I Drink A Lot Of Coffee. Can Caffeine Really Increase Stress?

— -- Question: I drink a lot of coffee. Can caffeine really increase stress?

Answer: When we talk about stress, we're talking about our response to a challenge or threat. And caffeine really doesn't pose a challenge or threat to ourselves. But what caffeine is is a stimulant. So it definitely activates our cardiovascular system -- it might increase our heart rate, it might increase our blood pressure, we might feel some palpitations. And because it's a stimulant, we might feel some of the physiological responses to stress even though we're not emotionally feeling stressed out.

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