Why You Might Not Want To Have Coffee After Valentine's Day Dinner

Picture yourself and that special someone enjoying a nice romantic Valentine's day dinner à deux. The candles are lit, the rose petals are strewn, the champagne is nicely chilled, the lobster and prime rib are perfectly cooked, and dessert is something delightfully rich and chocolate-y. You even started off with oysters to prime the pump (as it were) for an evening of amour.

The only problem is, Valentine's Day is on a weekday this year, and you're exhausted after a long day at work. You decide to end your meal with a cup of coffee so you'll have the energy to keep the fires of romance burning for just a little while longer. Oops! That may be a big mistake. While passing out on your partner is an undeniable buzzkill, there could be even worse things in store should you indulge in a postprandial demitasse. (Anyone not currently encoupled can read this cautionary tale –- for that is where we're going here -– and feel smug that they won't need to worry about any of this.)

One very well-known effect of coffee is the fact that it tends to necessitate frequent trips to the restroom. Not only does it make you have to pee, but it also speeds up your digestion to the point where you have to do that other thing, as well. (Better take a handful of those rose petals with you when you go –- perhaps they can serve as emergency potpourri.)

While running to the restroom is hardly conducive to romance, Manhattan Gastroenterology warns that this isn't the worst thing that after dinner cup of coffee might do to you. One of the reasons why coffee is a Valentine dinner no-no is because in addition to its elimination stimulation properties, it can increase the amount of acid in your stomach, leading to heartburn, and can also cause heart palpitations. While yes, this means you can say "my heart burns for you" or "you make my heart go pitter-pat" and actually mean it, the resulting discomfort is likely to put a damper on your evening. Also, if that after-dinner coffee wasn't your first cup of the day, there's even a slight chance that "pitter pat" may be the first sign of a cardiac event. Valentine's Day is supposed to be about hearts and flowers, not heartburn or heart failure, so keep the caffeine intake down and maybe chill out with a nice herbal tea instead.