Introduction
Dizziness is a non-specific symptom that can have various forms and numerous causes. To narrow down the many causes, the dizziness can be analyzed and subdivided more precisely. Common forms of dizziness are the purposeful rotary vertigo or swindling vertigo.
Furthermore, the analysis of the situations can provide indications of an underlying cause. Typical predisposing factors for vertigo are the female gender, low blood pressure, low drinking amounts, early morning hours, diuretic intake, previous psychological illnesses as well as diseases of the cardiovascular system. In most cases, dizziness occurs as a result of a reduced supply of oxygen to the brain, often caused by a combination of low blood pressure and a lack of blood volume. Coffee and the caffeine it contains have numerous effects on the internal organs and the central nervous system. Through various mechanisms, coffee consumption can therefore trigger dizziness.
What are the causes?
The caffeine contained in coffee in high doses has numerous effects on various body processes. Its most important effects are on the cardiovascular system. Here it leads to a contraction of the heart and an increase in heart rate.
This also raises blood pressure, which initially prevents dizziness. However, coffee also dilates smaller blood vessels and reduces blood pressure. The increase in heart rate can sometimes result in a racing heart, which can cause skipping and extra beats, as well as a heart stutter.
This can lead to sweating, palpitations, excitement and dizziness. On other organs, however, coffee has a diuretic effect, which means that the body excretes more fluid. This can lead to a lack of volume and a further drop in blood pressure, especially if the blood pressure is already low. Dizziness with fainting is a typical consequence of this so-called “diuresis”.
How can I be sure that coffee is the cause of my vertigo?
Dizziness is a non-specific symptom, which is often due to a combination of several factors. Only rarely can a single cause be identified as the reason for dizziness. For an exact diagnosis, numerous organic and neurological clinical pictures must be excluded.
These include above all cardiac defects such as cardiac dysrhythmia or cardiac valve defects, but also structural diseases and functional disorders of the heart. Furthermore, diseases of the vestibular and hearing organs can cause severe rotational vertigo. They can be excluded with the help of specific neurological diagnostics. Only after the exclusion of the common causal diseases can the vertigo caused by coffee be used as a so-called “exclusion diagnosis”. Even if the coffee was the trigger for the dizziness, often an insufficient drinking amount or a lowered blood pressure are further decisive factors.
