Why does coffee cause a fast heartbeat?

I am Muslim and cannot take alcohol. So, when out with friends, I usually take coffee. However, of late, it causes my heart to pump so fast that I can barely sleep at night. Why? Musa

Dear Musa,

Coffee is a beverage which is mainly taken in the morning as part of breakfast as well as in the evening. However, coffee may be taken as chewed berries, chocolates, or in drinks such as coke, soda, or energy drinks.  

Because coffee naturally has caffeine, a stimulant compound, it is usually taken by those who may for one reason or the other want to keep alert say at night if they want to study just like students preparing for examinations do. 

However, when some people take lots of coffee, especially as a beverage, they may complain apart from failing to fall asleep, of headaches, nervousness, feeling a strong heart beat (palpitations) and dizziness, among others.

One can learn to reduce the amount of coffee taken or take decaffeinated coffee to avoid these effects without having to stop taking coffee, which also has health benefits such as a reduced risk of developing diabetes, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases, stroke, heart or liver disease, colon, breast and prostate cancers and gallstones, among other good effects. 

Many people should make it a habit to take annual medical tests and not only get tested when they fall sick because then it may be difficult to stem ailments since they are already advanced. Visit your doctor for a check-up in case the coffee is actually helping you to unearth another health problem say to the heart or even high blood pressure, which may also, on their own, risk one palpitations. 

Even when one does not get palpitations when after taking coffee, people who get sleep problems should avoid taking drinks that contain caffeine at night and these include coffee, soda, or energy drinks. One should also avoid mixing an energy drink with alcohol, since this way, they may misjudge the amounts they are taking.