I love energy drinks. I drink them very often, as a matter of fact, many of us do. They are very appealing: the colorful bottles, the cute packaging, the different flavors. They have some great benefits for us too; they boost our energy, enhance our physical performance, etc. However, just like any good thing, they do have their cons as well. They, for one, aren’t the healthiest option. They can also lead to kidney problems, insomnia, etc.
Energy drinks are extremely popular among everyone; however, lately they have become super appealing specifically to teens, athletes and busy workers who need a quick pick me up. Something very useful about energy drinks is that they increase one’s ability to concentrate. This is due to the fact that energy drinks have caffeine, Vitamin B and taurine. These ingredients in energy drinks help people concentrate and stay awake longer. Many people drink them to help them stay awake and energized during late night drives, boring shifts, practice and even all nighters. For example, NHL Veteran, Teemu Selanne said,“The way I look at it, if you take the right amount and consult with someone who will tell you what to do, I think it’s beneficial. Now if you take too much it can obviously hurt you.” So this proves that taking the right amount can enhance your physical performance. The boost of energy that energy drinks give you can help athletes improve their reaction time. Energy drinks are also very convenient. For example they are super easy to carry around. They also fit anywhere like in your purse, cup holder in the car etc. They are also something super easy to just grab for people who live running late or just simply live busy lifestyles. Energy drink brands are also starting to offer a sugar free version of their drinks. This would help be very appealing to customers who want something a bit healthier but would still like all the original things energy drinks have in them.
Although there are many good things about energy drinks like every good thing there is also a bad side towards drinking energy drinks. Although energy drinks do give you a boost of energy, that energy is just something temporary. Obviously the main reason that people say energy drinks are bad for you is because they can cause multiple health problems. The amount of caffeine is the biggest concern for people especially for parents that see their teens drinking these highly caffeinated drinks. Yes the caffeine allows one to stay up longer but the caffeine can have such bad after effects. For example the amount of caffeine found in one of the drinks can cause an increased heart rate, anxiety and finally it can also cause insomnia. Having too many energy drinks in one day can also cause other serious health problems like heart palpitations. Although heart palpitations aren’t exactly life threatening it can be scary and uncomfortable. Apart from the health problems that energy drinks can cause, the caffeine in them makes them very addicting to the point where people feel the need to have at least 2 or 3 in a day. These drinks also cause people to become very dependent on them. People sometimes excessively use energy drinks to stay awake and to focus properly. Since the majority of people who consume energy drinks are teens, yes it has a short term effect on us, however, since teens bodies are still in development they can have very serious long term effects on them.
In my personal opinion I believe that teens can keep consuming energy drinks but they shouldn’t. Although I personally drink a 12oz redbull every day. I know I shouldn’t because I cannot deny the fact that they do cause serious health problems. For example, my dad had to go to the ER one night because he felt like he started having heart palpitations and turns out it was because of the Monsters he was drinking. The facts are there, many people have had bad experiences with them so we can’t ignore the dangers of drinking energy drinks. However, I believe that as long as we are considerate about how many energy drinks we consume and how often we consume them it shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
