Adrenal Fatigue, Caffeine & Blood Pressure

Some doctors use the term adrenal fatigue to provide a cause for a group of nonspecific symptoms, including fatigue, body aches, sleep disturbances and digestive problems, but MayoClinic.com reports that adrenal fatigue is not a medically accepted diagnosis. In theory, adrenal fatigue occurs as a result of chronic stress that continually stimulates the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones, which can affect your blood pressure. Excessive caffeine consumption triggers responses in the body similar to stress, which stimulates the adrenal response, increases blood pressure and contributes to adrenal fatigue.

Caffeine Effects

Although a naturally occurring chemical, caffeine is classified as a stimulant drug. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and causes the neurons in the brain to fire rapidly. The pituitary gland, often referred to as the master gland because it regulates the other glands in your body, perceives the increased activity in the brain as an emergency and tells the adrenal glands to produce and secrete more of the stress hormones.

Adrenal Hormones

The adrenal glands produce three main stress hormones: cortisol; epinephrine, which is also called adrenaline; and norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline. Cortisol suppresses the immune system to preserve the body’s energy to deal with the stress. Cortisol also increases blood sugar to provide extra energy to the muscle cells and the brain. Epinephrine increases your heart rate and norephinephrine causes blood vessels to constrict. Because the heart pumps blood harder, but the blood vessels become narrower, the blood pressure must increase to keep blood flowing.

Blood Pressure

Doctors measure blood pressure, the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels, as a way to monitor your cardiovascular health. High blood pressure damages the lining of the blood vessels, which promotes the buildup of cholesterol and fat that can lead to heart disease. Caffeine consumption increases the secretion of the stress hormones, which can cause blood pressure to increase. Because of this, many doctors warn against consuming caffeine, but recent studies on caffeine show that a variety of factors affect the ability of caffeine to cause high blood pressure. A study published in the 2004 issue of “Hypertension” suggests that the ability of caffeine to trigger high blood pressure depends on the age of the patient. In addition, your body can develop a tolerance to caffeine, which means that the more caffeine you consume, the less it affects you.

Moderation

Does this mean to avoid the onset of high blood pressure and adrenal fatigue you must ditch the caffeine? For those who count on that cup of coffee in the morning to provide a boost, be happy to learn the answer is no. Doctors at Harvard School of Medicine agree that, in moderation -- about one to two cups of coffee per day -- caffeine does not cause harmful effects in the majority of healthy people.