Millions and millions of cups of coffee are drunk every single day. While enjoying the drink in moderation can be a good thing for the body, how much do you really know about exactly what coffee is doing to you? Coffee is absorbed into the body so quickly, and its effects spread all over the place. Whether you prefer a shot of espresso or a creamy latte, it is certain the coffee impacts your whole system.
Let’s take a look at the ways a cup of coffee takes effect on your body.
Pulse and Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure will rise slightly shortly after drinking coffee. This effect becomes greater if you are not a regular coffee drinker. You’d think that a cup of coffee would cause your pulse to suddenly shoot up. Surprisingly, if you only have a single cup, your heart rate will actually decrease due to the increase in blood pressure. Have several cups however, and your heart rate will accelerate significantly. This is not a problem for most people, but could cause harm to those with underlying heart conditions.
Aids Digestion
Having a coffee after a meal is a usual thing to do at restaurants, and it makes sense as caffeine will raise acid levels in your stomach which will aid digestion. You should avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach as it can irritate the lining, causing heartburn and other irritation.
Bowel and Bladder
It shouldn’t be the case that coffee causes you to need to pee more often, but it may be a factor in why your urine smells. However, for many people coffee has a laxative effect which can often take hold just five minutes after drinking. Helping to wake you up isn’t the only reason people drink coffee in the morning!
Brainpower
We all know that coffee makes us feel more alert, helping to increase your concentration levels and make it less likely for you to make a mistake. Some recent studies have even shown that coffee can have a positive impact on our memory power. Regular coffee drinking over a lifetime has also been linked to reducing the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Energy
When we need a boost, we often turn to coffee. Try to avoid drinking it straight after you wake up. Instead wait an hour as the impact is likely to last for longer. Three hours after consumption, many of us experience that dreaded coffee crash. Caffeine reduces your tiredness in the short-term, but if you did not have a good night’s sleep, the effects cannot be put off for ever.
Sleep
It may seem like an obvious one not to drink coffee too close to bedtime, but the science backs it up as well. Coffee causes our internal body clock to reset and delays the rise in your body’s chief sleep hormone, melatonin. The change in this hormone is what encourages our body to sleep so you don’t want to mess with it too much.
