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Short-Term Dangers of Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are beverages advertised to increase alertness, performance and concentration when consumed. Most of these drinks contain high doses of caffeine and can be purchased at almost any grocery or convenience store. These drinks can be beneficial if used occasionally and responsibly, but there are still some short-term dangers of drinking energy drinks.

  1. Dehydration

    • Many athletes consume energy drinks during physical activity believing that they are rehydrating themselves by doing so. This often is not the case. Many energy drinks on the market today contain caffeine, which is a diuretic. A diuretic is a drug that decreases the amount of water the body holds and increases the passing of urine. If a caffeinated energy drink is consumed during athletic activity or any other activity that is physically demanding, the risk of dehydration is increased.

    High Blood Pressure

    • If too many energy drinks are consumed over a short period of time, blood pressure may be increased due to the many stimulatory ingredients used in popular energy drinks. A high dose of these ingredients can also cause heart palpitations, or rapid, fluttering heartbeats. This condition is harmless in the long run, but can cause severe stress to the affected person who may not understand or realize why she is feeling abnormal and begins to panic.

    Insomnia

    • Most energy drinks contain high doses of caffeine or other legal stimulants such as guarana and ginseng. These stimulants work by boosting energy as well as suppressing the parts of your brain that tell you that you're tired. If these drinks are consumed within 5 to 7 hours before you go to bed, you may find it extremely difficult to fall asleep because the effects of the drugs haven't completely worn off yet. When a habit is made of drinking energy drinks throughout the day, a persistent problem may arise where sleep is increasingly difficult to get due to the drugs in the energy drinks, so more energy drinks are consumed to compensate for the insomnia.

    Combining with Alcohol

    • It has become a popular trend to mix energy drinks with alcohol. This can be particularly dangerous because alcohol is a suppressant and the ingredients in energy drinks are stimulants. The biggest danger with this combination is that the stimulant nature of energy drinks can mask how intoxicated you are when you consume alcohol, causing you to drink more and thus become more intoxicated without realizing it. This increases the risk of alcohol poisoning and drunk driving. Combining alcohol with energy drinks also heightens the risk of dehydration since alcohol is also a diuretic.

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