Does coffee raise or lower blood pressure: can you drink it if you have high blood pressure? Does drinking coffee raise or lower blood pressure? The effect of instant coffee on blood pressure

Many of us love coffee and drink it almost always. They drink it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes a person drinks several cups at a time, justifying it either with a sad mood or some other reason.

One of the main dilemmas regarding the coffee drink is the question - does coffee enhance or? Currently, the version that coffee enhances is practically not true.

However, it has been proven that consuming it in a certain amount is, in its own way, a prevention of liver cancer, or rather reduces the risk of its occurrence. The coffee drink is also beneficial for other organs, but in limited quantities, not exceeding two cups per day.

And still, this drink cannot be called harmless. Since it is not known for certain whether coffee increases or is not recommended for people with coronary disease heart, kidney diseases. It is also not advisable to use it for people suffering from insomnia, increased excitability and hypertension.

But, considering main question Whether coffee increases or decreases blood pressure, we can say that it definitely helps to raise blood pressure. However, only for a certain time, until the body comes to active actions. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it for hypertension, but even recommended for hypotension.

Hypotension (low blood pressure) has a significant impact on normal life. Frequent symptoms that appear with such as dizziness, aching headache, fatigue, increased irritability, can disrupt the usual way of life.

The main causes of hypotension are poor diet, stress, general neurosis, viral diseases. Coffee increases blood pressure if you have only drunk a cup of the invigorating drink. In the opposite case, coffee lowers blood pressure - general weakness and drowsiness are observed.

People who suffer from hypertension need to be extremely careful with it, as coffee raises blood pressure. It has been proven that frequent increases in blood pressure are observed more often in people who abuse coffee than in those who do not drink this drink.

In the presence of bad habits, such as smoking, there is a reduction in the risk of blood cancer. It has been proven that a coffee drink reduces the likelihood of asthma, myocardial infarction, migraines, and atherosclerosis. It is especially useful for men to improve reproductive function, that is, to increase sperm motility.

Negative action coffee:

May leach away calcium, which is essential for bones;

As a result of a strong diuretic effect;

The drink is unsafe for the heart as it raises blood pressure.

Positive Action coffee:

Improves mood;

Reduces the possibility of cancer;

Useful for liver diseases;

Increases the efficiency of the digestive tract.

With regular consumption of coffee in moderate quantities, digestion and well-being are improved, swelling and constipation are reduced. When used correctly, the drink remains within normal limits. It is worth remembering that if you have high blood pressure, it is advisable to remove coffee from your daily diet.

An extraordinary drink, when it enters the human body, gives it all its beneficial features. The truth that coffee increases or decreases blood pressure is not known with certainty. Whether it is useful or not very useful for your body is up to you to decide. Scientists to this day have not come to a consensus regarding this drink. Any substance, including coffee, can be both poison and medicine. The main thing is quantity.

And an increase in heart rate.

But not everything is so simple, because the effect of caffeine has a dual effect on the state of the human body.

Does coffee raise or lower blood pressure?

Coffee increases blood pressure only if consumed within reasonable limits (one or two cups a day, no more - and the break between doses of this drink should be at least 6-7 hours).

If you drink more than 3 cups a day, then this drink, on the contrary, does not increase it, but decreases it. The so-called steal syndrome is triggered, in which there is an outflow of blood to peripheral organs, which is the main pathogenetic mechanism of the effect in question. The most important thing in such a situation is to listen to how you feel, independently assess the state of your body and not drink the next cup of coffee if you feel a positive effect from the drink you took. An extra dose of caffeine is also bad, since the classic dose-dependent effect also occurs here.

In healthy people who do not suffer from or have consistently high blood pressure, which has no objective reasons (the so-called essential hypertension), coffee causes a general increase in blood pressure by 10-15 mmHg (this applies to both diastolic and systolic values). In people suffering from hypertension of varying degrees, as well as related cardiovascular diseases (among which IHD and heart failure are most often identified), blood pressure can increase several orders of magnitude more strongly or, conversely, decrease, which limits their ability to take coffee in the desired quantities .

Please note that there is no immediate, that is, direct effect of caffeine on the heart and blood vessels. Coffee affects the physiological activity of the myocardium indirectly - increasing blood pressure through a stimulating effect on the central nervous system (central nervous system - in this case, the brain). On the other hand, constant intake of instant coffee often leads to an increase in the level of total cholesterol in the blood, which inevitably causes the development of many vascular pathologies, characterizing the appearance of problems with blood pressure.

