Can drinking coffee trigger irregular heartbeats?

This is nothing but irregular beating of the heart, which ought to maintain a steady graph. A normal heart rhythm matters because that’s how the heart supplies you with nutrients and oxygen through the blood it pumps. An irregular rhythm may upset the flow of blood, impact its electrical impulses and trigger a sudden cardiac arrest.

Caffeine and nicotine are considered stimulants and directly impact the natural pacemakers of the heart. Drinking coffee triggers the release of noradrenaline and norepinephrine, which can increase heart rate and blood pressure in some individuals. These also activate the sympathetic nervous system, which send the body into an alert mode, increasing the heart rate and constricting blood vessels. This results in palpitations for some patients. Of course, you would have to drink really large amounts of coffee, black coffee to be precise, for this to happen. Drunk in high doses, black coffee could excite the heart muscle and trigger arrhythmia.

IS THERE A SAFE LIMIT TO DRINKING COFFEE?

Most Westerners drink black coffee. In India, we mostly have coffee with milk, which dulls the impact of caffeine anyway. Taking coffee twice a day is, therefore, safe for any kind of heart disease.

Studies over the last couple of years have generally found that caffeine consumed in usual amounts is associated with no heightened risk of arrhythmia. A 2021 review in Current Hypertension Report said that while moderate and habitual consumption of coffee (one to three cups) had no significant impact on a person’s blood pressure, even a sudden exposure to caffeine could increase blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg in some cases and stabilise soon after. Another 2021 study in the journal Circulation had found that coffee might actually reduce the risk of heart failure later in life. It helps in releasing free fatty acids from adipose (fatty) tissue.

However, there is a need to set limits as every individual’s response to caffeine is different. Under any circumstance, do not cross three to four cups. Remember, regulating coffee use alone is not enough to sustain heart health. You must support a good habit with an active lifestyle and a well-balanced diet.