Sometimes, we need a bit more pep in our step or are struggling to get things going. Normally, that's when we'd reach for our third or fourth cup of coffee. However, this can have some scary but temporary effects, such as heart palpitations.
Even though these are common and usually nothing to worry about [1], no one wants to experience them — we just want to enjoy our coffee!
Luckily, there are a few simple steps we can take to help manage or prevent this uncomfortable side effect, such as lowering our caffeine intake, taking deep breaths, and drinking plenty of water.
The following tips can help you prevent heart palpitations and recognize when they could be a sign of something more serious.
1. Lower Your Caffeine Intake
The first thing you can do is lower your caffeine intake. It’s simple, but it’s something we tend to forget — or maybe we just choose to forget it. Cutting back on how much you use will help keep those heart palpitations at bay, whether your go-to caffeine source is coffee, energy drinks, or something else [2].
A lot of people switch to decaf at some point in their day so they can enjoy a cup of coffee without it impacting their sleep or if they’re trying to cut back on how much they drink. Another option is to switch to half-caff or a bean with less caffeine. For example, if you drink strong coffee, like our 100% robusta beans (HaNoi Blend), you could switch to our arabica beans (DaLat Blend), which have almost half the caffeine per cup.
2. Focus On Your Breathing
As soon as you feel your heart rate creeping up or beating irregularly, try focusing on your breathing. It’s easy to work yourself into an anxious or panicked state.
It might feel scary in the moment, but slow, clear, long breaths are a great way to reduce heart palpitations from coffee. You’ll bring your heart rate down and allow it to get back into a more natural rhythm. Once your breathing is under control, the rest of your body will follow suit!
It only makes sense that a common practice for reducing anxiety could help with heart palpitations. Caffeine’s effects mimic an anxiety attack and can even trigger them — our bodies don’t know the difference. This is one of the reasons why those with anxiety are often advised not to consume caffeine.
3. Lower Your Stress Levels Through Mindfulness
Stress can increase your heart rate, so another great way to ease caffeine-induced heart palpitations is to lower your stress levels by immersing yourself fully in another activity.
You’re essentially distracting yourself with something more relaxing. When you do this, your nervous system starts to calm down, and you’ll feel those heart palpitations disappear.
There are a whole host of ways to do this, including:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Journaling
- Tai Chi
- Reading
- Baking
Really, anything that can distract you from your heart beating will help, even if it means looking out the window or doomscrolling through social media for ten minutes.
4. Drink More Water
Let’s be honest — if you ever feel a little under the weather, a big glass of water can help with most things. Heart palpitations from caffeine are no different. Dehydration can be a big reason why your heart starts to flutter when you get the coffee jitters.
Increase your water intake throughout the day, and it’s a lot less likely you’ll get heart palpitations from coffee. We’re not saying it’s impossible, but it should help reduce them moving forward.
Having a glass of water each time you have a coffee is a good way to keep on top of your hydration and help keep palpitations at bay. Alternatively, you can get one of those giant water bottles with target lines to help you stay hydrated all day long.
5. Avoid Alcohol & Nicotine
Along the same kind of lines as drinking more water, if you consume a lot of alcohol or smoke or vape often, you’re likely to experience heart palpitations more. Nicotine is both a stimulant and a depressant, so when you smoke or vape, you can experience an increased heart rate. This, combined with caffeine, can cause heart palpitations.
When you drink alcohol, you tend to experience a rise in your heart rate and blood pressure, so adding caffeine on top of this makes heart palpitations likely. That’s why drinks like espresso martinis or vodka Red Bulls can make people really jittery.
Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking nicotine when consuming caffeine, and you’ll have a much lower chance of heart palpitations. This includes if you’ve had a big night out and you’re drinking a lot of coffee the next morning. Your body is still probably dehydrated, creating the perfect storm.
What Else Causes Heart Palpitations?
This is one of those circumstances where you need to pay attention to your body. Just because caffeine-induced heart palpitations aren’t serious, there are other causes — sometimes they’re a sign of an underlying health condition.
Other causes of heart palpitations can include:
- Alcohol, tobacco, or diet pills
- Certain medications
- Heart disease or abnormal heart valves
- Hormone changes associated with menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause
- Low blood pressure
- Overactive thyroid
- Overexertion
- Stress
When Are Heart Palpations Dangerous?
Heart palpitations are dangerous when they’re accompanied by chest pain, discomfort, fainting, or shortness of breath. If any of these symptoms occur, you need to call your doctor or head to the Emergency Room.
A lot of the time, heart palpitations aren’t dangerous, but if you find yourself struggling to breathe or in a lot of pain or discomfort, it’s always best to have it checked out.
Always check with your doctor if you experience the following:
- Heart palpitations that get worse or more frequent
- If heart palpitations last longer than a few minutes
- If you have a history or family history of heart problems
FAQs: Coffee & Heart Issues
So, let’s round out this guide with a few frequently asked questions.
1. Is coffee bad for your heart?
Coffee (caffeine) increases blood pressure and heart rate, giving you a wonderful but short-lived burst of energy. Fortunately, the British Heart Foundation states that moderate amounts of coffee have not been shown to negatively impact heart health. However, you might want to watch your caffeine intake if you have multiple strong cups of coffee throughout the day, every day.
2. How much caffeine is too much?
On average, adults should have a maximum of 400 mg of caffeine a day, which is about four cups of coffee. Note that this says cups and not Venti servings! If you get your coffee from popular chains, the caffeine level can often be higher, and the serving size available is often much larger than what you pour yourself at home.
3. How much caffeine does the average coffee contain?
The average 12 0z cup of black arabica coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine. For robusta, this is closer to 200 mg in the same cup.
A typical Starbucks grande clocks in at 102 mg, and a 4 oz cup of traditional Vietnamese coffee has 130 mg of caffeine. A standard espresso shot contains around 75 mg of caffeine each.
4. Should you avoid caffeine if you have a heart problem?
It might be best to avoid coffee if you have a pre-existing heart condition or cardiovascular problems, but this varies with each person, so check with your doctor to see what you can and can’t have and in what amount.
5. What are coffee jitters?
You’ve probably heard the term ‘coffee jitters,’ but what is it? This refers to the physical sensations you feel when you’ve had too much coffee or caffeine. Essentially, your body gets overstimulated and can tremor a little or feel overly sensitive to things around you.
The jitters can be uncomfortable and actually feel similar to an anxiety attack, but it’s usually harmless. If you have too much caffeine, drink some water, grab a bite to eat, and wait it out.
You don’t need to be concerned unless you’ve had a dangerously high amount of caffeine and are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Agitation, confusion, hallucinations
- Breathing trouble
- Changes in alertness
- Convulsions (seizures)
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Irregular heartbeat
- Muscle twitching
- Nausea, vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat
Remember, adults shouldn’t have more than 400 mg of caffeine per day — which is easy to do with energy drinks and powdered pre-workout supplements).
References
- Goyal, A., Robinson, K. J., Katta, S., & Sanchack, K. E. (2017). Palpitation.
- Shirlow, M. J., & Mathers, C. D. (1985). A study of caffeine consumption and symptoms: indigestion, palpitations, tremor, headache and insomnia. International Journal of Epidemiology, 14(2), 239-248.