Chemical composition of coffee beans

From the point of view of modern bioorganic chemistry, the coffee tree is a real laboratory created by Mother Nature herself. Coffee beans contain a huge amount of organic substances that are transformed during the preparation of the drink. Scientific laboratories around the world have been carefully studying the biochemical composition of coffee beans for a long period of time, as well as the process of transformation of substances at each stage of preparation of this drink in order to discover methods and technologies that would ensure the highest quality coffee.

It is known for certain that coffee beans that have not undergone thermal treatment contain high concentrations of substances such as caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acid, proteins, and mineral salts.

The chemical changes that occur in coffee during roasting are extremely complex and poorly understood. One can judge the complexity of these transformations if only because the composition of kafeol (it is this compound that causes the smell of roasted coffee) includes more than 70 aromatic substances. These substances are volatile by their physicochemical nature and are very quickly oxidized by atmospheric oxygen. It is for these reasons that it makes sense to either roast coffee right before drinking, or store roasted coffee for a short period of time in hermetically sealed glass or tin jars.

Caffeine consumption by hypertensive patients

Regarding whether it is possible to drink coffee, all doctors have previously stated that it is definitely not, but numerous recent clinical studies have refuted this approach. According to the results obtained, it turns out that everything depends solely on the dosage and characteristics of use, as well as on the individual characteristics of the human body. Even systematic consumption of weak coffee does not bring any harm to the vast majority of hypertensive patients, because its effect is too short.

On the contrary, some doctors seriously believe that moderate coffee consumption even slightly improves the cardiovascular system, and their point of view is supported by a number of scientific studies, which have shown increased metabolic activity in cardiomyocytes after drinking a coffee drink. So we can safely say that hypertension and coffee are indeed quite compatible. Again, if this drink is consumed correctly - if you have a tendency to drink strong coffee and take an excessive amount of this drink, there is a high probability of a hypertensive attack even in that person who has never suffered in life high blood pressure.

For those who are not entirely sure whether caffeine affects their blood pressure numbers, you can try before drinking a cup of coffee, and then re-evaluate the indicator 30 minutes later. - two hours. If during this time the pressure rises by five to ten points, this clearly indicates a very increased sensitivity to the effects of caffeine. And only for such people, coffee with hypertension will be categorically prohibited, since their consistently elevated blood pressure is a leading factor in the development of heart problems.

Is there an alternative?

Now you can see a huge number of different coffee recipes, some of which taste very, very vaguely like a coffee drink. However, for any type there are general recommendations:

1. It should be consumed no less than 1.5-2 hours after breakfast, and certainly not on an empty stomach - this feature is associated with stimulation of the parietal glands of the stomach.
2. You should drink it with water immediately to reduce the caffeine concentration as much as possible.
3. You should take coffee approximately 5-6 hours before bedtime.

Regarding all other drinks, you can also give some tips:

• Coffee with milk. Thanks to the presence of milk, the normal concentration of calcium ions is restored, which is very important for people over 50 years old, and in addition, its presence somewhat reduces the concentration of caffeine. Be that as it may, you should not drink more than 500 ml of latte or cappuccino per day, and if you prefer stronger options - like espresso or Americano with milk, then you should limit yourself to 300 ml.
• Green coffee. There is not much less caffeine in it than in black, so it has almost the same effect on hypertensive patients. You should not switch to it in order to take care of your blood pressure.
• Decaffeinated coffee. In fact, coffee cannot be decaffeinated - this compound is even found in coffee, since otherwise the drink would cease to have a therapeutic effect. The main thing is to understand that caffeine is present in any case, therefore, you should not get carried away with this drink too much and drink more than 6-7 cups a day. The special organic acids contained in grains are also important for vessels, so take a reasonable approach.
• Instant coffee. Hypertensive patients should avoid this drink in principle, because it contains even more caffeine than natural brewed coffee. Taking into account the fact that various chemical components are added to it: dyes, stabilizers, flavors, etc., which are not good for the heart, it will not be difficult to guess that drinking this drink will not lead to anything good.

