<s>[INST] Does stress cause high blood pressure? [/INST] The answer lies in the difference between the short-term effects of stress and the long-term effects.Being stressed causes your blood pressure to rise temporarily. When you feel stressed, your body releases the hormone adrenaline, raising your heart rate and your blood pressure to get your body ready for action. This is known as the flight or fight response. This only lasts a few minutes and then your blood pressure will return to normal.True high blood pressure is where your blood pressure is raised for weeks, months or years. There is no evidence that short bursts of adrenaline and the brief rise in blood pressure they cause have any lasting effect on the body.Stress does not appear to directly cause long-term high blood pressure, but feeling stressed over a long time can take its toll on your health.Sometimes people deal with stress in ways that can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, for example smoking, drinking alcohol or eating ‘junk food’ that is high in salt, as well as struggling to find time to exercise. Source: Blood Pressure UK. Link: https://www.bloodpressureuk.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions/#d.en.819874. Field: Cardiovascular. Disease: Hypertension </s>