Why Does Caffeine Make Me Short Of Breath?

Coffee is a popular beverage and is known for its many health benefits. However, many people find it difficult to breathe after drinking coffee; there seems to be a connection between caffeine and shortness of breath. We’ve put together a lot of research and found out why caffeine makes it hard for you to breathe.

With moderate amounts of caffeine, users will not experience some health-related symptoms. However, suppose the user consumes excessive amounts of caffeine. In that case, the body will not immediately react but, after a few hours, will begin to appear symptoms such as dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, thirst, and insomnia. Early or related to blood pressure and cardiovascular. In addition, more severe symptoms may occur for some people, such as difficulty breathing, hallucinations, memory loss, chest tightness, and heart palpitations.

coffee-cup-beans-on-table
Coffee cup and coffee beans on table

In addition, caffeine also leads to heartburn and worsens GERD symptoms. GERD is a gastroesophageal reflux disease because the amount of gastric juice that flows back up into the esophagus is more than the limit. Caffeine is a factor that relaxes the sphincter in the esophageal tube, which can easily cause acid reflux.

The root cause of shortness of breath and other symptoms is that caffeine stimulates the release of epinephrine, norepinephrine in the adrenal glands. Therefore, the body produces its hormone to stimulate the activity of cells and speed up the reactions occurring in the body. Therefore, when consuming too much caffeine, the heart will beat faster, leading to blood pressure problems and making it difficult for the user to breathe.

Can Caffeine Cause Shallow Breathing?

After drinking caffeine, users often experience shortness of breath when exercising, climbing stairs, or being overactive. Caffeine may be the cause of your shallow breathing. This is not a common symptom of caffeine in users. If you are in this situation, you should pay attention to your caffeine consumption and your body’s sensitivity to caffeine. Caffeine can make you feel short of breath, shallow breathing, or create certain conditions related to heart disease and blood pressure worse.

structural-chemical-formula-caffeine-molecule-roasted
Structural chemical formula of caffeine molecule with roasted coffee beans and wooden spoon filled with coffee powder

If users consume moderate amounts of caffeine suitable for the body, there will be no side effects, but when users use too much, it will lead to many side effects. The limit level of each body will be at different levels. According to some studies, the limit of caffeine should be within 400mg of the average body. You should not use higher than 400mg. Otherwise, it will lead to problems related to heart disease, increased heart rate, blood pressure, and difficulty breathing. A temporary increase in heart rate will lead to arrhythmias, making the body feel short of breath, lightheaded, chest pain, and raised blood pressure.

In addition, excessive caffeine also causes shallow breathing, stimulates the heart rate, blocks oxygen to the brain, and leads to more adverse conditions for the brain and heart. Besides, in many cases, caffeine with the right level will help the body treat shortness of breath and support people with tight lungs and asthma. You should use caffeine in the right amount to improve your health.

What Does Caffeine Do To Your Breathing?

Caffeine affects almost every crucial part of the body when it is consumed. In addition to stimulating the central nervous system to make the body feel more awake and alert, caffeine also affects breathing rate and symptoms related to the lungs. Therefore, you can use caffeine to improve your lung health, but excessive use will lead to health-related sequelae. You should know the appropriate level of caffeine for your health to use it effectively.

white-cup-coffee-sprinkled-beans
A white cup of coffee with sprinkled coffee beans

Caffeine increases the nervous system’s activity, leading to an increase in heart rate and breathing rate; when heart rate and breathing rate increase, blood and oxygen will be supplied to the body more. The increased amount of blood and oxygen entering the body helps to increase energy. If users use too much caffeine, it will dilate the bronchi excessively and dilute the air that passes through; the respiratory muscles will overwork, leading to lung conditions. These effects all-cause resistance on the airways of caffeine users and increase the flow of air to and from the lungs continuously, making it difficult for the user to breathe or constantly gasp.

Caffeine increases the heart rate and can also strain the heart and lungs, especially for people who already have shortness of breath or other lung-related symptoms. In addition, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema should also not use a lot of caffeine to avoid adverse effects and make the treatment worse.

Can Too Much Caffeine Cause Chest Pain And Shortness Of Breath?

Caffeine does not always cause adverse health effects. However, too much caffeine can lead to chest pain and shortness of breath problems. You should worry about the impact of caffeine on the heart and lungs when you use it and feel chest pain and shortness of breath.

For coffee lovers, excessive use may lead to highly harmful habits.

Chest pain is the most apparent impact of coffee on the cardiovascular health of users. According to studies, people who regularly drink caffeine will have a high risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and affected nerve activities. In the short time of using caffeine, users should pay attention to the expression of the body, especially the heart.

close-senior-man-pouring-hot-coffee
Close up of senior man pouring hot coffee from french press in kitchen during breakfast

In addition to chest pain, people who use a lot of caffeine quickly experience shortness of breath. The cause is due to a sharp increase in cardiac output, which stimulates the respiratory center to dilate the pulmonary and bronchial vessels quickly. If you have problems related to lung function, you should only consume coffee in moderation to avoid continuous damage to your lungs. If you are or have had a heart attack or severe asthma, you should especially avoid caffeine to avoid worsening the condition.

However, caffeine is not entirely bad for health. With a healthy body, without heart and lung problems, caffeine is an excellent antioxidant and reduces the high risk of heart disease, and should be consumed in moderation daily.

Thus, caffeine and shortness of breath are deeply linked. If you use caffeine at the right level for your body, it will be perfect for your health. However, excessive caffeine use can lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, and dizziness in many people.