Do you consume caffeine? As a high school student, I’ve noticed that a lot of my peers and teachers consume caffeine daily, a pattern that has stayed prevalent.
To keep this in mind, I am not shaming anyone for consuming an excessive amount of caffeine because I was personally guilty of this too. During my sophomore year, I started to consume caffeine nearly every day, thinking that it improved my academic performance, gave me more energy to do simple tasks and improved my quality of life. However, as I consumed more caffeine throughout the year, I realized that this was not the case.
At Texas A&M University, according to psychologist Dr. Sherecce Fields, caffeine stimulates the brain in a similar manner to drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. The effects are more visible when a person consumes more caffeine because higher amounts can lead to dependence and furthermore trigger symptoms like anxiety, insomnia and a higher risk of attaining mental problems like potentially schizophrenia.
Addiction to caffeine comes with side effects. While there are some positives to caffeine, such as its ability to increase alertness, motivation and energy, few people know their limits and how much caffeine is affecting their body.
A poll with the U.S. News of over 1,000 parents shared results that show older teenagers (16 to 18-years-old) consume more caffeine than their younger counterparts (13 to 15-year-olds). The reasons from this poll were fascinating, stating how every two in five teens consume caffeine for the ingredients, a fourth consume caffeine because of peer influence, but even fewer consume caffeine to stay awake or focus on studying.
Choosing to refrain from caffeine was one of the best decisions I could have made for myself. However, I did notice that I was facing withdrawal symptoms, which made me realize just how dependent I was on energy drinks. The U.S. National Library of Medicine states that large amounts of caffeine can cause symptoms such as headaches, fast heart rate and insomnia.
I had most of these symptoms even before quitting caffeine. I vividly remember how every morning during first period I would drink some form of caffeine and when I came home, I needed to rest immediately or I could not focus on doing any school work. This routine was not sustainable for me whatsoever because it gave me constant pounding headaches and the inability to sleep at a proper time.
This does not mean I quit caffeine completely, though. I still enjoy a good cup of coffee or a fun energy drink before a night out. However, it is all about balance because then the chances of feeling the negative side effects from caffeine are minimal.
As a teenager, the brain and body is still developing and like any other drug or toxin, growing a dependency only creates daily lifestyle problems and affects an individual’s health in the future. Through learning the accepted daily amount of caffeine consumed per day creates accountability. For example, athletes are able to consume three to six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, whereas non athletes can consume up to 100 milligrams and adults up to 400. With this in mind, drink caffeine with caution.
Picture: credits to https://unsplash.com/s/photos/energy-drink
