Many students and staff regularly reach for energy drinks to substitute for sleep, wake themselves up and enjoy a menagerie of flavors. 

According to Better Health Channel caffeine is a drug, specifically a stimulant, that causes increased activity in the brain and nervous system. It is also possible to gain a tolerance to caffeine, requiring bigger and bigger doses to obtain the same effect. 

“I don’t want to be addicted to caffeine. I want to make sure that I keep my heart healthy and my body healthy,” social studies teacher Katie Harris said. 

Junior Madeleine Kimball also said the consumption of caffeine increases her anxiety, and according to The National Institutes of Health, this is a common side effect. 

“I am really bad at sleeping, so it helps me move. I think they are very bad for me,  and I shouldn’t be drinking them all the time, but they also taste really good and get me through the day so I do drink them,” junior Sophie Kottmann said. 

It is important to balance them healthily and stay within a reasonable dosage; according to the FDA the maximum amount of caffeine that can be taken daily without serious health consequences is 400 mg. This does not mean that 399 mg a day is safe, but rather the hard-stop to prevent long term and short term body damage. 

“I’ve kind of quit, because I was drinking them every single day, 24/7 … I wasn’t feeling great, it kind of made me lazy and overall took a toll on my body that I noticed so I stopped drinking them, I only drink them every once in a while,” said junior Emily Boudreau.