A hot cup of coffee is a traditional way for many people around the world to begin their day. Whether you partake in coffee drinking for the taste, morning ritual or energy boost it provides, you might need to take pause and consider its health impacts before you brew your next batch. Caffeinated coffee can increase your blood pressure by constricting your blood vessels and making your heart work harder to pump blood throughout your body. Coffee drinking Americans tend to have an average blood pressure increase of 2 to 4 mm/HG, the same numerical decrease that often comes from taking blood pressure-lowering medication. It is possible, though, to still indulge in coffee drinking and lower your blood pressure at the same time.
Step 1
Switch to decaffeinated coffee if you suffer from high blood pressure, or hypertension. By drinking decaf, you can still enjoy the taste of your favorite coffee, but not have to deal with the elevated blood pressure issues that come from drinking caffeinated coffee.
Step 2
Mix 4 oz. of regular coffee with 4 oz. of decaffeinated coffee if you are still looking for that extra jolt of energy and only have slightly elevated blood pressure. This "half-caf" mixture will still give you the buzz you are looking for without impacting your blood pressure.
Step 3
Limit yourself to one 8 oz. cup of regular caffeinated coffee each morning if you refuse to give up your caffeinated coffee routine. If you choose this option, engage in other blood pressure-lowering activities throughout the day, including yoga, meditation, breathing exercises and other stress-reducing activities that you enjoy.
Tips and Warnings
- Normal blood pressure is considered 120 over 80. Pre-hypertension is 120-139 over 80-89. Stage 1 hypertension is 140-159 over 90-99, and stage 2 hypertension is 160 or higher over 100 or higher.
- Be sure to consult your doctor if you have high blood pressure and follow his prescribed plan of action, which might or might not permit the consumption of coffee.
References
- McDougall Newsletter: Coffee --- Pleasure and Pain
- Pacific Northwest Foundation: Coffee -- To Drink or Not to Drink
- Dr. Fuhrman: What About Coffee?
- "Hypertension"; "Effect of decaffeinated versus regular coffee on blood pressure -- A 12-week, double-blind trial"; M. van Dusseldorp et al; 1989
- American Heart Association: Blood Pressure Levels
