Even the most passionate coffee-drinkers aren’t immune to coffee intolerance. So if you’ve been feeling dizzy after your morning cup lately, there are a few things that you should be aware of.
Why Does Coffee Make You Dizzy?
If you’ve been drinking a few cups of coffee every day for the past 5 years, you might be shocked to discover that you have caffeine intolerance.
It is also important to keep in mind that the risk of developing caffeine intolerance increases as you age.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter how many cups of coffee you’ve been able to drown in a day without any side effects.
Caffeine intolerance can affect anyone. However, being aware of the reasons why this happens can make it easier to deal with the issue.
Whether you need to reduce your coffee intake or need to make other lifestyle changes, it is important to understand the cause behind it.
So if you’ve been questioning why the world starts spinning around after a few sips of coffee, here are a few things that could be causing it.
Coffee is a Natural Stimulant
An alarming number of people treat coffee as some sort of liquid breakfast. Most of them even start consuming it on an empty stomach before even having a toast in the morning.
What we seemingly forget is that caffeine is, in essence, a drug and a stimulant at that. You wouldn’t want to start your day with cocaine, would you?
Yet, you wouldn’t bat an eye before taking caffeine on an empty stomach.
Once coffee enters the system, it passes through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) within minutes. This is why you start experiencing the effects in just 5 to 30 minutes after having coffee.
The autonomic nervous system is stimulated by caffeine. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling involuntarily processes such as digestion and heart rate.
This means that while caffeine can improve mental function and increase energy, it can also lead to increased heart rate and rapid breath.
As a result, regular or over-consumption of caffeine can make you dizzy and even nauseous.
It Elevates Adrenaline and Cortisol Levels
Have you ever had one too many cups of coffee and felt like you were having a panic attack? This is something that a lot of people experience.
Caffeine tends to mimic the body’s natural reaction to stress by elevating adrenaline and cortisol levels in the brain. This is why you may feel anxious or panicky after drinking too much coffee.
However, coffee counters this effect by triggering certain feel-good chemicals, such as dopamine. This is what prevents you from giving up coffee entirely.
Caffeine addiction is considered to be a dependency instead of a true addiction. It is because the dopamine that coffee releases happens in the prefrontal cortex instead of nucleus accumbens like other traditional drugs.
That being said, the combined effect of all of these can make a person feel dizzy, especially if you’ve been dependent on caffeine for a while.
How to Feel Better If You’re Experiencing Dizziness After Drinking Coffee?
If you cannot start your morning without a cup of coffee, suddenly feeling dizzy due to it can make you feel even more anxious.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to feel better if you’ve noticed you’re becoming more sensitive toward caffeine. Here are a few things you should try.
No More Coffee for the Day
No matter how much you’re craving coffee, the worst thing you can do if you’re feeling dizzy due to coffee is drinking another cup that day.
Similar to a hangover, it would take at least 4 to 6 hours for your body to recover from the caffeine intake. But if you’re sensitive to caffeine, it will take you much longer.
The best thing you can do in such a situation is to completely let go of coffee for the day. Additionally, you might want to avoid anything that contains caffeine, such as tea, soda, and energy drinks.
If you are experiencing caffeine-induced dizziness for the first time, this ought to solve the problem for the time being.
However, if it is becoming a regular problem, you will likely have to make other lifestyle changes to accommodate your coffee habits.
Drink Plenty of Water
Another quick cure for dizziness is water. This will quickly reduce the effects of caffeine and make you feel better for the time being.
Additionally, coffee jitters can sometimes be enhanced due to dehydration. If you have a habit of forgetting to drink water, maybe fixing that can reduce your risk of getting dizzy after coffee.
Since caffeine is a diuretic, it is important to make up what is being peed out by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.
Another benefit of staying hydrated is that it metabolizes caffeine. This can enable you to get back to your daily activities in no time.
Therefore, if coffee is making you sick or dizzy, just reaching for a glass of water can cause a significant positive effect.
Don’t Drink Coffee on an Empty Stomach
No matter how tempting it may feel to drink coffee the first thing in the morning, do not give in to the urge. Remember, caffeine on an empty stomach can be extremely harmful.
Caffeine causes an acid build-up in the stomach. If you haven’t eaten anything, the acid build-up can cause a lot of harm to the stomach lining.
Just having a toast or even some wheat biscuits can make the caffeine much less dangerous for your stomach.
However, you should always try to have a proper breakfast in the morning. In addition to making it safer to drink coffee in the morning, having breakfast daily has many other benefits.
Exercise
No, you don’t have to skip work and hit the gym as soon as you experience coffee jitters. Besides, you may not feel any motivation to do so if you’re feeling dizzy in the first place.
However, building the habit of exercising on a regular basis can significantly reduce your risk of experiencing dizziness caused by caffeine.
Regular exercising can boost your metabolism. This enables your body to process caffeine more quickly and helps you feel more refreshed and rejuvenated.
Just hitting the gym 4 to 5 times a week for 25 to 30 minutes can prove to be very beneficial. Additionally, it can make you less vulnerable to caffeine sensitivity.
Try Some Deep Breathing
You’d be surprised at how many ways deep breathing can benefit you.
If you’ve had too much caffeine, it could cause your heart rate to accelerate. This could then lead to health palpitations, which might be the cause behind the jittery and dizzy feeling.
By taking a minute to relax, you let your body know that it is at rest. This won’t remove the effects of caffeine entirely, but it will help you feel a little easier.
So move away from any crowds or noises and take a moment to yourself. Practice some deep breathing exercises until you feel less overwhelmed.
Switch to Decaf
If the thought of switching to decaf makes you cringe, you’re not alone. Decaf coffee does come with a negative connotation attached to it.
However, the main reason behind this bad reputation is the low-quality decaf coffees that fill the market shelves to the brim.
Finding high-quality decaf coffee may be challenging, but it isn’t impossible. All you have to do is look for a label that says Swiss Water Decaf.
This method of roasting coffee retains all the delicious flavor of the coffee beans while removing up to 99% of the caffeine content. Additionally, it contains no harmful chemicals.
You might have to sacrifice the “wake me up” feeling you get after drinking your morning coffee. However, if the dizziness is regular, it could mean that it is time to reassess your caffeine intake.
How Much Coffee is Too Much Coffee
If you want to ensure that you never have to experience caffeine-induced dizziness or jitters, you can start practicing moderation early on.
The ideal recommendation for adults is to not exceed caffeine consumption of more than 400 mg. This is roughly the equivalent of four 8 oz. cups of black coffee or ten 355 ml cans of Cola.
If you manage to stay below this recommendation, you shouldn’t be experiencing any side effects in the long run. This is why it is important to practice some moderation when it comes to consuming coffee.
However, if you’re regularly experiencing dizziness after drinking coffee and nothing from the above list is helping, it may be time to consult a doctor.
There is a low chance that there might be an underlying that needs to be addressed.
Bottom Line
Overall, you don’t need to entirely give up coffee if you’re experiencing jitters or dizziness after your morning cup.
However, taking some precautions can make it much safer to consume your morning coffee without any side effects.
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