You’ll hear me say that drinking a lot of coffee will increase your blood pressure. Key thing to note is that I mean A Lot.
If you drink coffee responsibly and stay below the recommended 400mg intake of caffeine per day, it should not affect you. If it does, then you need to stop and talk to your doctor.
Don’t skip talking to your doctor if you have problems with coffee. Knowing if you’re caffeine sensitive can help your doctor with the diagnosis of other issues.
But coffee does not cause hypertension. Studies have found no correlation between coffee and hypertension.
When can coffee raise your blood pressure?
- Coffee will, in the natural way that the act of eating a meal causes a slight increase. But it shouldn’t be more than that.
- If you’re not used to coffee and you dive into drinking a 100-200mg caffeine coffee drink. (Start slow!)
- If you’re caffeine sensitive and it does just because you’re special. (Try half-caf or decaf instead.)
I fight hypertension. It’s an inherited condition with me. But with low dose meds and lifestyle adjustments, I keep it down to normal.
When I first was diagnosed I had “you’re going to die” high blood pressure. Most doctors would have put me in the hospital right away, but my doctor took a chance on me.
With lifestyle adjustments at home, I got it down to “high, but manageable” status within four months. Within in four years, I was keeping it at normal level.
The thing is, coffee was not the problem that caused hypertension. In fact, during this time my coffee consumption increased.
This may not help you tell how caffeine affects you. We’re all different. My daughter is hyper sensitive to caffeine so when she drinks coffee, she has to time it and manage it well.
My husband, on the other hand, is caffeine resistant. It does nothing to him and he drinks a lot of it. His blood pressure stays low.
If you need help measuring your caffeine level to find your own sensitivity, keep an eye on this page. I have a report showing you how to do this I’ll give out free to anyone who signs up for my upcoming newsletter.
In the meantime, happy brewing!
For further reading see Mayo Clinic’s article Caffeine: How does it affect blood pressure?
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