The acid and caffeine content in coffee can cause heartburn to develop shortly after consuming a cup of coffee. Heartburn mostly causes a burning sensation directly behind your sternum, but can also cause pain to develop in your neck and shoulders. While heartburn is not considered a concerning symptom, if you frequently develop heartburn, you should talk with your doctor. If drinking coffee triggers heartburn, avoid consuming the beverage and consult with your doctor.
Heartburn
Heartburn is a symptom, not a condition that commonly occurs after you eat or drink certain foods or beverages. Coffee is considered a common trigger beverage for heartburn, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Heartburn is a misleading term because the symptom does not affect your heart. It was given that name because the painful, burning sensation can feel like your heart is burning. Heartburn can also cause a bitter taste to develop in the back of your throat.
Cause
Heartburn occurs whenever stomach fluid leaves your stomach and enters your esophagus. The caffeine and acid content in coffee can cause your sphincter muscle to malfunction, allowing stomach fluid to irritate the soft tissues in your esophagus. The result of this action is a burning pain in your chest that can spread into your neck and upper back. Occasional heartburn presents no long-term harm, while persistent heartburn can lead to narrowing of your esophagus.
Treatment
The most effective treatment to prevent heartburn is stop drinking coffee. If you develop neck pain after consuming coffee, you may find relief in the use of over-the-counter antacids. Antacids use certain ingredients to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach and throat, according to MayoClinic.com. If your symptoms do not improve from using over-the-counter medications, call your doctor. Any medication you use to treat a medical condition needs to be taken under a doctor's supervision.
Considerations
If you develop neck pain along with a burning sensation often, you may have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD is a condition where heartburn occurs more than three times in one week that is commonly trigged by caffeine and acid consumption. If you develop shortness of breathe, jaw pain, sweating and the feeling of impending doom, you may be having a heart attack. If the pain is so severe that you cannot turn your neck of find a comfortable position, go to the nearest emergency room.
