Is it possible to drink coffee if after it the heartbeat quickens

In the modern world, coffee has become a very popular drink, especially among people living in the fast pace of big cities. It owes its wide distribution around the world to its main property - the ability to invigorate even a very tired person and raise his tone. However, despite all the practical usefulness, coffee can hardly be called a healthy product. The invigorating effect when drinking coffee can adversely affect the state of the circulatory system, causing disruptions in it. Therefore, lovers of this grain drink need to know how to use the drink correctly in order to avoid health consequences, and whether it is possible to use it already having heart ailments. For example, tachycardia.

Tachycardia: signs, types, association with coffee consumption

Tachycardia is a type of arrhythmia that manifests itself in the acceleration of the heart rate - more than 100 beats per minute. In addition to the accelerated heart rate, signs of tachycardia can be considered: weakness and malaise; dizziness and faintness; aching pain in the chest; feeling short of breath.

1. Natural tachycardia is the body's response to external stimuli: heavy physical exertion, stress, emotional outbursts, taking certain medications. As a rule, such tachycardia eventually passes by itself, when stressful conditions for the body cease to act.
2. Pathological tachycardia is a sign of diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as diseases of other systems: nervous and endocrine.

Tachycardia is also divided into sinus, ectopic and flickering:

1. With sinus tachycardia, the heart rate is more than 100, but less than 200 beats per minute due to an increase in the activity of the sinus node that sets the heartbeat. The heart rate slowly increases and also gradually returns to normal. Sinus tachycardia is a sign of heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction. It can also appear in stressful situations.
2. Ectopic tachycardia occurs as a result of excessive excitation in the ventricles or atria. It, unlike the previous case, manifests itself in attacks - it comes on sharply and also abruptly disappears. The heart rate reaches up to 200 beats per minute. Ectopic tachycardia develops as a result of inflammatory, necrotic, dystrophic or sclerotic lesions of the heart.
3. Flickering tachycardia (atrial fibrillation) is a case of tachycardia in which the heart rate fluctuates between 300 and 700 beats per minute. Pathology is the result of impaired conduction in the tissues of the heart, as a result of which part of the electrical impulses do not reach the ventricles. Therefore, with flickering tachycardia, the atria contract more often than the ventricles. Flickering tachycardia occurs as a result of damage to the heart muscle against the background of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, myocarditis, valve insufficiency or stenosis.

Thus, heart palpitations after coffee can be attributed to the body's normal reaction to caffeine in the composition of the drink. From this we can conclude that coffee is not a direct cause of pathological, systematically appearing tachycardia, but its use aggravates the situation if a person is prone to heart disease and already has some of them in history - for example, hypertension. In this case, the load on the unhealthy heart increases, which can provoke the development of the disease.

Pathological tachycardia can lead to disorders of blood dynamics (hemodynamics) in the human body.

Due to the disturbed rhythm of the heart, the ventricles do not have time to fill with blood, as a result, the volume of its ejection decreases and, as a result, the blood flow to organs and tissues decreases. This pathology is dangerous to health and can be a catalyst for the development of coronary disease and myocardial infarction. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the frequency of your heartbeat and consult a doctor in a timely manner at the first manifestations of tachycardia, not caused by the influence of external stimuli.

The effect of caffeine on a healthy heart and the heart of a person with tachycardia

Coffee excites the nervous system, and also activates the activity of the cardiovascular system due to the presence of caffeine in the composition. The heartbeat becomes more frequent, the rhythm of the pulse also begins to quicken, the vascular tone increases. As a result, a person is toned up physically and intellectually: thought processes are accelerated, a surge of strength appears. Therefore, drinking a couple of cups of coffee a day is possible and even necessary, especially for people suffering from low blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome and lack of sleep.

• aortic stenosis;
• stroke and myocardial infarction;
• atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels;
• varicose veins.

Coffee with arrhythmia of the heart is also contraindicated. Due to the fact that caffeine stimulates hemodynamics, there is an increase in blood pressure and an acceleration of the heartbeat. This can cause disruptions in the heart rhythm and lead to the progression of tachycardia, especially for people already suffering from this disease.

If after drinking a grain drink there is a feeling of lack of air, it becomes stuffy, sweating appears, then this can be considered signs of tachycardia. In this case, it is recommended to lie down and before that be sure to drink a few glasses of water. Water will lower the caffeine content in the body, and over time it will become easier.

An alternative for coffee lovers: what drinks to replace and which ones are better to refuse

Arrhythmia and coffee are quite compatible things, provided there are no serious heart diseases.

1. Avoid instant coffee. This product contains a lot of harmful additives and preservatives, which in itself is harmful to health. For a sick body, the load from such coffee is doubled. In addition, instant coffee contains more caffeine than beans. Preference should be given to natural grain coffee and, if possible, brew it yourself.
2. Ordering coffee in unfamiliar coffee shops is also not worth it if you are not sure about the quality of the product produced there. It is not known by what technology and from what raw materials drinks are prepared in such places.
3. Decaffeinated coffee is a product that should also be avoided. The fact is that in most cases, the decaffeination of grains is carried out using chemicals - methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. With the help of these substances, caffeine is completely removed from the product, however, all its beneficial properties are removed along with it. The benefit of contacting chemicals with grains is also questionable.
4. Many people, having decided to give up real coffee, successfully replace it with chicory. Chicory drink does not contain caffeine and at the same time it has an almost identical taste and aroma to coffee. Chicory calms the nervous system, reduces anxiety, helps fight stress. Thus, the effect of chicory is opposed to the effect of coffee, which can be useful for people living in constant stress.

If it is impossible to make a decision to give up coffee due to habit or other reasons, then you should adhere to the following recommendations: drink no more than two cups of coffee a day; do not drink coffee with sugar, as a sweetened drink is more likely to cause tachycardia; add milk or cream to coffee - this helps prevent the removal of trace elements from the body; After coffee, drink 1-2 glasses of water - this will reduce the concentration of caffeine in the body.