Caffeine has long been disrupting teens’ health under the pretense of momentary help or a fix to lack of sleep. But there are many side effects of regular or excessive caffeine consumption, with Insomnia, often listed first. Ironic, isn’t it? The very things most teens are drinking to help with energy is also a known cause of insomnia. The inability to fall or stay asleep. This has created a dangerous cycle with many young teens now dependent on energy drinks.
Companies of such beverages such as Bang, Monster Energy, and red bull claim that their drinks increase alertness, and improve physical and mental health. This advertising directed at kids, has made energy drinks extremely popular among teens and young adults. However there is limited data and very little supporting these claims.
According to the National Library of Medicine, some effects of regular and overuse of caffeine are restlessness, shakiness, headaches, dizziness, increased heart rate, insomnia, dehydration, and anxiety. The amount of caffeine can vary a lot per drink but the average 8-ounce energy drink has 70-90 mg of caffeine. This may not sound like a lot but many teens are not educated of the effects of caffeine overuse and will drink multiple at a time or in a day. An adult body may be able to handle these high levels of caffeine but teen bodies are at a higher risk of being negatively affected.
Caffeine may be a helpful momentary fix when used responsibly as an occasional help after a sleepless night. But the effects of regular or overuse of caffeine are too harmful to ignore. And too many teens are dependent on them, as part of a vicious cycle detrimental to their physical and mental health. Passing this bill to restrict the sale and caffeine contents in energy drinks lower the number of young teens whose health is being negatively affected by energy drinks.