason for this, but it’s probably not what you’re thinking. What could coffee be doing to the heart if you’re experiencing chest discomfort?

In all honesty, caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee, doesn’t typically cause any heart problems, nor chest pains for that matter. That is especially the case if you consume safe levels of caffeine every day (400mg).

Continue reading for more information on what’s happening to your body when you drink coffee and what could be causing the pain.

Recommended: The Pros and Cons of Coffee

How Caffeine Affects Your Heart and Body

Many of us rely on coffee every morning to be our daily pick-me-up to get us going. Coffee stimulates our CNS (Central Nervous System), making us feel like we have the energy to tackle the world.

What’s not so well-known is that coffee also encourages increased secretion of stomach acid, increases your blood pressure, and causes an increase in heart rate. People with caffeine sensitivity may experience adverse side effects of caffeine.

If the heart beats fast enough and the blood pressure goes up high enough, it could discourage blood flow to the heart, causing chest pains. This isn’t the case for most people who drink coffee, and if you don’t have caffeine sensitivity but get chest pains after coffee, it’s more likely to be acid reflux.

The American Heart Association says that coffee has plenty of antioxidants, which are great for your skin and body as well. Coffee also has the potential to reduce the risk for heart disease.

How Much Caffeine is Too Much?

As mentioned, a healthy person can tolerate 400 milligrams of caffeine (more or less) daily, safely. That’s equal to about four cups of coffee and is considered moderate caffeine consumption, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is important to note that excess caffeine intake can still affect your body negatively in other ways.

Here are some of the unpleasant symptoms that can be caused by drinking large amounts of caffeine regularly:

Tremors
Headaches
Heartburn
Insomnia
Irritability
Nervousness
Rapid heart rate
Frequent urination

The amount of coffee that produces these troublesome symptoms will vary from person to person, depending on their tolerance to caffeine.

One individual could drink less than 400mg of coffee per day and experience these symptoms, while the next person who may or may not have a sensitivity can go over the 400 mg mark and be completely fine.

It’s important to pay attention to your body and how it responds when you drink a certain amount of coffee or caffeinated beverages in general. Consult a physician should you experience difficulty breathing or persistent chest pains.

Is Caffeine Dangerous for Some People?

Aside from those with caffeine intolerance, other vulnerable groups of people also shouldn’t drink coffee for various reasons.

The intake of caffeine increases your body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone is responsible for triggering the fight or flight response when there’s a perceived threat or intense ordeal.

This hormone gets secreted by the adrenal glands when stimulated by both the pituitary and hypothalamus glands. Cortisol suppresses other bodily functions to elicit a swift response to danger and stress.

When combined with specific medications, caffeine is more likely to cause elevated blood pressure or heart palpitations. You should avoid caffeine sources like coffee and energy drinks when using over-the-counter decongestants which contain ephedrine or drugs that contain theophylline and echinacea.

This combination of substances can also cause those unpleasant caffeine side effects.

Below is a list of people with conditions that may need to limit or avoid caffeine altogether:

People who have insomnia
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
Kids and teenagers
People who have ulcer disease or acid reflux symptoms
People who have anxiety

Conclusion

In general, daily caffeine intake should never cause any form of chest pain. However, if you happen to have chest pain after having caffeine, it could be that you have a caffeine sensitivity.

Remember that this is common with people not accustomed to having any form of caffeine. If you’re one of these people, you should avoid caffeine altogether.

Keep in mind that there is a list of people who should avoid caffeine because of preexisting conditions, such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with insomnia, and even children and teenagers.

Finally, keep an eye out for certain over-the-counter medications that can make for a terrible experience when mixed with caffeine, such as ephedrine.

If you have any persisting pain, chest tightness, or discomfort, don’t hesitate to see a doctor immediately.

Happy (painless) Caffeinating!

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How coffee affects the heart: the benefits and harms of caffeine – April 8, 2022

If you drink coffee, there is no reason to refuse it all mortal sins. Once thought to increase the risk of premature death and obesity, there has long been a legend that coffee causes infertility. And the main horror story was, of course, caffeine – drink, and the devil will bring you to the end. But, as it turned out, in addition to caffeine, coffee contains about two thousand more substances. Here you have antioxidants with polyphenols, and vitamins with natural oils. All this allows us to consider coffee not so harmful. Moreover, it can even prevent some diseases. Cardiologist Elena Grichuk told us about this and many other things.

