Sometimes, there are days when you just don’t have any energy and simply want to take an energy drink to stay awake and get stuff done. Have you ever wondered what is actually in energy drinks that make us become energized? At Lafayette High School, students find it hard to be able to stay awake at school and get school work done, so students are often seen carrying Red Bulls, Alanis, Celsius, Monster, or even energy drinks that were purchased at Dutch Bros or Seven Brew. The Times asked a junior student at Lafayette High School why she brought a Red Bull to school, and she stated,”I got it because it’s the only thing keeping me from falling asleep right now.”
Energy drinks may be beneficial at the moment by helping you gain the energy to do missing work or chores, but they also have multiple negative side effects. Energy drinks contain high amounts of sugar, fructose corn syrup, and carbohydrates, which can lead to diabetes and a spike in blood glucose levels. The ingredients in energy drinks can cause dehydration, anxiety, and insomnia and lead to heart complications like irregular heartbeats and heart failure.
The consumption of energy drinks every day leads to the body becoming dependent on the caffeine in energy drinks to make energy for the day. The body will then stop creating natural energy and depend on energy drinks. When adolescents who are still developing consume energy drinks that are made with high doses of caffeine it can lead them into stunted growth. Energy drink consumption in adolescents has been linked to attention deficit disorder, severe impacts on the development of the brain in teens, and panic attacks.
Although there are drinks with high sugar, like Red Bull, there are also low-calorie and sugar-free alternatives like Alanis, Celsius, and sugar-free Red Bulls. Most people think it’s better for them since it contains no sugar and low calorie or has no calories, but it is just as bad as energy drinks containing sugar if not worse, because of the sugar-free ingredients being used. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Sugar-free syrups like aspartame are linked to depression and the development of cancer and dementia.
Energy drinks cause the body more harm than good. There are multiple natural solutions to gain energy for the day, such as eating a nutritious meal with protein and healthy fats to provide fuel and energy for the day, eating a snack to jumpstart energy, exercising, meditation, and connecting with nature. An alternative solution to drinking an energy drink daily is to reduce the energy drinks you consume to maybe once a week to once a month or only for rare occasions. It’s important to slowly withdraw from drinking energy drinks instead of quitting cold turkey because it can cause high anxiety all at once.