What to choose: green tea or natural coffee

The healthiest type of coffee is brewed coffee, made from freshly ground beans and strained through a paper filter. It must be taken into account that a regular Turkish drink contains on average 100 mg of caffeine per 250 ml, and espresso – 500 mg. Adding milk to coffee in no way changes its mechanism of influence on the heart and blood vessels, but at the same time somewhat softens the bitter taste and the effect of caffeine on the gastric mucosa. The convenience of brewing instant coffee lies in the fact that it can easily be prepared in places where there is no usual utensils or source of fire (office, train, public institutions). Yes, this quality can safely be considered an undoubted advantage, however, the disadvantages of this drink associated with its effect on the human body a priori do not speak in its favor. But in such cases it would be advisable to prefer tea.

Traditional healers recommend that all hypertensive patients drink to normalize blood pressure levels. It has been scientifically proven that tea, thanks to its catechin content, gently lowers blood pressure, eliminates even severe ringing in the ears and perfectly relieves headache. Based on these considerations, patients with hypotension should not get carried away with it, but for hypertensive patients this drink will come in handy.

Green tea should be present in the daily diet of every hypertensive patient.

Tea leaves contain even slightly more caffeine than coffee, but in this case the substance will excite all organs without compromising their functioning:

1. The heart begins to beat much faster.
2. A person feels a significant surge of vitality.
3. No significant changes in blood pressure regulation are observed, but with acute form hypertension should be treated with great caution when consuming this drink.

Permissible doses

It has been reliably proven that people who drink coffee every day, even 2-3 cups, rarely begin to suffer from hypertension before old age. But as soon as the amount of drink consumed increases, the likelihood of a persistent increase in blood pressure increases by several orders of magnitude.

At excessive consumption coffee, the body gets used to it, and no longer perceives caffeine as a stimulant at all (to be more precise, it acts selectively on brain receptors, but the blood vessels do not change their tone). Those who only occasionally allow themselves to drink coffee if they have hypertension (but consume more than 3 standard cups of coffee per day) experience all the most unpleasant consequences: flushing of the face, tachycardia, increased SBP and DBP numbers. However, the impact is still purely individual, and depends on genetic predisposition, the type of dominant nervous system(sympathetic or parasympathetic) and the presence of concomitant diseases.

By the way, there is a certain group of genes that are directly responsible for how quickly caffeine is broken down. The slower this process goes, the safer it is to drink coffee, because this drink is absorbed slowly and does not cause a sharp reaction from the nervous and of cardio-vascular system. In old age, you should not overexert your willpower and give up your favorite drink, and 1-2 cups of weak coffee a day will even help maintain vascular health. Most importantly, remember that almost all types of coffee, except decaffeinated, have an almost identical effect on increasing blood pressure. Never drink coffee on an empty stomach, and also choose a weak drink diluted with milk or water.

Some interesting facts

Interesting information regarding the relationship between coffee consumption and blood pressure:

• You should not add it to the prepared coffee drink, but ground ginger or lemon will come in handy - they will help reduce increased cranial and intraocular pressure. While a cigarette is the worst enemy of a hypertensive person;
• At diabetes mellitus and pulse arrhythmia combined with hypertension, it is better to exclude coffee from the diet - in order to avoid unwanted, harmful consequences;
• There is evidence that coffee has a diuretic effect and may have some effect on kidney function, but this has not been scientifically proven - to date.
• Just like cigarettes, you can develop a real addiction to coffee. No matter how much you would like to drink more than 3 cups of this drink a day, don’t try it, as there is a high probability of developing chronic headaches and increased blood pressure, and the values ​​​​of this indicator can rise very high. You need to do whatever you can, but avoid abusing this drink – even completely. healthy people it is very harmful. And replacing it with chicory is also not an option, since it contains caffeine, although a little less.
• If the pressure level is too low, then The best way to influence it at home is to drink strong coffee with sugar. But raising blood pressure in this way must be done with great caution, since it is impossible to predict exactly how much the indicator may rise. Drink a small sip so that you don’t have to lower your blood pressure later, since a decrease in pressure, alternating with a rise, will cause severe general weakness. This way it will be possible to have a brief but noticeable effect.
• Coffee shows excellent compatibility with almost all drugs. It is clear that you should not take it together with antihypertensives, since in this case neither the upper nor the lower blood pressure readings will be able to decrease, but after 2-3 hours from the moment of taking them, weak coffee will not harm the body at all.

Among the many pleasures in life, there are some that are simply impossible to refuse. You can limit yourself to sweets and not sleep until lunch, but prohibiting yourself from enjoying the taste and aroma of freshly brewed coffee is an impossible task. If you are one of the ardent fans of this magical drink, then you are probably familiar with the effect it has on the heart and blood vessels. And if, despite this, you still treat yourself to a daily cup of hot espresso, then you understand the true essence of pleasure. And it lies in the fact that true joy always gives more benefit than harm.

