Are Energy Drinks Safe?

Need more energy? You could try getting more sleep, or you could chug down a zippy energy drink. Energy drinks have become an increasingly popular pick-me-up for a quick boost. The "boost" usually comes from the large amounts of caffeine and sugar that these drinks contain.

Energy drinks are sweetened with various sugars. The sugars can give a brief increase in energy, but also can cause weight gain. Caffeine is a stimulant which gives a temporary lift, but can have adverse side effects. Side effects of caffeine include nervousness, nausea, insomnia, irritability, increase in heart rate and increase in blood pressure.

The drinks often contain legal stimulants such as ephedrine, guarana and ginseng.

Energy drinks are not necessarily detrimental to health, but they shouldn't be relied on regularly for supply energy needs. Because many energy drinks are loaded with sugar, caffeine and even herbal stimulants, an excess of energy drinks could make your heart beat faster and increase risk of health problems. The stimulants in energy drinks can boost the heart rate, boost the blood pressure, dehydrate the bod an prevent sleep

Energy drinks, as an occasional "boost" are not necessarily a bad thing. If you need a boot in energy a better solution is to get enough sleep, exercise and to eat a healthy diet.

College students and people under thirty are the target market for energy drinks. College campuses are filled with yourg people chugging down energy drinks for a quick lift.

Energy drinks have become popular as mixers for alcoholic beverages.Stimulants in energy drinks counteract drowsiness so that more alcohol can be consumed. The combination of large amounts of caffeine and alcohol can be especially dangerous, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Alcohol by itself can trigger fast heart rhythms. Adding the stimulates in the energy drink increase the risks of abnormal heart rhythm even more.