Being diagnosed with high blood pressure can make you second-guess everything you put in your mouth, wondering if it will make your hypertension worse. While you’ve probably gone over things like the foods you eat and how they’re prepared with your healthcare provider, it’s fair to have questions about whether the coffee you drink is potentially problematic. Can coffee raise your blood pressure, or is there no need to worry about it?
Meet the experts: Jessica Cording, R.D., the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Ragavendra Baliga, M.D., M.B.B.S, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA
Turns out, coffee can have a short-term impact on your blood pressure, but that may change over time and with repeat coffee use.
In case you’re fuzzy on the details, hypertension, a.k.a. high blood pressure, is a condition where the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high, per the American Heart Association (AHA). Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: Systolic (the top number), which measures the force your heart puts on your arteries when it beats, and diastolic (the bottom number), which is the force of blood against your artery walls when your heart rests between beats. Normal blood pressure is considered anything below 120/80, while high blood pressure occurs when readings are 130-139/80-89 or higher, according to the AHA.
If you have hypertension or are looking for ways to lower blood pressure naturally, there is a chance coffee may raise your blood pressure, says Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. But that’s not the case for everyone, making this a little complicated. Here’s how coffee impacts your blood pressure, plus what healthcare professionals want you to keep in mind if you have hypertension.
Does coffee raise blood pressure?
It might. However, there’s no guarantee that the caffeine in coffee will spike your blood pressure. “Everyone responds differently to caffeine,” points out Jessica Cording, R.D., the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers.
Some research suggests that coffee may cause blood pressure spikes. One scientific analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found that there was a noticeable increase in blood pressure in adults who had caffeine, with a more significant jump in people who had caffeine for less than a week compared to those who had caffeine for more than a week.
Another study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association of more than 18,600 people found that participants with very high blood pressure who had two or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had up to double the risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular disease. But that increased risk didn’t apply to people with lower baseline blood pressure levels who drank two or more cups of coffee daily.
Why does coffee spike blood pressure?
The main issue is the caffeine in coffee, Dr. Chen says. As a result, he points out that you could technically see blood pressure spikes after having tea, eating chocolate, or having anything that contains caffeine.
What’s behind this? “Caffeine blocks adenosine, a molecule that helps blood vessels relax,” explains Ragavendra Baliga, M.D., M.B.B.S., a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “This can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure, especially in those who aren’t habitual coffee drinkers.”
Coffee is also a known stimulant and may temporarily increase your heart rate along with your blood pressure, Dr. Chen says. “Beyond that, it’s ultimately not well understood why caffeine causes spikes in blood pressure,” Dr. Chen says.
What happens to your blood pressure when you drink coffee every day?
A daily coffee habit may lead to fewer spikes in your blood pressure over time, Dr. Baliga says. “In regular coffee drinkers, the body builds some tolerance,” he says. “While occasional spikes may occur, chronic consumption has a modest long-term effect on blood pressure for most individuals.” So, if you have a daily coffee habit, you’re less likely to see those blood pressure spikes than if you grab a cup here and there.
Factors that influence how much coffee impacts blood pressure
There are a lot of different elements that can influence how much coffee impacts your blood pressure, according to doctors:
- Your genes. CYP1A2 variants in particular impact how your body breaks down caffeine, Dr. Baliga says.
- Your age. Caffeine tends to have a bigger impact on younger people, causing more significant changes in blood pressure than those who are older.
- Your sex. Men may have a faster caffeine metabolism than women.
- Whether you’re a smoker. The nicotine in cigarettes and e-cigarettes can speed up your metabolism and increase the impact of caffeine on your blood pressure.
- Your coffee brew and type. The amount of caffeine in coffee can vary by type and brew strength, Dr. Chen points out.
- How often you drink coffee. People tend to build up a tolerance to caffeine after about two weeks of use. From there, Dr. Chen says the caffeine may have less of an impact on your blood pressure.
What to know about coffee and hypertension
If you have hypertension, Dr. Chen does not recommend increasing your caffeine intake. “If you don’t drink coffee regularly, you should keep in mind that any time you drink coffee or anything with caffeine, it could lead to a spike in blood pressure,” he says. “But if you drink coffee pretty regularly, it’s probably less of an issue.”
Dr. Baliga also recommends monitoring how you feel after you drink coffee. If you find that you don’t feel great afterward, he suggests scaling back. He also suggests avoiding caffeinated beverages before you check your blood pressure.
How much coffee is too much?
Given that caffeine impacts everyone differently, this is an important question to talk to your doctor about, according to Dr. Chen.
But Dr. Baliga says he typically recommends that people try to stay under 400 to 450 milligrams a day of caffeine, or about three to four cups of brewed coffee. “This is typically safe for most adults, but those with hypertension or sensitivity may need less,” he says.
How to check your blood pressure at home
If you have hypertension, your healthcare provider will usually recommend that you monitor yourself at home. To check your blood pressure at home, Dr. Baliga recommends investing in an automatic upper-arm blood pressure monitor. “Check it at the same time daily, preferably more than one hour after a meal, avoid caffeine and exercise 30 minutes prior, and share your readings with your doctor for guidance,” he says.
The American Heart Association (AHA) also suggests following these steps to get an accurate blood pressure reading at home:
- Remove clothing over the arm that you’ll use to measure your blood pressure.
- Try to sit still for at least five minutes before taking a reading (don’t talk or use the phone).
- Sit with your back straight and supported, with your feet on the floor.
- Support your arm on a flat surface.
- Place the middle of the cuff on your upper arm at heart level.
- Take multiple readings, one minute apart, and record the results.
If you have hypertension or a family history of the condition, Dr. Chen stresses the importance of roping in a healthcare professional to talk through things like your coffee intake. “This is really a question for your doctor,” he says.