It’s common knowledge that drinking too much caffeine can cause your heart rate to increase, but consuming decaffeinated coffee might have the same effect. If you have a sensitivity or allergy to one or more of the ingredients in decaffeinated coffee, you can develop heart palpitations and other symptoms. Avoid all caffeine until you can receive a medical assessment from your doctor. Do not attempt to diagnose or self-treat without the guidance of your health care professional.
Caffeine Sensitivity
Everyone has a different amount of caffeine that can be tolerated. While most people can handle between 200 and 300 mg of caffeine daily, or about two to four cups of coffee, some people might not be able to have any caffeine, according to MayoClinc.com. KidsHealth states that your weight, size and amount of daily caffeine consumption will help determine how much caffeine your body can tolerate. If you’re hypersensitive to caffeine, even a minimal amount might trigger unwanted side effects, such as heart palpitations. The average cup of decaffeinated coffee contains about 3 to 5 mg of caffeine, according to Drugs.com.
Caffeine Allergy
If caffeine triggers an allergic reaction, any amount of caffeine can cause severe and potentially life-threatening symptoms. If you have a severe allergic reaction to caffeine, also called anaphylaxis, your entire body enters a state of shock from an excessive amount of disease-fighting chemicals that enter your bloodstream. Immunoglobulin E antibodies and histamine cause your blood vessels to dilate to an extreme state, causing your heart to race, a faint pulse, pale skin, mental confusion, light-headedness, facial swelling, dizziness and shortness of breath. If you develop these symptoms, call 911 immediately.
Other Allergens
Dairy products and non-dairy creamers can contain certain proteins that can trigger a severe allergic reaction. Some non-dairy creamers contain soy, milk and wheat proteins. These proteins are some of the most common food allergies that can cause anaphylaxis. If you doctor suspects that an allergic reaction is the cause of the heart palpitation, she might recommend allergy testing. Allergy testing looks for the production of immunoglobulin E antibodies when a suspect allergen is introduced into the body.
Consideration
Heart palpitations can be a symptom of a heart condition that might not be directly related to the consumption of decaffeinated coffee. Heart palpitations might be caused by stress, fear, anemia, diet pills, exercise, certain medications, low levels of oxygen in the blood, heart valve disease and nicotine, according to MedlinePlus.
