Blog #1: Stress before Caffeine or Caffeine before stress?

The jolt of energy you feel after ingesting some form of caffeine is really a triggered stress response. Caffeine prompts your adrenal glands to kick out the hormone adrenaline, causing overexcitation (palpitations, jitters, increased heart rate), increased stress and impairment of the relaxation response. Although this increases your state of alertness, it is only temporary. When the adrenal glands are overworked by excessive stress or high sugar diets, caffeine and smoking (to name a few), their ability to resist further stress greatly decreases and over time puts excessive wear and tear on the adrenal glands.

When the adrenals are worn out, they are unable to keep up and withstand prolonged stress. As a result, adrenal exhaustion will ensue and your energy levels, libido, sleep cycle and will suffer.

Too much caffeine can take a toll on your adrenals and therefore it’s important to limit its intake to prevent burdening of an already overworked system. Sufficient sleep, stress reduction, exercise, elimination of sugar and processed foods, as well as a balanced diet will further support your adrenals and improve your ability to handle stress on all levels.

---