Caffeine is a legal form of speed that can both constrict and dilate arteries, and can also cause a painful rebound headache. In moderate quantities, say two to three cups a day, coffee it a powerful vasoconstrictor. Yet in larger amounts, such as five or more cups per day, it becomes a potent vasodilator.
In moderate quantities, coffee will relieve certain vascular headaches by constricting already dilated arteries. But in larger amounts, it causes blood vessels to dilate. It can also cause a rebound headache.
A rebound headache occurs when a caffeine addict misses a fix and begins to experience withdrawal symptoms. The dilated arteries will constrict again as soon as another cup of coffee is consumed. And the coffee-withdrawal headache swiftly disappears. Unfortunately, migraine headaches do not respond as readily to coffee, though tension headaches occasionally do.
When suffering from rebound headaches provoked by caffeine, the solution is to gradually reduce intake of not only coffee but of tea, cocoa, cola drinks and any other caffeine-containing beverages or medications. Otherwise, it’s best to keep coffee intake down to not more than two or three cups per day. Besides causing headaches, caffeine has been implicated in causing insomnia and restlessness and in heightening risk of heart disease and bladder cancer.
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