However, health cannot be completely neglected. And it directly depends on the condition of the heart muscle and circulatory system generally. And although the lack of a direct connection between drinking coffee and the development of hypertension has already been scientifically proven, a certain reaction from the blood vessels still occurs. It is difficult to clearly judge whether coffee brings more harm or benefit. Like two sides of the same coin, it combines properties that can sometimes lead to opposite results. But the truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. And it depends on who, how and in what quantities drinks a cup of coffee.

Benefits of coffee
It is not for nothing that mentions of coffee are so often accompanied by the epithet “invigorating”. This drink, that is, coffee beans as the raw material for its preparation, contains alkaloids (mainly caffeine, as well as small amounts of guaranine and mateine). These compounds have the ability to dilate blood vessels. As a result, the myocardium begins to work more intensely, and at this moment we feel an acceleration of the heartbeat, which continues for some time.

During this time, you do not feel drowsy, and your performance, both physical and mental, increases. These processes are accompanied by an increase in blood pressure. That’s why for chronic hypotensive people, coffee is almost the only available way to wake up in the morning. Although, to be fair, it should be noted that strong tea, which also contains a lot of caffeine, also has a similar effect.

An increase in blood pressure after drinking coffee entails an increase in the overall tone of the body and activation of metabolism. Energy production is boosted, and we feel a surge of strength and optimism. The effect of caffeine on nervous and mental activity allows doctors to prescribe it as part of complex therapy for migraines, anemia and depression. In addition, it provokes a surge in the production of adrenaline and dopamine, which also promote activity and improve mood.

Among other positive aspects, it is worth paying attention to the benefits of coffee for asthmatics. By expanding the pulmonary vesicles, it stimulates the areas of the brain responsible for regulating breathing. Some studies have shown that it also reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the antioxidant properties of coffee. Thanks to them, this drink has established itself as a means of prevention. oncological diseases, especially the digestive organs and internal secretion. Having a beneficial effect on the production of gastric juice, it is indicated as a permanent component of the menu for people with low acidity.

Harm from coffee
Despite all the advantages listed above, caffeine still remains a fairly strong psychostimulant, and therefore should not be abused in any case. Immediately after consumption, it activates all the vital forces of the body, sharpens vision and hearing, and accelerates the heart rate. But after some time, the natural “pendulum effect” sets in with all the ensuing consequences. In other words, where something has expanded, it will certainly shrink back - this is exactly what happens with blood vessels already about 40 minutes after drinking coffee. Vibrating too frequently over a long period of time can gradually deplete nerve cells.

Heartbeat, accelerated by caffeine, increases the general excitability of the nervous system, preventing you from relaxing and falling asleep. This is a direct path to guaranteed insomnia, especially for people with hypertension, angina pectoris and an overly mobile psyche. In addition, vasodilation in the kidneys interferes with the process of reabsorption in the renal tubules. Hence the diuretic effect of coffee, in some cases leading to dehydration of the body.

The sensitivity of the brain's receptors to caffeine is so strong that over time they can change, adapting to its perception. An addiction forms, due to which the effect of coffee gradually decreases. However, in the event of a sudden cessation of caffeine intake, a painful lack of it is felt, accompanied by inhibition of reactions from the nervous system, fatigue, drowsiness, irritability, even depressive states.

Looking for a compromise
As you can see, there is no silver lining, and vice versa. In the case of coffee, this results in certain physiological reactions to its use and, of course, the formation of many social myths around this drink. The most popular of them is about the ability of coffee to increase blood pressure in everyone, and especially in those who already have high blood pressure. In practice, it turns out that coffee does affect blood pressure, but not quite as much or even not at all as is commonly believed and feared.

In patients with hypotension, coffee can perk up a little, but not so much that a significant therapeutic effect is noticeable. It is contraindicated for hypertensive patients only in the evenings, and only because increasing tone is of no use before bedtime. Contrary to popular belief, even the strongest coffee in the morning and throughout the day will not aggravate their condition, but will only support it. As for people with normal blood pressure, their reaction to a flavored drink is more psychological than physiological. It exists, and is quite noticeable, but has little connection with the cardiovascular system.