— According to studies, there is no link between coffee consumption and the long-term risk of developing heart disease, says Elena Grichuk. – In fact, moderate consumption (3-5 cups of coffee per day) reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Coffee protects against the development of cardiovascular disease, as long as consumption is not excessive.

Elena Grichuk — cardiologist, head of the cardiology department of the New Hospital, doctor of the highest qualification category, candidate of medical sciences. Professional competencies and specializations: ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, chronic heart failure.

“Coffee consumers are less likely to die from heart attacks, strokes and heart failure,” says Elena Grichuk. The study found that women who drank 2-3 cups of coffee per week had a 19% lower risk, and those who drank 4 cups or more per week had a 20% lower risk. Subsequently, similar data were obtained for the entire population as a whole, regardless of gender. The reduced risk can be explained by the fact that coffee improves endothelial function. When the endothelial cells lining the arteries are healthy, blood does not form blood clots, cholesterol plaques do not form, thereby reducing the progression of atherosclerosis and the risk of premature death from heart disease.

In addition, according to the cardiologist, coffee contains a unique component – chlorogenic acid. It is an antioxidant that helps keep heart muscle cells young and healthy.

Three cups of coffee a day will not lead to coronary catastrophes, but if you go too far with coffee and drink nine cups or more in a day, anything can happen, even sudden death from cardiac arrest.

— One or two cups of coffee a day do not provoke ventricular arrhythmia in heart patients or in patients with any type of arrhythmia, if these people are under medical supervision and take prescribed medications, Elena Grichuk sums up.

According to studies, caffeine does not cause arrhythmia. But at the same time, it can sometimes serve as a catalyst for the development of the disease, especially if there have already been heart attacks or diseases in the anamnesis. Two to three cups of coffee a day reduce the risk of hospitalization for arrhythmias by 7 to 10% compared to people who do not drink coffee at all. Recent studies have shown that caffeine inhibits the development of connective tissue in various organs, including the heart, which indirectly prevents arrhythmia.

“Coffee raises blood pressure, and that’s a fact,” says Elena Grichuk. – American scientists conducted an experiment and found that blood pressure was higher on the days when people drank coffee, by an average of 4 mm, and the level of stress hormone also increased by an average of 32%. But this did not affect the general well-being of healthy people.

Italian scientists have found that drinking 4 or more cups a day of hypertensive patients four times the risk of a heart event, and moderate coffee consumption (1-3 cups) three times the risk of a cardiovascular event. Thus, coffee can be harmful if you already have high blood pressure.

— Yes, coffee contains cafestol, which stimulates the production of cholesterol and in large quantities can cause its deposition on the walls of blood vessels. But the problem is easily solved if you drink filtered coffee. A simple paper filter retains cafestol in a quality manner, so that it does not harm your heart and blood vessels, says the cardiologist.

– It directly depends on how much coffee you drink per day, whether you have diseases of the cardiovascular system, how caffeine is metabolized in the body (this is determined by genes), – says Elena Grichuk. – Moderate consumption of a fragrant drink does not pose a threat to humans. However, if a person has already encountered heart problems, then they can become more active with renewed vigor. This happens due to the special effect of caffeine on the human body. Vessels located in the brain area begin to narrow. The blood supplying oxygen to the cells is supplied in a smaller volume. As a result, the brain senses this lack of oxygen, which causes the heart to beat at an accelerated pace. It works harder and with more pressure.

Caffeine also affects the work of the adrenal glands, which are responsible for the production of such a hormone as adrenaline. It begins to be produced in large quantities, and this leads to a rapid heartbeat, a person feels tingling in the region of the heart. In this case, it can be argued that coffee has a bad effect on the heart.

“In essence, the question of coffee’s effect on the heart comes down to weighing the negative effects of caffeine against the protective antioxidant benefits of polyphenols,” says the cardiologist. There’s nothing wrong with one or two cups of coffee a day, just don’t go overboard with sugar or sweeteners that can offset the coffee’s benefits.

If you drink coffee, there is no reason to give it up completely because of the effects of caffeine on the heart.

