Have you ever walked around the Toll Gate halls and seen students with energy drinks in their hands covered with bright and colorful labels? Have you been one of them? Nowadays I’ve seen several people my age walk around with fancy Dunkin coffees or Starbucks drinks and even the highly eye-catching: Celsius. But, are those actually healthy for you?

As pressure from school and other responsibilities such as work or sport activities push students to give their best and always be there, they soon rely on external stimulants such as these energy drinks. Although they may provide temporary energy motivation and higher productivity they surely have overpowering, permanent, negative influences as well. Studies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and National Institutes of Health shows: regular and high consumption of energy drinks such as Red Bulls and the infamous Celsius can lead to a higher heart rate and soaring blood pressure, chronic health diseases such as heart attacks (more specifically atrial fibrillation) and numerous strokes, all while increasing your risk for digestive problems.

So what’s the issue? Why can’t students stop their malnourishing habit of drinking these energy drinks? The answer to this question is the high amount of caffeine found in those drinks. These deceptive drinks typically contain the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee ranging from about 80 mg to 300 mg per serving. Imagine that. you may think that you’re doing yourself a favor by not drinking coffee everyday and instead switching to these falsely claiming and misleading drinks. However, these are even more harmful than a normal cup of black coffee and instead can be proven to deteriorate your health for only a few months. 

The question is, how can you stop your excessive consumption of energy drinks and instead boost your motivation and productivity rates through natural and healthy methods? Well a list of things you could try out are: getting enough sleep, exercising regularly without the intake of caffeine, and eating a balanced diet. Sounds simple, right? These undemanding changes can give you long-term benefits instead of false and unsustainable spikes from the expensive and lethal stimulants to your health. 

This article is a reminder for you that you can make sure you give your best to both yourself and others without the use of the so-called “boosting” drinks. As a matter of fact, I challenge you to stay away from these energy drinks for at least a month and see the difference. Try to encourage your friends to do that as well! Thank you very much for reading and I hope this made an impact on your next decision on what to drink and encourage you to make conscientious decisions!