You come from your workplace, tired and sleepy and one cup of coffee is fine enough to vanish it all! Coffee is one of the most desired drinks which is known to be drunk by billions of people worldwide. There would rarely be a person on earth who doesn’t like coffee! People always look at the brighter side of it and completely ignore the adverse effects but are the side effects even worth considering? Let’s explore.
Some people often complain, “Too much coffee makes me nauseous,” Why is that so?
Not every coffeeholic will experience nausea after drinking, it’s just that some people are triggered by its ingredients which makes them feel nauseated. There are multiple reasons for nausea after drinking coffee which can be easily prevented by avoiding some ingredients and habits.
In this write-up, you’ll learn all about why coffee leads to nausea and how you can get rid of it. So, read on.
When your stomach is empty, the acid keeps releasing, and caffeine being acidic intensifies the gastric acidity, moreover, it also stimulates gastrin production thereby leading to the symptoms of acid reflux including nausea.
Table of Content
Coffee: Nutritional Facts
When you think about coffee, caffeine is the first component of it that comes into your mind but have you ever wondered about the other components that make up coffee? Well, coffee is composed of several minerals, antioxidants, citric acid, chlorogenic acid, and a lot more significant components that are shown in the table below,
| Caffeine | 2-3% |
| Tannin | 3-5% |
| Fixed Oil | 10-15% |
| Proteins | 13% |
Coffee is quite famous among the students for its quality of keeping people awake but which component is the actual culprit behind this? Well, coffee is full of caffeine which acts as a stimulant for your brain by acting upon your CNS.
What happens is, that your muscles work all day long by releasing a neurotransmitter called adenosine which keeps on binding to the sleep-inducing receptors in the brain. Hence, you eventually feel tired, and your adenosine receptors promote sleep, especially when the clock strikes your sleeping time.
When caffeine enters the body in the form of coffee, it quickly goes into the blood and enters your brain where it blocks the adenosine receptors thereby making you feel alert again. However, an increase in coffee intake can adversely interfere with your body’s biological clock (circadian rhythm) which means too much coffee isn’t always a good idea!
Drinking Coffee Makes Me Nauseous And Dizzy: Why Is That So?
You might’ve heard people complaining that coffee makes me nauseous all day, have you ever experienced it? Well, there is no lie in claiming that coffee causes nausea but what is the reason behind this? Let’s explore!
Firstly, it’s not that every time you drink coffee, you’ll experience nausea. It is more likely to be caused due to your diet or maybe your lifestyle. Well, there are limitless possibilities causing nausea after meals and drinks but what about coffee? Why smell of coffee makes me nauseous all of a sudden sometimes? Here’s what being a coffee-lover, you must know!
- “Coffee in the morning makes me nauseous,” you might’ve heard this many times, and it’s true! When your stomach is empty, the acid keeps releasing, and caffeine being acidic intensifies the gastric acidity, moreover, it also stimulates gastrin production thereby leading to the symptoms of acid reflux including nausea. This usually happens to early birds who can’t open their eyes before slurping their coffee and then suffer from vomiting after drinking coffee on empty stomach.
- If you are a coffee addict, you must maintain your body’s hydration status because caffeine intake enhances the blood filtration in the kidneys thereby promoting urination. Hence, urine output increases which enhance the water requirement, and when you don’t drink enough water, your body becomes dehydrated and you experience nausea.
- Coffee has a pH of 5 which shifts in the acidic category. So, when you drink coffee on an empty stomach the gastric contents become even more acidic leading to the symptoms of heartburn and nausea and can also make you feel dizzy
- Caffeine can also cause nausea by inhibiting the production of an anti-diuretic hormone which when is high reduces the urine production; however, low levels of ADH increase the urination thereby leading to dehydration.
- If you’re on a certain medication, try not to drink coffee with them because some medicines such as anti-bacterial and anti-depressants can interact with the medicines and make you feel sick, dizzy, and nauseous.
- The aftereffects of drinking coffee also depend upon the type of coffee you’ve consumed. Coffee prepared with heavy cream is often composed of ingredients that might irritate the lining of your GUT leading to abdominal problems and nausea.
