Dangers of Energy Drinks

Every day across the world, students, athletes, and adults alike walk into their local convenience stores and gas stations to purchase their daily wake-up call: an energy drink. Some of the most popular energy drinks contain 160-357 milligrams of caffeine in just a 16 ounce can. This is a huge jump from the amount of caffeine in sodas, usually somewhere in the thirties or forties. According to the Mayo Clinic, a healthy adult can drink up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day safely, so imagine what drinking two or more drinks with 357mg of caffeine in them can do to you. Some popular coffee brews can even contain over 400mg of caffeine in just 20 ounces of the drink.

But what is caffeine? What makes it so bad? Caffeine is a diuretic, stimulating plant product that directly affects the body’s central nervous system. It causes a dramatic increase in heart rate, blood flow, body temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar, and even stomach acid secretion. These short-term side effects last as long as the caffeine remains in your system, which can be up to six hours after ingestion, making an overdose very possible.

Not only are there short-term side effects, but there are long-term effects if you consume excessive caffeine on a regular basis, such as “1000mg, or about 10 6-oz cups of coffee a day,” according to The University of Michigan’s University Health Services. Some of these side effects include episodes of heartburn, conception issues, changes in bowel habits, and lack of sleep. While, yes, lack of sleep seems like an obvious side effect of caffeine, it can become a long-term problem due to caffeine causing your body to ignore the typical signs that it’s becoming tired.

Quitting caffeine cold-turkey may even lead to withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, irritability and many others, which may be why it’s best not to have a high caffeine intake at all. So, next time you purchase your daily energy drinks, look at what’s really in them, and consider how you’ll feel for the next few hours. Will you really feel energized, or will you just feel shaky? Is it really worth spending up to $10 every day, once you consider the side effects?