Do you feel the need to have a “fun drink” to get out of bed every morning? Do you spend hundreds a month on coffee, unable to accomplish one day without it? Let’s be honest, the caffeine addiction is real, and it seems to be growing among high school students in particular. But what exactly are the risks of this caffeine habit?
Caffeine is truly a gorgeous wonder, increasing alertness, concentration, and energy. With an early start to the day at BHS, I find myself in the Starbucks drive-thru every morning, or shuffling through my fridge in search of an Alani. Looking around my classes, I notice that just about everyone has the same idea. Every morning, I see a collection of Alani, Celsius, Starbucks holiday drinks, and Dunkin’s widespread menu.
“It’s not that I need it, it’s more of a want. Having a fun drink helps me start my day” says a BHS senior. Not only is caffeine a need for most teens, it becomes more of a dopamine addiction! There is something about walking around with a fun drink in hand, taking sugary sips throughout class, getting excited in the drive-thru. It’s fun, truly…but it is harmful.
Before you reach for that Alani because it’s “trendy” and keeps you awake, you may want to consider a few things beforehand:
- Decreased brain development
As students approach graduation, midterms, or higher education, it is imperative that our brain development is on schedule. A constant caffeine intake can stunt this process, according to HelpGuide.org. With caffeine hindering the quality of slumber, raising heart rate, and decreasing brain activity, this will hijack the development of a growing teenager.
To combat, try this instead: Refrain from drinking caffeine 6-8 hours before sleeping.
2. Substance dependence at a young age
Now, I know there are bigger fish to fry, but there is no denying that caffeine is considered a drug. Yes, you heard correctly! Caffeine is a stimulant teens are relying on at an early age. A nutritionist at UCLA health, Dr. Michael Garcia, claims “Stopping cold turkey is uncomfortable, but not dangerous.” As teens, it can be severely detrimental to be relying on a drug to get through the day. Although you may face headaches, fatigue, and lack of concentration when quitting caffeine, you are breaking a cycle at an early age, which increases self-control and lowers dependency.
So, try this: If you refuse to quit cold turkey, try drinking caffeine every other day. As you get more comfortable with this, try every two days, then every three days, and so on. Try budgeting coffee purchases, buy smaller packs of K-cups or energy drinks, or limit yourself to strictly decaf.
3. Anxiety spikes
Anxiety is running rampant within teens these days. Whether this could be attributed to social media, increased pressure, or even caffeine…you decide. However, caffeine intake can directly be correlated to increased anxiety due to its harm on sleep quality and an increased heart rate. When receiving less sleep and experiencing a pounding heart, anxiety will surely take the wheel. I’m sure, as teens, more of us are struggling with anxiety than not.
If anxiety seems to take over your life, try: only consuming caffeine below the “limit” (anything under 100mg for teens), spacing out caffeine consumption instead of downing it in one sitting, or practicing meditation techniques.
4. Increased irritability
As teens, I’m sure our parents have noticed this far sooner than we have. This can be chalked up to teen hormones, burnout, and mental health, but have we ever considered caffeine? Everything is stacking up now! Increased heart rate, anxiety, lack of sleep–this could make us grumpy, actually causing us to be more irritable than we would without our caffeine. Teens are often seen as unnecessarily angry, always “sweating the small stuff”. The effects of caffeine aren’t feel-good symptoms; they could easily dampen your mood.
To make mom feel a little better, lay off the caffeine; see how much sleep you’ll get without it! I’m sure you’ll wake up feeling much more refreshed (and a lot less grumpy) the following morning!
5. Frequent bathroom use
My friend and I have had a running joke throughout high school; each time one of us arrives with a cup of Dunkin’ in our hand, we say “Oh, look you brought your laxatives with you today!” This may sound like comedic relief, but coffee sincerely does have this “laxative effect”, as it elevates gastrin, a hormone that gets the bowels moving. Additionally, coffee warrants frequent urination, weakening the pelvic floor. “It just runs right through me.” Claims a senior male, often spotted with a drink in his hand. “Yet I drink it anyway.”
If this seems to be a recurring issue, try this: drink coffee in smaller increments, or if you fear the
“Laxative effect”, try consuming it long before you reach your destination.
There is no doubt that caffeine has us in a chokehold as teens. Whether it be for aesthetic purposes, an exciting start to the day, or because we cannot stay awake without it, it is considered a need for our generation. I am not attacking caffeine per se, as it is a vast resource for many benefits within humans, and it is certainly not inherently a harmful drug. However, the daily overuse of caffeine, especially within underdeveloped teens, does pose risks.
Drinking caffeine every day for fun, aesthetics, or taste isn’t exactly harmless. With your brain still developing, it is vital to be considerate of one’s sleep schedule, heart rate, mood swings, and bathroom usage. We do not want to grow dependent on what caffeine is — a drug!
Next steps
Trust me, I am (maybe a little too) aware of what it’s like to rely on caffeine. I know what it’s like to have a hard day without it. After brushing up on some of these facts, I’ve collected some solutions on how to slim down this reliance:
- Replace energy drinks with coffee
- Making my own coffee at home rather than purchasing it
- Making a non-caffeinated drink and putting it in a “trendy” cup
- Cutting out caffeine after noon
- Drinking caffeine intermittently, spacing out more and more days as I continue
- Consuming caffeine in smaller increments at a time
- Ordering decaf
- Getting my body moving to naturally restore energy
