In the past couple of years, when walking into a school environment it is a very common sight to see students carrying around an energy drink along with their textbooks and I pad. This energy drink spread can be seen in our own school, with students carrying various brands of caffeinated drinks such as Celsius, monster, and G fuel. This brings up the question of both the long- and short-term effects that it has on students, and weather it is good or bad for students overall.
Energy drinks in recent years have been a topic of research especially with the variety of brands that have been producing these drinks and due to most of them containing a high amount of caffein. Through much research many short-term affects of these energy drinks have been revealed that could potentially be affecting our students. There are many positive short term affects that come with these energy drinks. The most obvious effect is the initial boost in energy that it provides you with, also known as a caffeine jolt. Along with this comes an increase of alertness and a sense of being more awake. Along with these short-term positive effects come short term negative affects. The most noticeable effect is the crash of energy that comes after that initial jolt of energy. Although this is the most noticeable effect, there are more serious negative effects such as dehydration, irritability, anxiousness, and nausea. All of these effects listed have an affect on not only the students in our school but people all around that world.
Energy drinks also have many long terms affects that students should be aware of when drinking these drinks daily. The long-term affects linked with energy drinks are mostly negative effects. These effects include bad mental health, heart and blood vessel problems, tooth and dental erosion, and an increase in risky behavior, especially in teens. These keep chipping away at your health through a prolonged period of time. These finding really bring up the question of whether energy drinks should be an everyday or every other day thing for students.
To get a better understanding of what students really think of energy drinks we need to get their words on energy drinks. Sophomore Matthew Baptist states “I personally believe they are unhealthy. At first glance, they may seem like a good option, but when taking a closer look at the ingredients you will see that they are very unhealthy and not something you should be drinking often.” The presentation and the initial boost of energy may seem like energy drinks are a good option, but these are short lived for many when the initial boost wears off and the crash starts. Along with, when people drink these regularly, they also have to worry about the how it is affecting your health over a prolonged period.
“It helps me lock in for school and wake up for early morning shifts. This helps me produce quality work even if I woke up not feeling productive. It has saved me many times in both school and work and I hope it continues to help me when I need it.” States junior Santiago Garcia. The boost in productivity that it gives you helps in a plethora of situations. For example, days when you have not got much sleep an energy drink can make all the difference.
All in all, the new wave of energy drinks across not only our school but schools all over has both its benefits and drawbacks that come along with it. These affect our students on a day-to-day basis especially the students that drink them regularly.