1. Wake up
2. Make bed
3. Brew a cup (or two) of coffee

Does this morning routine sound familiar to you? If you’re like two out of every three Americans who incorporate coffee into their daily routine, it just might.

Coffee may be the reason to get out of the bed in the morning, or what you go to bed dreaming about, but how much of a good thing is too much?

Let’s spill the beans.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends keeping your daily caffeine consumption under 400 milligrams. A regular brewed non-specialty cup of 12-ounce coffee has anywhere from 113 to 247 milligrams of caffeine, so that’s about two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee.

But coffee is unlikely to be your only source of caffeine for the day. Soft drinks, green tea, black tea, energy drinks and even dark chocolate and decaf coffee contain caffeine. Take these into consideration when calculating your daily allowance (most packaged goods will include the amount on the nutrition label).

Symptoms of Too Much Caffeine

Just like everyone’s coffee order is unique, so is everyone’s caffeine tolerance. If you’ve had too much coffee to drink, you may experience:

• Heart palpitations
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Jitters
• Nausea
• Headache

Take these symptoms as a sign to try cutting back on your coffee intake. Everyone’s body reacts differently, so your tolerance for coffee, especially if you’re a new coffee drinker, may be lower than the recommendation outlined by the FDA.

Caffeine and Your Blood Pressure

Caffeine may or may not increase your blood pressure, for some who are used to a certain amount of caffeine, it may not affect your blood pressure at all. However, for those who are not used to caffeine, it may temporarily spike your blood pressure.

Headed to the doctor soon and know your blood pressure will be checked? For a normal reading, it might be best to wake up early and drink your coffee up to 30 minutes to an hour before the start of your appointment or wait until after your appointment for your morning jolt of caffeine.

Some individuals do notice that their heart rate increases slightly after consuming caffeine, or they may experience palpitations after drinking too much. If this is something you experience, you may find a decaffeinated cup of coffee to give you the flavor you crave, without the side effects.

What’s in your coffee?

In fact, it may not be the coffee itself that’s hurting your heart, it’s what you’re putting in your coffee.

Sugar, syrup, whole milk and cream can make a coffee taste like a treat, and should be treated as such. These additives add calories and fat, which may lead to high cholesterol levels and in turn hurt your heart.

If you’re used to a spoonful (or two or three) of sugar alongside your morning cup of joe, try to reduce the amount of sugar you put inside over the course of a few weeks or months.

If adding whole milk or cream is part of your coffee habit, try skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, or even an unsweetened plant-based alternative. You could approach this the same way as recommended for sugar, slowly tapering off of whole milk and replacing it with a healthier alternative.

Time to perk up!

End result of our coffee chat? You can continue to enjoy your coffee, so long as you are not experiencing any side effects of caffeine overload. Keep the following in mind:

• If you notice any symptoms, reduce your caffeine intake or try incorporating decaf options into your routine.
• Remain mindful of your overall daily caffeine intake, which may come from more than your coffee.
• Keep your coffee additions, like sugar and milk, to a minimum.

Our doctors are here to help you, from managing blood pressure to conditions like AFib. If you’re concerned about your heart, do not hesitate to reach out.