And finally, coffee beans contain a lot of potassium, which normalizes the activity of the heart muscle and strengthens it. With regular moderate consumption, coffee not only stabilizes blood pressure, but can also protect against myocardial infarction. But, if this does not convince you of its usefulness, then you can soften the effect of coffee by adding low-fat milk to a cup. And do not forget that all of the above applies exclusively to coffee brewed from natural ground beans. All instant drinks, and especially semi-finished coffee products and “2 in 1” and “3 in 1” mixes, have little in common with real coffee and have a completely different effect on the body.

Coffee today can perhaps be called the most popular drink. Most of us start our day with a cup of this aromatic and invigorating natural stimulant, which helps us wake up and get into the mood for work. At the same time, doctors note that the number of hypertensive patients is growing every year. Is coffee to blame for this and can people with high blood pressure indulge in this drink? Do different types of coffee raise or lower blood pressure? Do additives to it affect this?

How an invigorating drink can affect blood pressure

What will happen to the arterial blood: will it increase or decrease?

There is no consensus among doctors about whether coffee increases blood pressure or not. Some experts believe that when the nervous system is excited under the influence of caffeine, vascular spasm occurs, and this automatically provokes an increase in blood pressure. Why is this happening? Caffeine, entering the body, blocks receptors sensitive to adenosine, as a result of which the substance that ensures the maintenance of the required lumen of the arteries does not work, and the vessels spasm. And the narrower the bloodstream, the more pressure liquids in it.

In addition, caffeine activates the synthesis of adrenaline and cortisol in the adrenal glands, which leads to an increase in blood pressure levels. According to cardiologists, two to three cups of the drink can lead to an increase in blood pressure by 4-14 mmHg. As a rule, this happens in cases where a person does not have the habit of regularly drinking coffee. “Coffee lovers” develop a certain addiction to caffeine, and the body no longer reacts to it so sharply, although it is enough to lose a sense of proportion regarding the amount of drink consumed to get a negative result.

Moreover, each body reacts to caffeine individually. If a healthy person drinks coffee, blood pressure levels do not change noticeably. In hypertensive patients, a different picture is observed: the drink, when consumed once, can provoke hypertensive crisis, and if constant, it has virtually no effect on changes in blood pressure. It is curious that 12–15% of black coffee drinkers even experience a slight drop in blood pressure.

In order to determine how much coffee affects your blood pressure, you can regularly measure your blood pressure with a tonometer for several days half an hour before and half an hour after drinking the drink. If the difference in readings is 7–10 mm Hg. Art., you should be careful with coffee and other drinks containing caffeine. If the increase in blood pressure is not critical, drinking one or two cups per day is allowed. A good solution is to replace regular coffee with decaffeinated coffee.

In addition to the possible negative effect on hypertensive patients, coffee can also provoke attacks of tachycardia in some patients. For such people, it is better to give up the drink or switch to coffee that does not contain caffeine.

Can it lower intracranial

The reasons for increased intracranial pressure are of a completely different nature than those that provoke the development of arterial hypertension. The main factor in this case is not pathologies of the cardiovascular system, but a violation of the outflow/circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, which can lead to:

• brain injuries;
• hematomas;
• aneurysms;
• neoplasms (benign and malignant);
• meningitis;
• encephalitis.

Neurologists for traumatic, infectious and vascular lesions of the brain, on the contrary, recommend that patients drink coffee, which lowers intracranial pressure. This is due to the stimulating effect of caffeine on the cerebral cortex and the vasoconstrictor effect of ergotamine, which is part of the drink. Thus, coffee is beneficial for increased intracranial pressure.

Video: Opinion on the advisability of drinking black coffee for hypertension

Different types of coffee drink - different effects on the body?

Different types of coffee contain different amounts of caffeine and therefore may have different effects on blood pressure. Therefore, first of all, it is advisable to choose a variety that will have the most gentle effect on the body. The table of caffeine content in the most popular varieties of bean/ground coffee will help you with this:

Here you can clearly see which varieties are better to prefer when blood pressure rises.

The question is: which drink has less effect on blood pressure - instant or ground? Many people prefer instant coffee, and it is no coincidence that such coffee can be prepared very quickly. It’s enough to have powder or granules, boiling water, pour one over the other - and you’re done! However, natural ground coffee has a gentler effect on the body and, in addition, its taste and aroma cannot be compared with the taste of an instant drink, as well as its beneficial properties. Natural coffee, unlike instant coffee, has antioxidant properties and prevents the development of atherosclerosis. An important point is the method of brewing it - too long an extraction, traditional for oriental methods of preparation, when the Turk is heated for a long time and repeatedly in hot sand, nothing good for the body does not carry.

