Does Coffee Raise Blood Pressure?

Your morning cup of Joe has a multitude of desirable traits - but does Coffee raise blood pressure? This is a particularly important consideration if you’re trying to take extra care of your ticker. The reality, though, is that high blood pressure can occur in almost anyone, so it’s worth knowing the facts at the best of times. We’ll help you uncover the truth in the following article. Read on to learn more.

We’ll start by exploring what blood pressure means and why, exactly, it is essential to your health and wellbeing. Naturally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also explain the significance between Coffee and blood pressure before determining whether choosing an alternative is a worthwhile endeavour. Just don’t forget to browse our quality-assured Tea and Coffee selection afterwards - you won’t be disappointed.

What is Blood Pressure?

The term “blood pressure” refers to a measure of force that your heart requires to pump blood around the body. It is calculated in millimetres of mercury (mmHg), specifically through two figures known as systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. The former is the pressure of your heart pushing blood out. The latter is the pressure your heart needs when resting between beats.

There is a little more to it than that. However, perhaps most vital to recognise is the ideal blood pressure, which is between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg. This means that your systolic pressure is between 90mmHg and 120mmHg, while your diastolic pressure is between 60mmHHg and 80mmHg. When you’re reaching the territory of 140/90mmHg, you’re heading towards high blood pressure.

Numerous unhealthy lifestyle habits can contribute to high blood pressure, from smoking and drinking too much alcohol to excessive weight gain and not exercising enough. When left unchecked, it can increase your risk of developing several chronic conditions, such as kidney disease and coronary heart disease. We move on now to why you’re reading in the first place: Does Coffee raise blood pressure?

Does Coffee Raise Blood Pressure?

Caffeine consumption may lead to a short yet sizable increase in your blood pressure - often despite having healthy levels. Evidence exists in a review of 34 scientific studies. The research in question established that 200-300mg of the stimulant caused an average increase of 8mmHg in systolic pressure and 6mmHg in diastolic pressure. These effects of caffeine lasted for three hours after consumption.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear why and how Coffee affects blood pressure. Some scientists theorise that caffeine blocks a hormone that helps keep your arteries widened. Other experts believe that it causes your adrenal glands to release more adrenaline, which, in turn, prompts raised blood pressure. Responses differ from person to person, although, interestingly, drinking Coffee regularly seems to counter the spike.

Bizarre while it might sound on the surface, the simplest explanation is that habitual consumers develop a caffeine tolerance. Those who have it infrequently, on the other hand, are more susceptible to unexpected side effects - not least the short-term correlation between Coffee and blood pressure. The next question is whether the same facts apply to drinking Decaffeinated Coffee for blood pressure.

Does Coffee Increase Blood Pressure When Decaffeinated?

“Decaf” (short for “Decaffeinated”) is the process by which Coffee has its caffeine content removed. People choose it for various reasons, including being worried about caffeine’s influence on their health and wellbeing. Does Decaf Coffee constrict blood vessels, even just over a short period, the same way that “regular” Coffee does? The preliminary evidence could surprise you.

Swiss researchers have recently found that people experience elevated blood pressure and increased nervous system activity when drinking a triple espresso - regardless of whether it contains caffeine. The result suggests that some unknown constituent in Coffee Beans, rather than the caffeine itself, is responsible for cardiovascular activation. But there is one other option worth considering.

An Alternative is Hibiscus Tea for Blood Pressure

A quick recap: You’re now aware that Coffee can cause high blood pressure. However, its effects appear to be limited to a matter of hours. You know, too, that Decaffeinated Coffee for blood pressure has a similar influence, indicating that caffeine isn’t the only chemical compound to blame - if at all. The bottom line is that Coffee, no matter the type, has a short-term ability to increase blood pressure.

The alternative infusion of choice doesn’t derive from beans, nor even Tea leaves in the conventional sense, but Hibiscus Flowers. When brewed, Hibiscus Tea Benefits goes beyond maintaining blood pressure and, in fact, lowers it. A 2008 study has the details. It showed that three cups of the Herbal Tea a day could make a small yet significant difference to your cardiovascular health.

Sixty-five volunteers aged between 30 to 70 - all of whom were considered “at-risk” from high blood pressure - were split into two groups. The first group consumed Hibiscus Tea three times daily, while the second group received a placebo. Six weeks later, the first group showed an average decrease of 7.2% in blood pressure, with some recording a 13.2% fall. The placebo group, in comparison, had a 1.3% drop.

Summary to Coffee Blood Pressure

There we have it: Coffee does raise blood pressure, if only for a short while. Decaf Coffee likewise appears to increase levels - but again, its impact is arguably minimal. You can avoid these effects altogether, of course, with a cup of Hibiscus Tea instead. Be sure to buy from The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company, where every product is packed fresh to order.

Author: Richard Smith

Partner at The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company

Richard Smith is a Tea expert, entrepreneur, and owner of The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company. Part of a family of renowned Tea planters dating back four generations, he was born in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, where he spent his childhood between Tea Estates in Assam and Darjeeling.

In the late 1970s, having accumulated years of knowledge in the industry, Mr Smith and his mother, Janet Smith, moved to Kent, South East England, to establish a Tea business in the village of Pluckley. Their early days of packing Tea Bags by hand from chests of 10,000 prompted the creation of the company’s flagship infusion known as Pluckley Tea. It remains our most popular product today.

Mr Smith, who studied economics at London Polytechnic, has since specialised in over 1,000 types of Loose Leaf Tea - in addition to around 70 varieties of Roast Coffee - from around the world. These are now available at The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company, where everything is still packed by hand and fresh to order, not only to honour tradition but to ensure the utmost quality and consistency.