What Are Energy Drinks?

Energy drinks are beverages that contain ingredients marketed to increase energy and mental performance. Some of the most popular energy drinks include, Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar among other brands. Nearly all energy drinks contain the ingredient caffeine to stimulate brain function and increase alertness and concentration. However, the amount of caffeine differs from product to product. The table below shows the amount of caffeine used by each of the brands named above. 

Energy drinks are not only high in caffeine but are also high in sugar, the table below shows the amount of sugar that each of these brands use.

To put this into perspective an adult should only have 30g of sugar per day however one of these cans nearly exceeds your limit and this does not include any other sources of sugar that a person may consume in a day such as coffee or chocolate.

 Energy Drink Consumption

A thousand young people were surveyed and asked how often they drink energy drinks.
Nearly a quarter of children in the UK drink at least one energy drink on a school day,
Around a third of children have one on the way to school, while more than a quarter say they replaced breakfast with one. 

In the UK 1.7 million people consume energy drinks 2 or 3 times a week while over 482,000 people consume more then one a day. This illustrates how much we rely on them and some people may not even realise the damage that these drinks can cause. Lets take a look at the mental and physical effects that these drinks can cause.

How They Effect Us

These drinks do not have many positives for our mental health, the only use that these drinks can offer us is enhanced alertness and reaction time. This can be very useful for people who want to be more alert during the day whether they are at school or at work. However, the side to them that you do not see is that energy drinks can cause anxiety, this is due to the high amount of caffeine and stimulants that these drinks contain. Regular consumption can disrupt sleep patterns which could lead to insomnia and it could also cause mood changes which could lead to an increased risk of depression in young people.

Recommendations

This does not mean that you have to stay away from energy drinks and that you can never have them again but just be mindful when you do have them. This could include having no more than 1 or 2 a week because by cutting down you will be decreasing your caffeine intake and sugar intake keeping them at healthy amounts. If you do decide to have an energy drink, try to avoid having them either before vigorous exercise or during as they can cause physical changes, the main example of this being an increased heart rate. If you have an increased heart rate you have a higher chance of having these symptoms;

Fainting
Shortness of breath
Difficulty when exercising
Heart palpitations
Fatigue or tiredness
Dizziness
Chest pain

This is why it is important to try and stay away from energy drinks if you are about to take part in vigorous exercise.

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