The Dangers of Caffeine

This month is caffeine awareness month. Caffeine is used by almost everyone, whether it’s tea or energy drinks. While surveying people at WHS, 50% said they drink caffeine 3-4 times a week because it is easy to get their hands on. It can give you an extra boost of energy throughout the day, but too much caffeine could be bad for your health.

The recommended caffeine intake is 400mg per day for adults, but for teens around the age of 16, it’s 100mg. The problem with this is that most of the drinks that teenagers drink at school or throughout their day exceed the 100 mg recommendation. The brand Alani has 200mg per serving, Celsius also has 200mg.  Hyper also exceeds the recommended caffeine intake, as it has 160mg of caffeine- they use RockStar energy drinks. Junior Madeline Bart said, “ I drink hyper all the time, it makes me feel more awake at school and I feel energized, it also tastes really good.” It may not be a problem with just one drink, but drinking one every day or more than one a day can be harmful. You can experience things like not being able to control little movements, shaking, and nervousness.

Although caffeine can deteriorate students, the right amount of caffeine can have many benefits. These benefits include reduced tiredness, being more alert, and it can help you stay focused for longer. Sophomore Laney Haviland said, “I drink maybe like 2 sources of caffeine throughout the week, I usually have it at school because I’m always tired and it makes me feel more awake and focused. But I also have them at home sometimes. My top 2 drinks are definitely Hyper drinks and Celsius.” Most teens are in the same boat of drinking caffeine so you can be more alert at school. Not only do people drink it for school, but also after school if you are tired and you have to go to work or go to practice, you can have a little pick me up before either of those. Senior Quinnlyn Jones said “I drink at least 1 Red Bull a day sometimes 2 before work, I work for about 10-12 hours a day so I get really tired especially when I work early or late at night.” while caffeine has it benefits it also has some risks. Making sure you aren’t drinking it too much is important.