Expressionism (Shutterstock)
It seems that there is good and bad news awaiting coffee lovers in particular, after a new study found health effects of its consumption, most notably the effect on the number of hours of sleep.
The study showed that coffee had surprising effects on levels of physical activity, prompting people to move more, taking about 1,000 extra steps a day, a significant increase in activity that may help explain why coffee consumption has long been associated with better health.
But the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found some downsides to drinking a daily cup of coffee.
Decreased hours of sleep
It showed that people lost about 36 minutes of sleep a night on the days they drank coffee, and the more coffee they drank, the fewer hours they slept.
The research also looked at the effect of coffee on heart palpitations, which is a relatively common experience for healthy coffee drinkers.
Expressionism (Shutterstock)
The study found that in healthy men and women, coffee does not cause a common type of palpitation known as premature atrial contractions, although some health authorities have warned that this could be a side effect of drinking coffee.
Heart palpitations
But coffee consumption can increase another type of heart palpitations, known as premature ventricular contractions.
These extra or irregular heartbeats are fairly common and benign, and almost everyone experiences them sometimes, and although they can be worrisome, most experts say they’re not the same in healthy people.
Expressionism (Shutterstock)
In addition, the results indicated that the health effects of coffee are complex. While coffee is good for many people and can reduce your risk of chronic disease and possibly extend your life, it can also disrupt your sleep and may cause some heart palpitations.
One observational study in 2015 found that people who routinely experienced palpitations were more likely to develop heart failure.
