Coffee and blood pressure

The debate over coffee and caffeine continues.  Many headache sufferers know that caffeine can both cause and cure a headache.  It may depend on the time, the situation, or the person.

When it comes to coffee, more evidence has been brewed that it may cause problems – in some people.  In May of 2005 the American Journal of Hypertension published an article about blood pressure changes in people who drink coffee.  Now, when people who aren’t used to drinking coffee have a cup, it generally increases blood pressure, which may make you more prone to headache and migraine issues.  But now the research is telling us that about half of the people who regularly drink coffee still have the same problem.  In other words, they never develop a tolerance.

So if you’ve just been trying to keep a steady drip of coffee in your diet, you may want to reconsider, and try quitting for a month or two.  See if it makes any difference in your symptoms.  You might be surprised.

For a summary of the research, visit RealAge.com.  Read this article for more on headache and caffeine.