Celsius, Alani, Bloom, do any of these sound familiar?

Recently, energy drinks have become a major factor in a student’s day to day life.

Although energy drinks appear to be a positive aid in students’ lives, they are exactly the opposite.

Overconsumption of caffeine can negatively impact not only physical, but also mental health and even heighten the risk of substance abuse in the future.

Naturopathic doctor Rebecca Meldrum shares, “While energy drinks are highly stimulating, they are not truly energizing. In fact, they steal energy from you as your body has to work harder and use up vital nutrients to process what you’re putting in your body.”

Aside from the life-draining stimulants in energy drinks, most of them also contain an absurd amount of caffeine.

Meldrum also points out that, “As mentioned above, most guidelines suggest no more than 100 mg per day for teens, which is equal to about one small (8 oz) cup of coffee.”

These energizing beverages typically contain between 150-250mg of caffeine, not to mention, many teenagers drink more than one of these a day.

Students often lean to high caffeinated, energy drinks for help with sleep deprivation, focusing and improving on their academics and enhancing their moods.

In fact the scene of a student having an energy drink to start the day as it’s thought to better their learning is far from rare.

Student Abby Fechser shares her insight after being asked if energy drinks affect her at school “..whenever I drink an energy drink I just get hyped and lock in on my school work as a way to use that extra energy.”

Many students have the same thoughts as Fechser, causing spikes in energy drink consumption in students.

However, there are many other ways to stay energized as a teenager without the negative effects of energy drinks.

Dr, Meldrum suggests some tips for teens: keeping a consistent sleep schedule, spending at least 10-20 minutes outside each morning, exercise throughout the day, eat regular meals at regular times, start your day with 12 oz of water, get at least 60 minutes of moderate exercise daily, limit or avoid screen time at night to improve sleep quality and find a stress reducing activity you enjoy to help reduce stress related fatigue.