But if you have already experienced heart problems with caffeinated drinks, you should be more careful. The cardiologist also recommends giving up coffee in the following situations:

if you are under severe stress;
severe nervous tension;
after a sleepless night;
after and before exercise.

And don’t drink coffee mug after mug. Not even strong. Better read how doctors debunked popular myths about coffee, and see if coffee helps to cheer up and whether it can be drunk to insomnia.

what to do if you feel chest pain after caffeine

Author: Alena Rogozinskaya

Sometimes after a cup of coffee there are unpleasant sensations in the region of the heart. Something tingles, burns, pulls, possibly a rapid heartbeat. For most heart problems, doctors usually stop drinking coffee first, but it’s not always possible to give up your favorite drink. Moreover, all over the world they are gradually abandoning the idea that coffee harms the heart. What to do, is it possible to drink, to whom, what – we understand all the details of this difficult topic.

Can coffee hurt your heart?

The answer to this question is very ambiguous. On the one hand, coffee does not cause heart disease. In reasonable quantities for most people, the drink is not only not harmful, but also useful, as it trains the cardiovascular system, contains magnesium and potassium. On the other hand, stimulating the nervous system, caffeine can cause overexcitation, increase blood pressure, and if there are problems, they appear. That is, coffee is not the root cause, but a catalyst.

However, if you drink more than 5-6 cups of strong coffee a day, constant overexcitation can lead to heart and vascular diseases.

That is, you need to monitor your well-being and take into account existing diseases. Modern scientists believe that a cup of coffee in the morning does not harm anyone if there is no heart disease.

Coffee and heart disease

In case of heart palpitations and arrhythmia, it is advisable to refuse coffee, or drink weak. But if the arrhythmia is accompanied by a slow heartbeat, a cup of coffee will help you escape and significantly improve your well-being.
Hypertensive patients are not recommended to drink strong coffee, as their pressure is already high.
In coronary heart disease, if the pressure is already lowered, it is necessary to drink coffee. As soon as you feel nausea, weakness, trembling hands or cold sweat, then the blood flow has weakened, and you need to cheer up with a cup of coffee or take caffeine tablets.

Is it really the heart that hurts?

Caffeine excites the sympathetic nervous system, which causes an increase in pressure and the release of the hormone adrenaline, which already makes the heart beat faster. But there is an effect on other organs, and pain can be given to the heart area.

Neuralgia, gastritis, gastric ulcer, problems with the pancreas can manifest themselves in this way. And in all cases it can tingle, burn in the chest. If cardiac drugs do not help relieve symptoms, and in general, your heart is healthy, you should check for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.

How do you determine your sensitivity to caffeine?

In most healthy people, the pressure rises slightly, they only feel a surge of vigor. But there are also those for whom caffeine acts for a long time, the heart works to wear and tear. If you ever experience chest pains, do a simple check, it will take no more than half an hour.

To test your sensitivity, sit quietly and take your blood pressure.
Drink a cup of strong natural coffee.
Take your blood pressure again: if your systolic has risen by 5 mm or more (that’s the first number on your blood pressure monitor), you’re quite sensitive to caffeine.
Take a few more measurements at 10, 15, 20 minutes to see how long the effect lasts.
If 20 minutes have already passed, and the pressure rises, it means that your heart does not react well to coffee, and it is advisable to drink less strong coffee or stop drinking it altogether.

Why can coffee sometimes make my heart hurt?

Even a healthy person can feel sudden tachycardia, feel tingling if he gets a large dose of caffeine. This happens for various reasons:

You haven’t drunk coffee for a long time, or you drank instant coffee and then drank natural, or you suddenly drank too strong;
The body is weakened by stress, lack of sleep, travel, and perceives your usual dose as excessive;
Coffee in combination with nicotine, especially on an empty stomach, sharply constricts blood vessels, and it is more difficult for the heart to pump blood through them, it has to beat harder, which can cause tingling and pressure sensations

What to do and how to help yourself?

Be sure to sit or lie down. Provide fresh air, try to breathe deeply and measuredly. Drink half a liter of pure still water in small sips to reduce the concentration of caffeine in the blood. Usually such attacks last 5-10 minutes, and then you will feel better.