Advice On Teens And Energy Drinks

by SuzyQ

posted on 06/14/2009

Do you know what your teenagers are drinking? I'm not referring to something alcoholic, although you should be concerned and take action if your underage kids are consuming beer, wine or liquor. What I'm referring to are the wildly popular energy drinks that have become as commonplace at home, at schools and at after-school sporting and social events as diet soda. Kids are drinking these expensive, caffeine-laced carbonated beverages to allegedly keep them alert and give them a boost of energy when they're tired or sluggish … but are they really healthy and do they work?

What makes this important is that a study was recently published in the Pediatric Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/6/e1005?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Caffeine&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=123&issue=6&resourcetype=HWCIT), which measured the use of these energy drinks in teenagers who were spending their evenings doing homework, e-mailing or text-messaging friends, playing video games, listening to music and using all sorts of other electronic devices. What was interesting, but not unexpected or surprising, was the finding that teens that spent their evenings using these energy drinks to stay awake, ended up falling asleep in their classes the next day.

Energy Drinks are not a Substitute for Eight Hours of Sleep
The energy drinks were consumed to keep teens awake and sharp into the wee hours of the morning, preventing them from getting the requisite eight hours of sleep. The study showed that teens that got eight hours of sleep were able to function at a normal, expected level. Approximately 74 percent of the teens who were falling asleep in class, admitted to drinking high amounts of energy drinks while they were engaged with their electronic devices.

Energy Drinks have Excessive Amounts of Caffeine
As parents, you need to be aware that these drinks are laced with excessive amounts of caffeine .. so much caffeine, in fact, that the Food and Drug Administration requires a notice on the cans stating this fact. With 160 mg of caffeine in a typical energy drink, compared to 17 mg in a normal 12 ounce soda, or 100 mg in an average cup of coffee, consuming two or more of these can lead to what researchers are calling caffeine intoxication, which causes similar symptoms to alcohol intoxication.

Energy Drinks Become Addictive
The need to keep jazzed up throughout the night and day causes a type of addiction for students, so in addition to drinking them at night to keep awake, they're also consumed during the day to keep them awake during classes. And although most schools have banned sodas and energy drinks from cafeterias and vending machines, there is nothing to stop students from purchasing them at corner convenience stores and stashing them in their backpacks.

What can Parents Do
Parents need to take more control over the home situation and ensure that their teenagers maintain a normal schedule of activities, complete their schoolwork at a reasonable hour, and limit their use of electronic devices late at night. In addition, it is important that their teenagers get eight hours of sleep so they can be legitimately awake for classes the next day. Keeping the lines of communication open with your teenagers is first and foremost in making sure these energy drinks don't take over their lives.

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