I have decided to write an article that talks about this most controversial subject… Energy drinks. It is everywhere you go. You see it on the billboards, advertised on Television, radio, internet, and in the stores. I am going to talk about some of the pros and cons of drinking some of these drinks,
The pros of drinking energy drinks:
1. It will provide the energy to help you get the stuff you need to get done.
2. Caffeine will help improve your brain functions.
The cons of drinking caffeinated drinks:
1. It will cause you to have a sudden crash in energy, thus making you useless once the effects wear off.
2. It will cause health problems in the near future of which I will go into further detail in this article.
My advice is that when you decide to start drinking the Monsters, Rock Stars, red bulls, etc, be sure to drink plenty of liquids before and after consuming these drinks. Choosing not to hydrate your body will cause rapid dehydration and cramping. Caffeine is the main cause of rapid dehydration because it will flush all the water that is already in your body out. Be sure to have in stock a good supply of potassium and magnesium. These two vitamins are also the main targets of caffeine. On occasions when I have started drinking a Monster or a Rock Star, I would take potassium and a magnesium pill to help regulate my heartbeat. Before you go to sleep or when you get up in the morning, drink a cup or two to keep your body hydrated and be sure to have food in your body or you will get the jitters.
Avoid other caffeine sources if you are drinking a Monster or a Rockstar. I have noticed lately, that there is a pattern in those high school students who have drunk multiple sources of caffeinated drinks. I read a story about one student who had a Monster and plus a cup of coffee to start out his day. The end result was that he had heart failure. A girl in high school, who avoided the warnings that are on the can, had drunk multiple cans of monster and she died of heart failure. My recommendation is that you only drink one can a day, that should be plenty of caffeine to get you throughout the day.
If you are playing sports in high school or college, stay away from these drinks as your heartbeat is already taking a pounding from all that running and vigorous exercises.
One important health note that I want to give you is that if you are experiencing a shortness of breath or cramping in your left part of your chest, get yourself to the emergency room immediately. If you do get dehydrated to the point where you are dizzy and feel like you are going to faint, drink lots of water and be still by kneeling at your bedside or lay on your bed.
Drinking caffeinated drinks is an alternate source and should be used with judgment for increasing your energy, but the best to way to have lasting energy is to exercise and eat healthy. For all the high school students who are reading this article, please stay away from these drinks! Your body is young and should be already loaded with energy because of all the activities that you participate in high school. For the adults, use skill and judgment when deciding to consume these energy drinks.