Instant coffee varieties cannot be considered completely natural, since synthetic flavor enhancers are usually added to the finished product. True, in more expensive types instant drink includes natural essential oils. In addition, the cheapest coffee beans are usually used to make instant coffee. Powder or granules are essentially no different. In order to obtain a granulated drink, the powder is once again moistened and pressed into crystals. True, the instant drink contains slightly less caffeine, but this does not make it more preferable for consumption.

What if you add lemon or milk?

No matter what we add to coffee, the amount of caffeine in it will remain the same - hence the conclusion: its effect on blood pressure will not change. But of course you can influence the taste in this way. There are those who like to drink coffee with milk, lemon, cream, egg yolk - these additives give the drink a refined touch and make it softer, but only in terms of taste. Coffee with milk or cream does not irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.

What is better to drink: natural coffee or tea?

Proponents of the assertion that coffee is harmful to hypertensive patients, and tea is beneficial, are absolutely wrong. Firstly, as we have already found out, dosed consumption of coffee will not harm the majority of patients suffering from arterial hypertension, and secondly, tea also contains a considerable amount of caffeine, even green tea.

The effect of strong tea on the body is almost identical to how coffee affects it. Therefore, when drinking tea, you need to control the strength of its brewing and in the same way monitor the blood pressure reaction. For hypotension, strong tea, like coffee, can effectively normalize blood pressure. Let's make a reservation that we mean a leaf drink, and not tea dust in paper bags.

If the body reacts negatively to coffee, cardiologists recommend replacing it with 2-3 cups of weakly brewed tea per day - this will help stabilize blood pressure.

What conclusions can be drawn?

• If you notice that a cup of coffee significantly affects the increase in blood pressure, you will have to give up this drink. As a last resort, if you are a desperate coffee lover, occasionally allow yourself a cup of not too strong drink. You can also try switching to decaffeinated coffee.

Examples of instant decaffeinated drinks

• For patients suffering from tachycardia, it is better to refrain from drinking coffee: cardiopalmus- the phenomenon is quite dangerous, it can get out of control.
• For those who do not have problems with high blood pressure, natural coffee is recommended because it is good for health. But we should not lose our sense of proportion. How much to drink? Three cups a day will be enough.
• For hypotensive people, coffee is an excellent way to normalize low blood pressure. The drink also has the same normalizing effect in case of high intracranial pressure.
• You should not drink this invigorating drink in the evening - it can lead to sleep disturbances.
• Try to brew natural coffee. It is better to avoid soluble ones.

You shouldn’t give up coffee without serious reasons. You just need to consume this aromatic invigorating drink wisely and in moderation. Observe your body's reaction and act accordingly.

Do you remember in the film “The Diamond Arm” the words of the hero played by Andrei Mironov: “I need to take a bath, drink a cup of coffee”? This was the only way he could shake off the remnants of sleep.

Most people directly associate the fact that coffee invigorates and helps restore strength with its ability to increase blood pressure and equate these phenomena.

Coffee is truly a natural energy booster., has a stimulating effect on the body as a whole - here the heartbeat increases, and the perception of the surrounding world is more acute.

However, doctors still do not give a clear answer to the question of what effect coffee has on blood pressure.

In most cases, it actually increases, however has the opposite effect on some people– provokes lethargy, drowsiness. Find out why coffee makes you sleepy in our article.

Doctors see the reasons for this in the individual characteristics of the body and believe that the mechanism of such an effect should be carefully studied.

We told you which tea raises and which lowers blood pressure.

How does coffee affect blood pressure: does it increase or decrease it?

The body's typical reaction to a cup of coffee is pretty clear. Available in drink caffeine enters the blood and provokes vasospasm. The result of this is an increase in pressure. We recommend our detailed article on how coffee affects blood vessels - according to.

The dependence is direct. Caffeine also manages to block the functioning of a substance in the body called adenosine, due to which a person experiences drowsiness and loses alertness.

And also caffeine promotes adrenaline production, which also infuses new strength into the body, and sleep disappears as if by hand. Here in general outline diagram of the effects of coffee on the body.