- If you’re on a weight loss plan and you’re adding artificial sweeteners to your brew, then let me warn you! It might interfere with the microbes of your GUT leading to nausea and an upset stomach.
In some people, soon after drinking coffee, a series of symptoms start appearing including nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia, anxiety, jitteriness, and a lot more.
If you experience the aforementioned symptoms, then you might be coffee intolerant! Yes! Coffee Intolerance can boost your adrenaline and make you feel sick to your stomach.
How to Get Rid of Coffee Nausea?
To get rid of nausea after drinking coffee, you’ll have to first identify the triggering element in your brew. Consider the following points to save yourself from coffee-related nausea:
- To avoid nausea, improve your body’s hydration status because increasing water intake is the only available option to treat dehydration caused by coffee.
- You should be aware of allergies and stimulants that trigger nausea, so, avoid adding those ingredients to your coffee such as cream, sugar, or artificial sweetener.
- Avoid coffee intake on an empty stomach and try some basic food items and pair it up with some alkaline foods so that it can not trigger the symptoms of acid reflux.
- You may also try switching or skipping your coffee’s milk.
- Cutting off coffee isn’t mandatory! You may try some low-acid coffees such as espresso or decaf coffee to avoid triggering the symptoms of heartburn and nausea.
- Improve your protein intake to neutralize the adverse effects of coffee.
It’s not that only caffeine can adversely affect your health, coffee is a storehouse of hundreds of chemicals that can trigger negative reactions in your body. However, all the side effects of coffee are mostly due to over-consumption which means that you might not experience them unless you over-drink.
Limiting your coffee intake to 100 mg a day can help; however, if you’re fine with more than the aforementioned dosage, then carry on as per your desire.
FAQs
How do I stop feeling nauseous after drinking coffee?
To stop feeling nauseous after drinking coffee, you must be aware of what actually triggered nausea. There are multiple tips to get rid of nausea after coffee which includes staying hydrated, avoiding trigger substances such as heavy cream milk and artificial sweeteners, avoiding drinking on an empty stomach, improving your protein intake, and trying low-acid coffee such as decaf coffee, espresso, and brew.
How does caffeine affect the body chemically?
Caffeine when enters the digestive system, quickly circulates throughout the body through the blood and gradually enters the brain. In the CNS, it binds to adenosine receptors which are responsible for inducing sleep thereby inhibiting the action of receptors and making you feel alert. Hence, too much coffee can have adverse effects on your digestive system and can even interfere with your circadian rhythm (biological clock).
Why is coffee suddenly upsetting my stomach?
Sometimes coffee can upset your stomach all of a sudden because of its composition as in the case of acidity, high-acid coffee can even intensify the already acidic contents of the stomach leading to an upset stomach. Moreover, drinking coffee on an empty stomach or some triggering ingredients such as cream or artificial sweeteners can all of a sudden upset your stomach.
What are the psychological effects of caffeine on the brain?
Caffeine plays with two neurotransmitters in the brain; dopamine and adenosine which are opposite in functions. It binds to the sleep-inducing adenosine receptors and on the other hand, facilitates the pathway of the flow of dopamine thereby inhibiting the action of sleep receptors and promoting alertness.
Final Verdict
You might love caffeine for the attentiveness it gives you but its adverse effects shouldn’t be ignored at all! Nausea due to coffee is quite common and is caused when you’re less hydrated or when you take coffee on an upset stomach, moreover, the composition of coffee might also trigger it.
Now, you must’ve found the reasons for your complaint, “coffee makes me nauseous.” To get rid of it, stay fully hydrated, avoid adding triggers such as heavy cream, milk, or artificial sweeteners, improve your protein intake, eat something before drinking coffee, try some low-acid coffees such as decaf coffee and espresso, and lastly, avoid taking your medications with coffee.
Cutting off coffee completely isn’t mandatory, you may reduce the amount of coffee. However, if drinking too much coffee doesn’t make you feel sick or nauseous, then you may continue with your usual dosage.
