Most of the energy drinks on this list use energizing ingredients such as green tea, matcha, coffee, yerba mate, and guarana. If you’re taking a prescription medication that includes caffeine, speak with your healthcare provider about the possibility of alternatives — but know that they may not be an option. If not, you’ll have to reduce your caffeine intake in other ways. At 32mg of caffeine per 100ml, Red Bull provides a reliable caffeine boost alongside taurine and B vitamins. While regular Red Bull tastes perfectly nice, this Red Edition watermelon variant has a tastier and more interesting fruity flavour. Also available are the Tropical Edition (tropical flavour), Coconut Edition (coconut-berry flavour) and Summer Edition (apricot-strawberry flavour). For those cutting down on sugar, you’ll be happy to know the tropical variant also has a sugar-free option available. Sleep Disruption: Drinking coffee, especially close to bedtime, can interfere with sleep. Poor sleep quality and deprivation can negatively affect your overall health and cognitive function in the long run.

Drinkers who mix alcohol with energy drinks are more likely than drinkers who do not mix alcohol with energy drinks to report unwanted or unprotected sex, driving drunk or riding with a driver who was intoxicated, or sustaining alcohol-related injuries. About 25 percent of college students consume alcohol with energy drinks, and they binge-drink significantly more often than students who don’t mix them.

The key is to cut down slowly on the amount of caffeine in your diet. Don’t make the mistake of stopping totally abruptly. By doing so, you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms like headache, nausea, tiredness, muscle pain, irritability and difficulty concentrating. Setting a time limit is helpful to allow adequate time for the caffeine level to decrease and allow your body to relax and allow you to get to sleep,” says Czerwony. Substitute for a lower caffeine drink

Aside from the caffeine, energy drinks usually have a ton of sugar, which won’t help you in the long run; after the rush wears off, you’ll just crash again. Coffee, on the other hand, is better for sustained energy, and you won’t have to add to your calorie count for the day when you drink it. People often develop a “caffeine tolerance” when taken regularly, which can reduce its stimulant effects unless a higher amount is consumed. When suddenly stopping all caffeine, withdrawal symptoms often follow such as irritability, headache, agitation, depressed mood, and fatigue. The symptoms are strongest within a few days after stopping caffeine, but tend to subside after about one week. [3] Tapering the amount gradually may help to reduce side effects. Sources of Caffeine Energy drink fans will argue no, as an ounce of an energy drink has 10mg of caffeine while an ounce of coffee contains 18mg.Brand quality - Are they known for using good ingredients? Do they use a lot of unnatural colorings? Once you find a brand from our list that you want to go with, we encourage a bit of independent research before you get the ball rolling. All the energy products on this list contain less than 140 mg of caffeine, which is much less than is found in a 12-ounce (360-mL) cup of coffee ( 11). Red Bull is one of the most well-known and popular high-caffeine brands on the market and has become synonymous with energy drinks. The company is also known for its support of high-octane sports, record-breaking stunts and up-and-coming electronic musicians. Vitamin source: They add these into the mix to give you a natural boost of energy. If you look at today’s world and eating habits, we don’t get enough vitamins and minerals in our daily diet. This little boost helps you out, and keeps you focused.

Toxicity is generally not seen when drinking caffeinated beverages because a very large amount would need to be taken within a few hours to reach a toxic level (10 gm of caffeine is equal to about 100 cups of brewed coffee). Dangerous blood levels are more often seen with overuse of caffeine pills or tablets. [3] Did You Know? Additionally, over 20,000 trips to the emergency department are associated with energy drink use every year in the US alone ( 9). Energy drinks usually contain large amounts of sugar ranging from 21 g to 34 g per oz. The sugar content is mainly in the form of sucrose, glucose or high fructose corn syrup. Therefore, high energy drink intake may increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. ( 14) In addition, the high sugar content in energy drinks may reduce the activity, diversity and gene expression of intestinal bacteria resulting in increased risk of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. ( 22) Acute caffeine intake decreases insulin sensitivity, ( 23) which could explain the rise in blood glucose levels after energy drink consumption documented in some studies. ( 24) Beaudoin et al. demonstrated that caffeine intake reduces insulin sensitivity in a dose dependent manner, with 5.8% increase in insulin for each mg/kg increase in caffeine. ( 25) Sirotkin AV, Kolesárová A. The anti-obesity and health-promoting effects of tea and coffee. Physiol Res. 2021;70(2):161-168.

Coffee vs Energy Drinks: A Discrimination?

At best, energy drinks can help you feel more awake, giving you a boost after consumption. However, feeling energised and feeling focused are two different things.