Energy Drinks and Their Side Effects

Energy drinks have become a favorite beverage among the under 30 demographic. Noted for the boost they give, they are popular at just about all times, whether it is stay up late and study, before exercising or mixing with alcohol. Much is made about energy drinks’ ability to increase performance, raise the heart rate, decrease fatigue and boost one’s overall awareness level. However, energy drinks are not harmless energy-boosting beverages. There are side effects to drinking energy drinks, especially in excess. As with all stimulants, they are followed by a crash. This is not to say that energy drinks should never be consumed, but considering the effects they have on the health, like coffee or alcohol, their consumption should be limited.

What Is in Energy Drinks

Energy drinks have as much as 80mg of caffeine per can. This number may vary between brands, but because they are meant to stimulate, all of them contain a large amount of caffeine. Other energy drinks contain guarana extract, which has twice as much caffeine per dose as coffee. Aside from that, energy drinks are mostly sugar. Some brands sell energy drinks with vitamins, but due to the fact that the main ingredients are caffeine and sugar, the beneficial effects of vitamins are mostly negated. Most energy drinks have a similar makeup to soda: high sugar content, high caffeine and other ingredients to give them a particular flavor and color.

What Energy Drinks Do

Like alcohol, caffeine is a diuretic, meaning that is promotes the loss of fluid in the body. One of the most serious side effects of energy drinks is their ability to dehydrate. Due to their excessive amounts of caffeine, the risk of dehydration is even greater. Some common effects of excessive energy drink consumption are anxiety, palpitations, irritability and insomnia.

Drinking energy drinks before exercising can be very detrimental to the health for the same reason. When your body is dehydrated, one of the worst things you can do is work out–a time when it needs fluids the most. Unlike coffee, energy drinks are often consumed quickly, giving the body no time to process the intake of the sugar and caffeine. Like soda that is high in sugar, caffeine and other ingredients like acids and chemicals, energy drinks can appear to boost one’s energy level but ultimately lead to a crash.

It is ironic that energy drinks claim to boost energy while in actuality they result in a caffeine crash when energy is spent. Their claim to increase alertness is also suspect in that these drinks, while keeping you awake, undermine the body’s natural ability to reinvigorate itself through sleep. Like many things, energy drinks consumed in moderation will have few if any adverse side effects. Nevertheless, energy drink consumers should be aware of the risks.