I’m sure that as you walk through the halls of Fruita Monument Highschool, you have noticed countless amounts of coffee, tea, or energy drinks in the hands of the students around you. As the year is peaking, and the cold winters are full of sleepless nights and fatigue, many teens and students will turn to caffeine to curb their tiredness. 

Caffeinated beverages are often marketed as ways to have a tasty treat that is low calorie and often full of caffeine. According to kidshealth.org, teenagers should be having no more than 100 mg of caffeine each day. This is concerning, as energy drinks contain anywhere from 80 to 500 mg of caffeine each, this combined with additional coffee, soda, tea, etc. can be very dangerous to developing teenagers and can cause problems. Caffeine surpluses can cause insomnia, anxiety, muscle twitches, irregular heartbeats, and more.

Rather than consuming excessive amounts of caffeine as a teenager, it is recommended that you focus on water, electrolytes, and minerals for hydration purposes while consuming caffeine in moderation. Rather than using caffeine as a thirst quencher, reach for a healthier alternative to curb these cravings. Too much of a good thing will become a bad thing, and a primary example of this quote is caffeine consumption. So, as school becomes difficult, and sleep becomes more rare, keep in mind the dietary suggestion for caffeine intake before you drink your scheduled coffee’s and red bulls, energy can be found within certain foods and in more natural ways which ensure bodily health at the same time.