Energy Drinks and the Health of our Generation

by Grace J and Isabelle K.

Across all schools, ranging from college to high school to even middle school, student energy drink consumption has become a pressing concern. Adults and young students alike

are facing the subsequent consequences of overindulgence in energy drinks. We can see these issues even at MRHS and it makes us wonder: Will the massive consumption of energy

drinks be the downfall of Gen Z’s health?

Sophomore Kayla G. claims she consumes energy drinks the most during the school year because, “with schoolwork, being an athlete, and waking up at 5am just to arrive on time

because I take the bus, energy drinks are really the only things that keep me going.”

For Kayla and many other students, school is like a full-time job. School is eight hours long per day, and you’re given assignments and tests in different subjects just to show how

capable you are through a single letter. In between classes, students only have 5 minutes to prepare their minds for a totally different subject. And have around two 50 minute

breaks per day, but most students are catching up on excess schoolwork during their off hours anyway, destroying the leisure purpose.

With the pressure and need to be adaptable throughout the year at school, why wouldn’t students want a solution to being tired? Being tired makes doing work and school

activities 1000x harder. With that comes the seemingly easy solution: energy drinks. Maybe student exhaustion is the main cause?

But some students are now coming out to reveal the downsides of this “easy” solution. “I feel like it has become normal for a bunch of students to drink them, but I wonder sometimes if we’re ignoring how much damage all that caffeine sugar and other things are doing to our bodies under the surface," 10th grader Edith G. questions.

10th grader Josalyn J. affirms, “I used to drink energy drinks regularly, especially during finals season, but I started getting constant headaches and trouble sleeping. It kind of made me

realize that these drinks might be doing more harm than good to our generation’s health.”

Health.choc.org states the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens don’t exceed 100mg mg of caffeine per day, yet many energy drink brands like Monster, Alani and Celsius can range from 160 to 300+ mg of caffeine. Reports show that overall consumption of energy drinks can be linked to hospitalization and emergency room visits due to health complications, especially in youth. Caffeine has been known to cause side effects in youth, such as rapid heartbeat, stomach and sleep issues. It has been found that students who drink energy drinks are also more likely to indulge in tobacco products, alcohol, and illicit drugs.

The now visible and present consequences give us and many other people concern with how addictive these drinks are and what the future holds for those who continue to overconsume

them.

One thing remains true though: we should complain less about the effects of these drinks and look more at the core problem: students are exhausted and need less pressure on

them. Until then, students will continue to seek out energy drinks as a solution and ignore the negative effects just to power through school.

Authors’ Note: As users of energy drinks ourselves, we felt it necessary to share our own experiences with them

As someone who has been consuming copious amounts of energy drinks since a very young age, they have personally affected my body/health more than I ever thought they could.

It started off as something I liked drinking as a normal beverage. then starting to drink one before school, then taking one to school with me, then multiple a day, and then you feel like you need caffeine even if you’re just lying in bed for the day. I thought it wasn’t possible to be addicted to caffeine since it isn’t a “ real drug," and it definitely isn’t like addiction to more “real drugs” like alcohol, but it can cause a sort of withdrawal like shaking or cravings. It has also caused me to have stomach problems and throw up for no reason. I personally think energy drink consumption is okay for teens because it can be useful, but only in moderation.-Grace J.

I wouldn’t call myself addicted currently, but I do have on- and-off periods of overconsuming energy drinks. I know freshman year when my schedule was heavier and I was waking up extremely early, I would have maybe two Monsters a day on average, and when I came back home it would be difficult to hold myself back from drinking another one even at late hours like 9-10 pm. which just caused me to stay up and be even more tired at school and take an energy drink. I feel like personally my past addiction to energy drinks has never exceeded the point to where I start having heart problems or more serious issues, but It definitely did worsen my sleeping problems and give me headaches if I drank more than three a day. I might recommend energy drinks for those who have to be up for extended periods of time, like night shift workers or those who do after-school activities, but I would never support drinking more than you need, because honestly one is the maximum—any more than that and you’ll be facing the negative side effects. I would advise students, teachers, and everyone alike to avoid energy drinks unless you’re able to control yourself.-Isabelle K.