How to Get Rid of Dizziness After Drinking Coffee

Jumpstarting the day with a coffee is seen by billons as the right way to go. But what if your morning cup of coffee leaves you dizzy or lightheaded?

In this article, I’ll show you how to get rid of dizziness after drinking coffee. We’ll also look at why coffee makes some people dizzy and how you can prevent it before it even happens.

Why Does Coffee Make Me Dizzy?

The sensation of being lightheaded and possibly getting dizzy after drinking coffee is not as uncommon as you might think. It’s related to restricted blood flow, something that caffeine is prone to do. 

Coffee beans contain caffeine. The rate of coffee consumption doesn’t affect how fast the body metabolizes the caffeine present in the coffee beverage. Everyone is different in this respect. 

The result of caffeine in your system causes the heart to beat over quicker than it usually would do. Also, higher blood pressure is another notable side effect of having ingested a stimulant. 

Some people are sensitive to caffeine. If that sounds like you, maybe you’re unaware that you have one or more symptoms of that. Some of the more common ones include:

• Inability to sleep
• Accelerated heartbeat
• Bouncing knee under the table
• Headaches
• Raised temperature (or a fluctuating one)

Can Caffeine Cause Lightheadedness?

Caffeine will cause lightheadedness in some people. 

It is primarily connected to sugar intake, especially when it’s too high and suddenly spiked. This is when you may feel the need to sit down and let your body sort itself out. There are some sugars in coffee beans, but most people also add sweetener to their coffee too. 

Also, the sudden change in blood flow in response to caffeine can be a contributing factor.

How to Prevent Coffee Dizziness

Avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach

Never drink your morning coffee without some food. An empty stomach is an unprotected stomach.

The caffeine in the coffee causes a buildup of acid that can injure the stomach lining when it’s empty. But it’s much safer after you’ve eaten something. Coffee lovers should always eat something for breakfast to avoid irritating their stomachs.

The longer your coffee habit has been going on, the more important a good breakfast becomes. Caffeine’s stimulant effect comes from the fact that it’s an antagonist for the adenosine receptor. I won’t get into the details on that here, but these kinds of receptors become resistant over time, which is why you need more caffeine for the same energy boost.

As you build up resistance, you’re going to want to drink more coffee in the morning. That means more side effects, including more dizziness. If you are drinking multiple cups of coffee before your breakfast, you’re going to have a bad time

Watch out for the jitters

Getting the coffee jitters is a sure sign that caffeine is having a major effect on your system. If you start feeling shaky or anxious, you should slow your caffeine consumption. That way, you’ll hopefully never get to the lightheadedness and dizziness.

And don’t ignore the amount of sugar that you’re consuming. It could be causing spikes in your blood sugar levels which, combined with the caffeine, could be doing a number on your body.

Exercise regularly

Exercising boosts your metabolism, which is exactly what your body needs to process caffeine quickly. A couple of hours of aerobic exercise each week can make you much more resistant to the side effects of caffeine, including dizziness.

Switch to decaf

Lowering your caffeine intake doesn’t have to mean giving up coffee. Good decaf has the same flavor as coffee, and there are lots of health benefits of decaf.

Decaf has a bad reputation in the coffee world, but that’s largely because of all the low-quality decaf coffees out there. Check the label for coffees that say Swiss Water decaf. The Swiss Water method creates coffee that has virtually no caffeine but retains all the flavor of the coffee beans. Best of all, it does so without any harsh chemicals.

5 Ways to Get Rid of Dizziness After Drinking Coffee

When you’re dizzy from caffeine, there are a few different things that you can do.

1. Stop drinking coffee

Don’t drink any more coffee. Caffeine can last for several hours in your system. The more coffee you drink, the longer it will take for the dizziness and other effects of caffeine to go away.

When you start to feel dizzy, you should avoid drinking any more coffee for at least 10 hours. If you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, it could take even longer.

2. Skip other sources of caffeine, too

Coffee isn’t the only thing in your diet that has caffeine. Avoid any other caffeinated foods or drinks if you’re feeling dizzy from caffeine.

These include chocolate, protein drinks, sodas, supplements, and teas. Some cereals even have caffeine. Take a look at the nutrition facts on anything you plan to eat or drink and maybe swap out that earl grey for a nice herbal tea.  

3. Drink some water

Water will keep you hydrated, which can help to alleviate some of the side effects of caffeine. Staying hydrated also helps your body metabolize caffeine, so you can get back to your daily habit even faster.

Beware of sports drinks and other water alternatives, though. Sometimes these have unwanted extras designed to raise performance, which is exactly what you don’t want right now. 

4. Try deep breathing exercises

With too much caffeine, your heart is likely racing, and you could be having palpitations. 

To manage these, try some deep breathing exercises or try meditating to calm your body and mind. Doing this will help to relax, letting the body know that it can be at rest. While it won’t remove all the effects of caffeine and dizziness, it can certainly help to ease them a little.

5. Boost your vitamin D intake

The natural absorption of vitamin D is slowed when caffeine is introduced into the body. This can cause a deficiency if you’re not careful. 

Getting outside in the sunlight for up to 25 minutes per day can give you all the vitamin D that’s required. This can be combined with an outdoor exercise program too. 

What’s Next?

There are plenty of reasons not to give up on coffee. Aside from the fact that it’s delicious, coffee has potassium and other nutrients. You may just need to stick to the types of coffee drinks that match your caffeine requirements and avoid high-caffeine coffees and some of the stronger Starbucks drinks.

Single-serve coffee makers are a great option if you need to cut back. You could go with a Nespresso Vertuo machine (like my favorite, the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe) that gives you a convenient way to make a single cup of espresso or coffee at a time. I’ve even compiled a chart of all of the caffeine contents of Nespresso pods to help you out.