Walking into Glenbard South in the morning means you will probably see a few energy drinks on desks; and you will probably hear them cracked open throughout your first period. For many students, drinking energy drinks has become a daily routine to help “cure tiredness,” but in reality they are extremely unhealthy and can have serious consequences.
The main reason that many students drink energy drinks is for the caffeine, but that is precisely the problem with these drinks. According to healthline.com, most of these drinks contain more caffeine than teens should be consuming, which can increase anxiety, blood pressure and can worsen insomnia. This is extremely detrimental to teens who are constantly growing. Also, a lack of sleep can have negative effects on students’ physical well-being, mental health and even their academic performance.
Drinking energy drinks can also have an indirect effect on various habits. One study from hub.jhu.edu found that young adults who consumed one or more energy drinks per week were twice as likely to smoke cigarettes and abuse drugs (https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2016/spring/energy-drinks-dangers-and-risks/). This is deeply concerning because these habits could end up being life-ending. There could be correlation between future addictions and drinking energy drinks, which many students do without even considering such a negative effect.
Students should aim to get more sleep so that they won’t have to depend on energy drinks to get through the day, but that is easier said than done with all of the homework and extracurriculars that many students have. When more sleep isn’t an option, students should use healthier alternatives such as coffee, tea or matcha to get some caffeine in their system.
