13 Nov How Does Caffeine Affect My Blood Pressure?

While so many of us rely heavily on our caffeine to make it through the day—caffeine has much more of an impact on our health and our body than many of us realize. While the substance can give you that nice boost of energy that you need to get through a slow afternoon or to wake up first thing in the morning, experts are now telling us that caffeine can actually impact our blood pressure as well.

A dose of caffeine is actually able to cause a short, but notable, spike in blood pressure—even among those who don’t initially have high blood pressure. At this time, scientists are still not entirely sure what causes this spike in blood pressure, but it is important that all people, whether they have had a history with high blood pressure or not—understand the impact that caffeine can have on their blood pressure.

Here are a few more important takeaways from this study:

• Some experts believe that caffeine may be blocking a hormone in the body that helps to keep the arteries wide—which is why caffeine can cause blood pressure to go up.
• Some studies indicate that caffeine causes the adrenal glands to release more adrenaline, which can cause the blood pressure to increase.
• Some people who drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages on a regular basis, tend to have higher average blood pressure than those who do not drink any caffeine—those with a tolerance may not be impacted as much with spikes in blood pressure.

After posting the results from the study on caffeine and blood pressure, researchers also stated they believe that anyone who has high blood pressure asks their doctor about their caffeine intake. A medical professional will be able to tell them if they need to limit or stop drinking caffeine in an effort to lower their blood pressure. In many cases, limiting caffeine intake to just 200 milligrams per day will help many regular caffeine drinkers lower their blood pressure.

Experts also recommend avoiding caffeine before activities that will naturally increase blood pressure such as strenuous exercise and to check your blood pressure before and after drinking caffeine to see if it has an impact. Doing this will be able to help you determine whether caffeine is having a serious impact on your blood pressure or not.

The experts here at LT Men’s Clinic can also help you gain a better understanding of what caffeine may be doing to your blood pressure. If you want to get your blood pressure checked or talk to one of our experts about the possible solutions that can help you naturally lower your blood pressure, give LT Men’s Clinic a call today at 817-369-3605.