What happens to a person from a medical point of view? After drinking coffee:

• blood vessels dilate;
• the work of the heart becomes more intense;
• breathing quickens;
• the work of the central nervous system is stimulated;
• pressure increases (taking into account the individual characteristics of a particular person).

The question of whether blood pressure increases or decreases after drinking coffee has repeatedly become the subject of scientific research.

And here's what we found out. If a healthy person drinks coffee, the pressure changes slightly. In hypertensive patients, the jump can be noticeable and even dangerous to health.

But 15 percent of the people who drink coffee and were in the field of research reacted unexpectedly to the invigorating drink - evidence was obtained that drinking coffee even slightly lowers the numbers on the blood pressure monitor.

And further scientists came to the following conclusion: if people regularly drink coffee, then they react to it more calmly, without sudden surges in blood pressure - the body simply gets used to caffeine and if any changes occur, they are not too violent.

Doctors also dotted the i’s on the question of What kind of coffee raises blood pressure?. It turns out that any: instant, natural ground, green coffee and even coffee with milk, since it just has a lower concentration of this product, not to mention (hypertensive patients should be especially careful with this drink).

And you also need closely monitor your well-being and, if your blood pressure begins to worsen, make a courageous decision and switch from coffee to something more healthy drink, which high pressure reduces.

You should also know that if intracranial pressure is higher than normal, caffeine is generally contraindicated. It causes vasospasm, and the patient needs them, on the contrary, to be wider - this normalizes blood circulation and relieves unpleasant symptoms, for example, headaches.

Those who have vision problems also have to be careful with this invigorating drink: Coffee (as well as black tea) increases eye pressure. It may be dangerous.

Does it cause cardiac ischemia?

Not long ago, Italian researchers conducted an experiment involving two dozen volunteers to find out what effect coffee has on heart function. Every morning, people drank a cup of espresso, and then fell into the hands of researchers.

It turned out that within an hour the coronary blood flow decreased in intensity by approximately by twenty percent. Even to the inexperienced medical issues it is clear to the person that the normal functioning of the heart has been disrupted.

The Italians came to this conclusion: if heart patients drink coffee, then even a small cup of espresso can cause heart pain and disruptions in peripheral circulation.

But for a healthy person, whose body easily copes with such problems, coffee does not pose a real danger, and therefore cannot cause coronary artery disease.

And more about scientific research. For ten years, scientists from our country have observed a large group of patients. The subject of their study was the following: Can coffee cause coronary artery disease?.

It turned out that people who consumed the invigorating drink in large quantities suffered from coronary insufficiency no more often than those who did not drink coffee at all. This allowed us to conclude that coffee does not cause cardiac ischemia.

However, doctors never cease to remind us that healthy people need to observe moderation in everything related to coffee, and those with heart problems should refuse a cup of coffee for their own good.

What besides coffee raises blood pressure?

Low blood pressure is not only alarming numbers on the tonometer, it is also discomfort that you want to deal with as quickly as possible: weakness, spots in the eyes, and sometimes ringing in the ears.

In addition to various pharmaceutical drugs many hypotensive people An affordable and tasty medicine helps - a cup of coffee.

Black tea too contributes to blood pressure approaching normal (we are already talking about the effect it has on the body).

If none of these options suits you, you can raise low blood pressure in other ways.

When a patient bets on medications, he can buy it at the pharmacy(optional):

• caffeine tablets;
• tincture of ginseng (it has a cumulative rather than one-time effect on the body);
• Eleutherococcus extract;
• lemongrass tincture;
• cordiamin in drops (this remedy is taken once, it is considered potent).

Helps increase blood pressure and a whole arsenal of folk remedies:

• tea with thyme;
• herbal mixture composed of yarrow, tansy, immortelle and prickly steelhead;
• Rhodiola rosea tea (the roots of this plant are poured with boiling water and infused in a thermos);
• ginseng drink (from the dried roots of the plant).

Doctors advise not to get carried away with the same drug for a long time, so that the body does not get used to it. You can drink tea with thyme for one month, and then switch, for example, to a ginseng drink.

And also To normalize blood pressure it is very important to drink juices. The most useful for raising blood pressure: apple, pomegranate, tomato, grape, carrot.

Coffee, more often than other products, becomes a stumbling block in medical disputes. He either falls into disgrace, or is unexpectedly and unconditionally rehabilitated.

In such circumstances, each person simply needs to remember that the truth is always somewhere in the middle, and the abuse of even the most healthy products may lead to negative consequences.