Many people can’t start their day without a cup of coffee or need to grab an energy drink to power through an afternoon slump. However, caffeine is also in tea, chocolate, snack bars, and many other products.
If you enjoy caffeinated products, you may wonder if it can cause chest pain or aggravate heart disease.
Most people won’t get chest pain from consuming caffeine, but it can happen. Whether or not it affects you depends on your heart and overall health.
At Woodlands Heart and Vascular Institute, Dr. Laura Fernandes can help you sort through the information and offer advice after evaluating your heart health. Here, you’ll learn how caffeine affects your body and when it may cause chest pain.
Caffeine is a well-known stimulant affecting your entire body. But its most significant impact occurs in your brain and heart:
Caffeine quickly reaches your brain and blocks adenosine receptors. Receptors are specialized proteins that are triggered by biochemicals like adenosine. After a biochemical stimulates the receptors, they activate essential body functions.
Adenosine affects receptors throughout the body and has many vital roles. When caffeine blocks the receptors, adenosine can’t work until the caffeine clears out of your body.
Blocking these receptors in your brain causes one of caffeine’s most common side effects: difficulty sleeping.
Caffeine has another significant effect on the brain: It triggers the release of noradrenaline and cortisol, and they activate the fight-or-flight response.
These hormones are the reason caffeine makes you feel more alert, focused, and energized. Noradrenaline can also make you feel jittery and anxious.
Caffeine’s impact on adenosine receptors and hormones also affects your heart. Adenosine has several crucial roles in your heart. For example, it helps slow the heart rate and lowers blood pressure.
Healthcare providers use prescription adenosine to treat irregular heartbeats. They also use it to raise your heart rate during a chemical stress test.
When caffeine reduces adenosine levels, your blood pressure and heart rate increase. The rise in noradrenaline magnifies the problem because it raises the heart rate, tightens arteries, and boosts blood pressure. Noradrenaline can also cause an irregular heartbeat.
Though these changes sound severe (and could be worrisome if you have a heart condition), they’re temporary and seldom extreme enough to cause a problem. As a result, most people can easily and safely tolerate caffeine’s effect on their heart.
Though caffeine is an uncommon cause of chest pain, you may experience this problem if you:
Caffeine also triggers acid reflux, and coffee is naturally acidic. As a result, your chest pain may arise from heartburn, especially if you drink coffee on an empty stomach.
Many people with heart disease can consume a moderate amount of caffeine. However, the amount you can tolerate depends on the heart condition and the severity of your disease.
Most adults can safely consume 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine daily. That’s equal to about three or four (8-ounce) cups of coffee.
Here’s the amount of caffeine in a few beverages:
Energy drinks generally have more caffeine than other beverages. A typical energy drink has 160 mg or more of caffeine.
If you have any concerns about caffeine and its effect on your heart, or you’re experiencing chest pain, don’t wait to schedule a heart assessment. Call Woodlands Heart and Vascular Institute or complete our online appointment request form today.
