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Can Energy Drinks Cause Shortness Of Breath? (Answered)

Caffeine comes from coffee beans
Caffeine comes from coffee beans

Could your favorite morning brew or a caffeine-containing energy drink make you feel out of breath? You could anticipate feeling out of breath while exercising or ascending a flight of stairs.  

Are you an anxious person, a hard worker, or an eager beaver? Are you the kind of person who appreciates their job but has a rigorous and constantly hectic schedule with little downtime? 

If you said yes to the above questions, then most likely you consume energy drinks to get away from weariness. Among other side effects associated with energy drinks, is shortness of breath on the list?

Let’s discover this in this article.

What Does Shortness Of Breath Mean? 

Lack of oxygen causes shortness of breath, which makes you feel as though you need to breathe more forcefully, quickly, or deeply. Additionally, you don’t feel like you’re getting enough oxygen, and neither are your organs, which can have detrimental short- and long-term effects on your health. 

A number of illnesses, including asthma, COPD, and heart failure, can lead to shortness of breath. Your doctor can order the tests required to obtain a diagnosis, as well as provide advice on how to live your life or provide prescriptions for drugs that can help cure the underlying condition causing your shortness of breath. 

Symptoms Of Shortness Of Breath 

You can experience shortness of breath by feeling it in your chest and by: 

  • finding it difficult to breathe 
  • a desire to breathe more forcefully or deeply 
  • inability to breathe properly
  • being agitated and puffy 

Shortness of breath during exercise may be the first sign. For instance, it’s difficult to climb a staircase without panting heavily. Before you could pause, take a deep breath, and continue, but now it’s more difficult to do that. 

Breathing problems can get worse to an instant where you won’t be able to find peace or relax.

Can Energy Drinks Make It Difficult To Breathe? 

Energy drinks
Energy drinks

Energy drinks may make breathing difficult if consumed in excess. 

In fact, one symptom of consuming too many energy drinks is an erratic heartbeat. Energy drink caffeine increases heart rate and makes the heart work harder, which can lead to high blood pressure and breathing issues. 

Shortness of breath and your preferred energy drink has been linked in a number of anecdotes. 

A 39-year-old business executive in good health consumes at least 10 cups of coffee and 4 to 5 energy drinks each day to support his long working hours. Soon after consuming these drinks, he began to feel short of breath. 

Do Energy Drinks Tighten The Chest? 

Energy drink consumption in excess may cause chest tightness. 

A study that was published in this research journal claims that consuming 32 ounces of energy drinks can result in heart issues. The results of the study show that breathlessness starts four hours after consumption. 

Having said that, it’s important to know your limits and how energy drinks affect the heart. 

Most healthy individuals should limit their caffeine intake to 400 mg per day, according to the guidelines in this study. Three to four servings of energy drinks are equal. 

Caffeine And Breathlessness 

A modest caffeine intake should typically have few negative side effects. A moderate intake is defined as anything that is significantly less than the 400-milligram daily caffeine recommendation.  

According to Harvard Health Publishing, consuming more coffee than is advised could cause issues for someone who has heart disease.

That’s because excessive amounts of caffeine or a caffeine overdose may induce shortness of breath by briefly increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, a heart rhythm condition termed tachycardia, which makes your heart beat faster than usual while at rest, maybe the source of this brief rise in your heart rate. 

Breathlessness, dizziness, a rapid heartbeat, chest pain, and heart palpitations are some of the more typical tachycardia symptoms. Tachycardia can be brought on by a number of factors, such as unexpected stress, high or low blood pressure, and excessive caffeine consumption. 

Sugar In Energy Drinks 

sugar
Sugar in energy drinks can cause crashes

Energy drinks frequently include sugar, which increases appetite and leads to a crash or feeling of exhaustion after the first rush of energy wears off. 

It is an unhealthy, high-calorie sweetener with little nutritional value. Unfortunately, your body needs more sugar every time you eat it, which can cause a variety of health problems. 

Any sugary food or drink raises blood sugar levels, which can lead to insulin issues. You’ll experience a powerful energy drink crash as a result. 

Does Sugar Cause Breathlessness? 

In our daily diet, sugar is “hidden” in a variety of goods and foods, which is where it starts to cause problems.

In addition to harming our physical health, consuming too much sugar impairs our mental health and cognitive performance.

Eating too much sugar results in metabolic syndrome, a cluster of diseases that can cause type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, causing breathlessness. 

Serotonin and dopamine levels rise after eating sugar, giving you a rush of pleasure. 

How To Treat Shortness Of Breath: 

pursed lip breathing   Pursed breathing helps the lungs get rid of dead space air brought on by COPD. 
Sitting Forward  Your body may become more relaxed and your breathing may lessen if you sit down to rest. 
sleeping comfortably  Laying on your side with a pillow between your legs and your head raised with pillows while keeping your back straight might be helpful. 
standing with the back supported  Similar to the other sorts of tripod breathing that were previously described, this position gives your lungs more capacity in your chest. 
Overview

Pursed lip breathing 

Pursed breathing assists in eliminating COPD-related dead space air from the lungs. Additionally, it aids in lung airway clearing.

This technique can be used when you feel you are out of breath after exercising or running, etc.

Sitting Forward 

Sitting down to rest might assist your body to become more relaxed and ease breathing. Place your feet flat on the floor and lean your chest forward while sitting in a chair. 

Hold your chin with your hands or gently put your elbows on your knees. Keep in mind to relax your neck and shoulder muscles. 

This posture, which is a variation of the “tripod stance,” tries to provide the lungs with greater room in the chest cavity. If you have COPD, it’s beneficial, and you might discover that you do it without even realizing it.  

Sleeping comfortably 

a girl sleeping
a girl sleeping

Try laying on your side with a pillow in-between your legs and your head propped up with pillows while maintaining a straight back. Alternately, lay on your back with a pillow between your legs, your head lifted, and your knees bent. 

Both of these positions aid in the relaxation of your body and airways, which eases breathing. Use a CPAP machine if advised by your doctor after having your sleep apnea evaluated. 

Standing with the back supported 

Additionally, standing can ease your body and airways. 

  • Place your hips against a wall while facing away from the wall. 
  • Your hands should be on your thighs and your feet should remain shoulder-width apart. 
  • Lean slightly forward and dangle your arms in front of you while keeping your shoulders relaxed. 

This position allows for more room for your lungs in your chest, just like in the other types of tripod breathing that were explained earlier. 

FAQs 

What is the safe caffeine intake? 

FDA recommends 400 mg daily caffeine intake to be safe for healthy adults.

Who should stay away from energy drinks? 

Energy drinks should never be consumed by anyone under the age of 18, including children and nursing mothers. 

How much time do energy drinks stay in your system? 

5-6 HOURS. This is how long it takes for your body to reduce the amount of caffeine in your bloodstream by 50%, or the half-life of caffeine, which is between 5 and 6 hours. 

Conclusion: 

  • Although these are infrequent side effects, shortness of breath and caffeine sensitivity may worry you. 
  • Shortness of breath, which results from a lack of oxygen, makes you feel as though you need to breathe more vigorously, quickly, or deeply. 
  • If consumed in excess, energy drinks may make breathing difficult. 
  • A lot of anecdotes have connected shortness of breath with your chosen energy drink.
  • The majority of healthy people should keep their daily caffeine intake at 400 mg. The equivalent is three to four servings of energy drinks. 

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