Caffeine High Blood Pressure

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There is a caffeine high blood pressure connection and other health effects of caffeine. Find out if your daily coffee and high blood pressure are connected. There is still, however, confusion among researchers.

The effects of caffeine contained in 2-3 cups of coffee can further increase blood pressure in people who already have hypertension. For people who don't normally consume caffeine regularly, caffeine high blood pressure can occur temporarily. This is believed to be due to stimulation of the adrenal gland to release more cortisol and adrenaline.

On the other hand, studies have shown mixed results - some seeing an increase, while others showed a decrease. This could suggest a lot of individual variation. To be safe, some doctors recommend restricting caffeine to 200mg per day - about the amount in two 12-ounce brewed coffees. If you get your caffeine via soft drinks, be mindful that the drinks vary according to brand, so you'll need to check the labels. Doctors also recommend avoiding caffeine prior to blood pressure-increasing activities like exercise, physical labor or lifting heavy objects.

The best bet is to make your own observations about how the negative effects of caffeine on you individually. To see if coffee and high blood pressure affects you, check your blood pressure before drinking a cup of coffee or other caffeinated drink, then check again within 30 minutes of drinking. If your blood pressure rises by 5-10 points, you may be sensitive to the health effects of caffeine. But don't cut it out all at once - you may suffer from caffeine withdrawal...better to do it gradually over a week.

Source: WebMD