Walking around a college campus today, you will often see students with a phone in their hand. But that is usually not the only thing they are carrying. If you look to their other hand, you will find a drink. This drink is typically an energy drink. With the chaos of college comes stress, sleepless nights and early mornings. To function throughout the day, many students rely on energy drinks for a boost, but I think energy drinks do more harm to your body than good.
Energy drinks are quickly gaining popularity. Huge brands such as Red Bull and Monster Energy are sponsors of impactful sporting events, convincing everyone that you need an energy drink to succeed and be productive throughout the day. I fell victim to that idea. Anytime I felt tired, an energy drink was my solution. I never even considered the fact that maybe I was tired from a lack of sleep or not eating properly that day.
While caffeine itself is not necessarily bad for you, it is the other hidden ingredients in energy drinks that cause the downsides to feeling up. The combination of added sugars and caffeine can increase your heart rate, give you anxiety, cause weight gain and much more. Other ingredients like taurine and guarana contribute to the jittery feeling of caffeine that can be dangerous. They can make you feel energized but will throw your body off of its regular routine. Once you become dependent on caffeine, your body will start to experience withdrawals when you do not have it. This can include headaches, muscle aches, nausea and even a depressed mood. The energy drinking is causing your highs to be high, but your lows will become low enough that it is not worth it.
I think energy drinks are a temporary solution to a deeper-rooted problem. Our bodies were created to function without a Red Bull. There are many reasons you may feel tired besides a lack of sleep. A common energy diffuser is dehydration. Water is your best friend, and grabbing for that instead of an energy drink can make a difference. Another easy solution is to eat a balanced meal. Food can fuel your body and keep your levels balanced, instead of a drink that will spike your sugar levels. Exercise can also make you feel better. Natural endorphins are released which can contribute to your overall wellbeing.
As a college student I understand how easy it is to fall victim to the scam of energy drinks. They are easily available all over campus, and some of them are quite tasty. But we are at the age where we must learn good habits to bring with us into the future. Our bodies can only keep up with bad consumption habits for so long. The slight boost in energy is not worth the flatline your body will experience later. After experiencing the feelings of caffeine withdrawals, sugar crash and the other bad side effects, you will quickly realize that your body rejects what it doesn’t need.
If you think that energy drinks are the only thing allowing you to function throughout the day, I encourage you to try a few weeks without them. The temporary boost you receive from energy drinks is prohibiting your body from functioning in the way it is intended to. If you make small adjustments to your lifestyle and stay away from energy drinks, I think you will find that you feel much better, and that energy drinks are not worth the harm.
