How does the caffeine you consume increase your heart rate?

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Answer by Betty Boo
Submitted on 12/7/2004
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As adenosine is created in the brain, it binds to adenosine receptors. The binding of adenosine causes drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. In the brain, adenosine binding also causes blood vessels to dilate (presumably to let more oxygen in during sleep). To a nerve cell, caffeine looks like adenosine. Caffeine therefore binds to the adenosine receptor. However, it doesn't slow down the cell's activity like adenosine would. So the cell cannot "see" adenosine anymore because caffeine is taking up all the receptors adenosine binds to. So instead of slowing down because of the adenosine level, the cells speed up. You can see that caffeine also causes the brain's blood vessels to constrict, because it blocks adenosine'sability to open them up. This effect is why some headache medicines like Anacin contain caffeine -- if you have a vascular headache, the caffeine will close down the blood vessels and relieve it. So now you have increased neuron firing in the brain. The pituitary gland sees all of the activity and thinks some sort of emergency must be occurring, so it releases hormones that tell the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline (epinephrine). Adrenaline is the "fight or flight" hormone, and it has a number of effects on your body: Your pupils dilate. Your breathing tubes open up (this is why people suffering from severe asthma attacks are sometimes injected with epinephrine). Your heart beats faster. Blood vessels on the surface constrict to slow blood flow from cuts and also to increase blood flow to muscles. Blood pressure rises. Blood flow to the stomach slows. The liver releases sugar into the bloodstream for extra energy. Muscles tighten up, ready for action.

Answer by nat
Submitted on 12/16/2005
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This is because the caffeine molecules in the solution have been taken up by the Daphnia and have bound to the adenosine receptor sites in the brain. Adenosine is responsible for delaying the reuptake of the neurotransmitters at certain synapses, inhibiting post-synaptic potentials and, therefore, impulse transmission. If there are less receptors available for adenosine molecules to bind to as they are being taken up by the structurally similar caffeine molecules, the adenosine�s inhibitive effects on the nervous system are reduced. The increased nerve activity leads to the release of the hormone adrenaline throughout the body, a stimulating hormone which increases the heart rate.

Answer by Cihan999
Submitted on 5/14/2006
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The reason why caffeine increases heart rate is due to it injecting adrenalin into your system and kick starting a bodily mechanism called "the flight fight response" which is your body defending itself against dangers either by fighting it or running away. One of the affects this has on the body apart from sweating to cool down, pupils widening to let more light in is fastening the heartbeat so that more blood can be pumped into your muscles so the build up of lactic acid is prevented due to the oxygen in your blood.. Hope this helps p.s flight fight response is what we know as butterflies in the stomach..that occurs due to blood from your digestive system being rejected and pumped onto ur leg and arm muscles.

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Question by Cam
Submitted on 1/17/2004
Related FAQ: Coffee and Caffeine's Frequently Asked Questions
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How does the caffeine you consume increase your heart rate?

Answer by michael
Submitted on 2/2/2004
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caffeine affects the heart rate by raising it 3 beats per minute for one dose of caffeine

Answer by Gazell
Submitted on 2/6/2004
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I think if you drink 6oz. of caffeine it would increase you heart rate by 10 beats per minute.

Answer by Danagay White
Submitted on 4/30/2004
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Caffeine tastes nice with battywash

Answer by louise
Submitted on 11/9/2004
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caffeine is good

Answer by bengal
Submitted on 11/16/2004
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It makes your heart-rate increase 16.5%.

Answer by NEA
Submitted on 12/1/2004
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YES IT SPEEDS YOUR HEART RATE UP BY 5 BEATS EVERY 2 SECS.

Answer by Gustav_A6
Submitted on 12/2/2004
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Caffeine is good for your bun hole. Yeaaaahhhh!!!

Answer by MAx
Submitted on 8/4/2005
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Caffeine decreases heart rate due to increasing the plateau phase of the action potential.

Answer by napoleon
Submitted on 10/11/2005
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i agree

Answer by foo doggy
Submitted on 10/12/2005
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forshizzle

Answer by duuna
Submitted on 11/5/2005
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HOW does it increase your heart rate? why? MAKE POVERTY HISTORY

Answer by mikho
Submitted on 11/9/2005
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i like coffee

Answer by Katherine
Submitted on 11/23/2005
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Visit www.madsci.org/posts/archives/ feb2000/950223638.Cb.r.html

Answer by yo wassup
Submitted on 2/4/2006
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idk ut yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

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Answer by ashley
Submitted on 2/9/2006
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why does caffeine elevate heart rate and blood pressure??

Answer by bvuwbvtbv,
Submitted on 3/12/2006
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Pie is yummy and I don't like coffee AT ALL!!!

Answer by katie kitten
Submitted on 4/6/2006
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caffeine tastes good with lots of sugar...then you get a coffee-flavored sugar sludge at the bottom !!!!!!!

Answer by sex bomb
Submitted on 5/10/2006
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12oz of it increases your heart beat by 20 beats per minute

Answer by nina sky
Submitted on 7/5/2006
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i think caffeine decreases the heartrate by slowing down the mucsles and holding down the rate cuz it is caffeine

Answer by Caffeine sucks
Submitted on 8/14/2006
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Caffeine does not increase heart rate in aliens (i.e Peter) or chick embryonic heart. Cheers~

Answer by Duckie
Submitted on 11/5/2006
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Caffeine does NOT affect heart rate. After doing a test, the p value came out to be less than .o5 therefore we don't have enough evidence to say that caffeine does affect heart rate.

Answer by yo momma
Submitted on 11/5/2006
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you're stupid I'm just kidding

Answer by batz
Submitted on 11/11/2006
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it tastes nice with sperm

Answer by Tex
Submitted on 1/9/2007
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Coffee

Answer by poop
Submitted on 1/13/2007
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ur mother looks very nice naked

Answer by sally
Submitted on 3/9/2007
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it increased by and average of 11.9 after drinking coffee

Answer by googoomonster
Submitted on 4/2/2007
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It takes good in iced coffee....who cares?!!!

Answer by kerubo
Submitted on 4/24/2007
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caffeine affects the heart rate evn 6 times your beat more when you take it

Answer by G J
Submitted on 5/6/2007
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Was it a boy or a man u tested? HUH?!?!?

Answer by j dog 60
Submitted on 5/9/2007
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i think that caffeine has an effect on your heart if you consume it everyday your can eventual kill you